Forza Horizon Xbox 360
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 213 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 187 out of 213
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 213
  3. Negative: 22 out of 213

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  1. Mattyice
    Oct 24, 2012
    7
    Feels a bit like need for speed, but this game is overall still a good effort by microsoft to keep their exclusive franchises going on. This is another good game to add to my racing collection. Still not better than FM:4.
  2. charlie15
    Oct 23, 2012
    8
    Only an hour or so into this and I'm glad that Turn 10 decided to spice things up a little with an open plan environment. The game physics are very similar to Forza's usual recipe, however, it does retain a sense of arcade style that is evident when taking corners fast and putting your foot down on the gas. The graphics are quite nice whilst the vehicles are moving, however, whilst in a stand still position, certain areas of the scenery appear slightly jagged. Certain car designs are still not spot on and the rim variety has not changed either (straight import from FM4). It would have also been nice if Turn 10 had added greater depth to certain areas of vehicle modification (e.g. adjusting the offset - wheels sit flush/or slightly out of the guards) considering this is based on street shows/events. Overall, a great game for car fanatics. If you like NFS/arcade style games, let me tell you one thing - this game does it a whole lot better with the addition of precise in game physics.… Expand
  3. Photin
    Oct 23, 2012
    10
    I have stopped playing Forza since part 2 since I wasn't a fan of so racers, but this game is awesome!!! I have been waiting for a racing game to top midnight club "
    Los Angelas and this is the game to do it. Great graphics fun races and the cars they chose are top notch. I played some multoplay and it is your normal racing mp with some extra fu. Things added to it. If you are looking for     a racing game with upgrades and none of the crazy car settings then this is your game… Expand
  4. SashimiBandit
    Nov 3, 2012
    10
    Just played this game, very beautiful, very engaging, perfect usability design, excellent choice of music of various genres, love it! Lighting and overall presentation is gorgeous! Very fun to play, thanks for making this game M.S. you made my weeknights and weekends!
  5. Matty2012
    Nov 28, 2012
    9
    What do you get when you take a bunch of Brits who worked on such game series like Project Gotham Racing,Colin Mcrae, DIRT, GRID, BLUR and others? You get a new British developer named Play Ground Games and a great game named Forza Horizon is what! I enjoyed previous Forza games but there was a lot that i didn't like about them...1.Driving round the same track for more than 3 laps bores me. 2.The backround graphics looked terrible,buildings and trees etc just looked poo! 3.The music in them was terrible. Forza Horizon ditches race tracks for a big open world set in Colorado US...now let me tell you...this game looks incredible, the backround graphics are much much better than previous Forzas and the whole game is not only one of the best graphical racing games, it's also one of the best graphical games out there on console.The closest thing to compare it to graphicaly is Criterion Games Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010 which also looks amazing.The locations are very varied and similar too,from deserts to forests to cities to small towns.The new day/night lighting cycle is very impressive,suns sets and rises with bursts of light from behind snowy mountains and through trees,as flocks of birds take to the skys and Autumn leaves gently fall from the trees,while the Horizon festival lights up the sky with lots of lights lasers and fireworks,it all looks impressive. There are around 140 cars on offer with many more to download, graphically the cars are all great but a mixed bunch, what i mean by this is some of the cars (The main big boys like the Ferrari 458 Italia etc) look just like in Forza 4, while others are around 85-95% as good looking as Forza 4's. Think of the cars in Need For Speed The Run and Forza 4...well their inbetween the 2, better looking than The Runs but not quite as good as Forza 4's...so the cars look great and the change doesnt stick out like a sore thumb at all,the whole thing blends real well.The traffic on the road looks very good just like it did in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010,lots of real world traffic cars,vans and lorrys driving around the open world.Selecting cars in the show room look 90 to 95% as good as Forza 4, but the new lighting system looks better with light reflecting off the cars and even the lighting rigs on the shoowroom roof reflecting in the windscreen etc. Theres an overwhelming ammount to do in Forza Horizon, lots of varied events and things to do from racing on and off road,racing planes,hot air balloons,sprint races,track races,street races and more.Also every now and again 'Barn finds' will be announced over one of the radio stations, basically you have to find a barns that have old run down cars in them so an old guy can fix them up for you to keep or sell.Handling is very much like Forza 4 with just a dashing of Race Driver GRID in there + you get to select different modes like Simulator,assisted or customize your own just like in Forza 4, its all there the same as simulator upgrades takn straight from Forza 4, add turbos,suspension,body kits,decals,change the paint,wheels,everything from Forza 4 is in here to keep the simulator fans happy. There are many different road surfaces