Playground Games announced the newest Forza Horizon 5 DLC in a new showcase and highlighted some of the racing game expansion’s biggest features, including the rally’s return. The Forza Horizon 5 DLC Sierra Nueva releases March 29, 2023, for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and it’s free for owners of the premium bundle. Those who own the standard version can upgrade at any time and will receive all existing DLC, including the Hot Wheels expansion.
The new Forza Horizon 5 DLC adds a sizeable map north of the main game’s Mexico map, with a range of new environments, including a palm forest – Forza’s first fully smashable forest – an abandoned quarry complete with machinery you can drive on, and a desert pocked with craters, which is also home to the new Horizon festival outpost and its celebrations.
Playground is bringing rally adventures back for the first time since Horizon 1, giving you the option to race off-road – and even without the guiding blue line, if you want a steeper challenge – for the entire campaign. If you don’t fancy rally races, you can choose traditional races such as those in the base game instead and still complete the entire campaign with all of its unlockables.
Playground said the new region gave them the chance to experiment with new and more difficult road types as well. You’ll encounter harder turns, crests, bumps, hairpins, and even corners that drop off completely after you start turning, so picking the right car and practicing is a must.
Car progression from the Hot Wheels expansion is gone as well, so you’re free to pick whatever you want, including the new Ford offerings and the Scumbug, a rally kart-style car based on the Volkswagen Beetle.
You can join a rally team and complete rally challenges to unlock new cars and, eventually, a new Goliath tournament, the first since Forza Horizon 3.
It sounds like a massive update, but just how big remains a mystery. Playground coyly refused to show the map and said they would reveal it at a later date before launch.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
