I’ve always been pretty brand agnostic when it comes to the video game console wars. I’ve owned Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox systems and enjoyed console-exclusive games from each of them. In recent years, though, I’d only really kept an Xbox in the house to play Forza Horizon, the open-world series of racing games that’s a more fun counterpart to the Forza Motorsport sim titles. As good as the most recent Forza Horizon 5 is, I sold my Xbox about a year ago — partially because after getting my PS5 I just couldn’t stand the Xbox controller anymore — but now that’s just fine, as Forza Horizon 5 is coming to PlayStation 5 later this year.
It’s a bit shocking, as the Forza games have always been Xbox (and, more recently, Microsoft PC) exclusives, and PlayStation has its own console-exclusive racing games in the Gran Turismo series, though there has yet to be an open-world GT game. But it’s not at all unprecedented. Over the past couple years Microsoft has become much more open to releasing previously Xbox-exclusive games on other consoles, typically with a buffer of at least a few months before they move over to PlayStation or Nintendo.
The PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5 is being developed by Panic Button in partnership with Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games, the two creators of the Forza series. The companies say the PS5 version of Horizon 5 will have all of the same content as the Xbox and PC versions, which means almost 900 cars and more than 40 different updates that have been put out since the game launched in 2021. It sounds like PlayStation users will still have to shell out extra cash for the Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure expansions, though.
The developers are also working on a new feature called Realms that will roll out to every version of the game:
In addition to bringing Forza Horizon 5 to PS5, we’re working on a special new free content update for all platforms, Horizon Realms. Realms will give players the chance to explore a curated collection of some of the community’s favorite previously released Evolving Worlds, alongside some other surprises.
We don’t yet know exactly when Forza Horizon 5 will launch on PS5, just that it will be in spring of this year. The game will support cross-platform play, too, so you’ll be able to play with all of your friends regardless of what console they’ve got.