on and off road and all of them feel different and a pleaure to drive on. The music is much better than previous Forza games, this time the famous British Electro duo Chase & Status have put together over 60 different artists across 3 stations. Lots of house,dance,electro,dub step,drum and base which all the Europeans will love, It also has a diverse selection of Rock and lots of remixes of of indie festival favorites. The radio is alos alive with different radio DJ's talking about random funny stuff and giving you updates on all kinds of things from barn finds,to latest racing news,whos cool and whos not,whos challenging and inviting who to events and talk about random celebrities at the Horizon festival, so the radio stations feel alive the whole time and never get boring.For fans of the cheesie stories and high end custcenes in the Need For Speed Undergound and Most Wanted 2005 series, you will love Horizon as it has all these and a story to it,hot girls,other racers challenging you an smack talkin,weird an wonderfull celebrities,old wise men who fix up your cars while offering you advice and educating you a bit on the classic barn find cars, theres plenty of all that in Horizon and its all done well and looks great. Neat little touches where men and hot girls stand in the middle of the road with flares to start some street races or neon flares shooting up in the sky to start a race before landing in the middle of the road and fizzling out,and fireworks and conffetti as you cross the finish line. I think its the best Forza in the series as i love open world racers (and no im not a kid! Ive noticed simulator fans saying that Horizon is for kids,im 30),add that to its amazing graphics,great music and overwhelming content and you have one of the best racing games ever made.… Expand
  6. LiquidGamer
    Oct 24, 2012
    7
    I am not the biggest driving game guy, I have a car, it's fast, I'm good. But Horizon brings fun back to the genre like Burnout Paradise before it. We see a similar layout and gameplay as Forza 4, but the open world and character driven storyline help make this stand out amongst other driving games. A fun time and good game all in all,It doesn't seem to be as good looking as 4, however the new arcade style makes up for it in play. Hear my full review on the show, http://liquidgamer.podbean.com… Expand
  7. vinceyoungx
    Oct 23, 2012
    9
    Forza Horizon is def worth buying! The graphics are amazing the cars are so life like and the gameplay is truely realistic and fun! This is one of the best racing games ive played, and ive played mostly all of them. The controls are very easy to learn, and did I say the graphics are amazing you will be blown away I just cant say it enough it's something you have to see to believe how amazing they are. There are also the online modes. Rivals mode lets you win extra bounty by beating the ghosts of friends and other players and should be familiar to those of you who… Expand
  8. BryanLourenco
    Nov 6, 2012
    10
    A release which surprised me. Arrived in silence, with little information, and able to create the atmosphere in the campaign as NFS and TDU never succeeded!
    Certainly one of the best racing games for console.
  9. Saeferth
    Oct 25, 2012
    9
    Even if this game was only Forza Motorsport set on the open road, this would have been a success. The game is much more than that. It is a fun experience in its own right and a welcome first entry into what hopefully becomes a new franchise.
  10. wasd0109
    Oct 26, 2012
    10
    Forza is getting real Forza Motorsport is about cars, racing and is serious This, is about cars, musics, driver and fun! If you want a game that you can spend a long time on and have fun. This is the deal. One thing to point out is that, I hate people judging the game on rather if there are DLC or not. At last, I will give this game a solid 10. I now have to get some rest after playing this non-stop for five hours...… Expand
  11. ImprezaActual
    Oct 30, 2012
    10
    A NICE DAY OFF WORK!
    My title of the review says it all. People should take Forza Horizon for what its ment to be... FUN!
    It really is like a nice day off work, after a hard shift at (WORK) on Forza 4, between trying to knock 100th of a second off a lap time, or changing a setup on a car because the rebound on your rear suspension is too stiff, that coupled with the attack setting on the     rear diff, its nice to play a racing game and not have to think too much or too hard and just relax. Forza Horizon (THE DAY OFF WORK) does just that....
    Fair enough some people might think the career is easy, turn the setting to insane and all driver aids off, see how easy it is now.
    People say "Its too arcadey"... it aint meant to be a like for like simulation. If it was it would just be Forza 4.5 or 5.
    People say its a "Dirt Clone" or a "Burnout Clone", does that not make every "Non simulation racing" game a clone of something? Or games in general just clones of something.
    Its rewarding, easy enough to get the hang of, but difficult to master. And most of all its gorgeously good looking fun to play, solo or online.
    My only stipulation is the music is abit chedder'ish. In saying that none of the music i would listen to anyway, but for all intents and purposes, it provides atmosphere and energy to an already high energy game.
    If you love cars, driving them fast, the idea of doing a 10 mile sprint down a motorway/highway in a Ferrari F50 or something similar or not as the case may be, the Forza Brand, but want a little something something like Forza 4 that doesnt take itself too serious. Forza Horizon could be the very thing for you.
    It aint perfect, nothing is, but for all the charm and fun to be seen and had, you'll forget about that and just enjoy the ride!    … Expand
  12. funkydoodycool
    Oct 28, 2012
    10
    I'm very much enjoying this game! Comparing it to Forza 4 (seems the right thing to do), this wins in almost every way. Better graphics, better presentation, better progression - but with the same fantastic handling model backing it up! Dropping the progression system of Forza 4 works very much in this game's favour. Now, instead of navigating menus and selecting from various race and series types, you simply set your GPS to an event that is open, and drive to it. Wonderful fun, with the great physics that Forza has built over the years. If you can't be bothered to drive (it can take a few minutes to cross the map) you can open up way points as you travel, which can be teleported to (at a cost) from wherever you are. The presentation has moved away from serious racing sim territory, and into a camp that is very much Need for Speed's domain. Except Forza manages to pull it off (almost) without being too crass. The game opens up with you racing towards "Horizon", with only 10 spaces remaining to be included in the events. Of course, you just make it... and so begins your journey as the noobie of Horizon. Whilst driving about between events, you will be told of "barn finds" and given a general area to search. Some very cool old cars come out of this once you find them. You also find speed traps, and it is up to you to get the fastest speed through them - when you pass one, it records your speed, and compares it to your personal best AND the best speed of all your friends, encouraging a nice competition especially when a message flashes up saying "blahblah has beaten your speed camera record". Another exciting addition is the ability to play against ghosts of other players' best times on any course once you complete it. It could be someone on your friends list, or a complete stranger, but it's a lot of fun trying to best another's times in such a way (and it still allows you to do so with a Silver account, which is nice). I picked up the Wireless "speed wheel" today, after a couple of days of playing with a pad, and am pleased to confirm the wheel works wonderfully! When I'm trying to get a best time, or fastest speed through a speed camera, I will default to my pad, but for more casual races, the wheels is awesome, the game just works with it.

    All in all this is a fantastic game, and whilst watered down in some respects, it is better for it. It's been billed as a spin off, and it certainly fills the gap until another "proper" Forza comes along.    … Expand
  13. graw136
    Oct 30, 2012
    6
    I was so excited when I saw the E3 announcement but like many other games, this one was disappointing, I only played the demo but that was enough to make me not want to pay more than $20 for the game. They made it all too easy, it feels like a beautiful Burnout Paradise rip-off. At least Paradise had fantastic crashes, this game feels like they almost scrapped the physics and turned it into a "no practice" game. I was just sad to see Motorsport turned into this! Don't get me wrong, It is a super fun game and I enjoy it but like many other sequels it was disappointing.… Expand
  14. GizmooreTech
    Oct 27, 2012
    9
    Forza Horizon Is a Fresh Racing Hybrid, A Mixture of Arcade and Simulation. Not only Is Forza Horizon Graphically stunning but The In game's Soundtrack Is Amazing! A great mixture Indeed! The Radio Station's DJ's Presented In the game are lively...It really make you feel like your In your Car Experiencing Colorado at High Speed. Nevertheless Forza Horizon Is pure Fun!! and a much needed turn around In the franchise taken by Turn10. Also When compared to Need For Speed...It's like Apples and Oranges. EA's Need for Speed needs to definitely take some notes!!… Expand
  15. niconline
    Nov 6, 2012
    9
    A breath of fresh air for the series and one that should appeal to fans old and new, Forza Horizon may have toned down on the realism but the open world environment and host of quirky ideas more than make up for any discrepancies. This is a racing game that has plenty under the hood, and leaves you wanting one more shot at racing glory.
  16. AngeAlexiel
    Oct 30, 2012
    10
    Best car racing game since forza 4 , but in a very different way , more arcade, really beautiful game , hours of play, bad point is the multiplayer , no real free roaming with traffic for the moment
  17. KuronoKei
    Oct 31, 2012
    8
    Love it! Negative reviews are really not realistic. Yes it is a simulation! If you were looking for an arcade game than buy NFS or others. Awesome handling, beautiful graphics...just awesome. Nothing for pure arcade freaks but the game is absolutely splendid if you like ultra precise driving.
  18. Zadrok
    Nov 1, 2012
    8
    I really like this game its different from the track racing hence then name "Forza horizon" not "Forza motorsport horizon" yeah they might be some downfalls in this game like fine tuning but the game isn't about tuning your car to be the fastest on the road but it would of been nice to actually be able to fine tune your car. I also think the graphics are more improved then forza 4 and the added little details scattered around like the leaves kicking up when you ride over them. This game is not meant to be 100% realistic or 100% arcadey its just in between and i think they have got that spot on. This is just my opinion. To me this game works and i hope they release more games like this in the future… Collapse
  19. timbers_WSU
    Nov 14, 2012
    9
    This game really has no right to be this good. No cops, no crazy jumps, no driving off the track in an open world racer. Yet here I am wondering if this is the best racer I have played this generation. Could be. But finding something to compare it too is a little hard. It isn't really like Forza 4 or GT5 but it isn't quite Burnout either. The cars control as arcade or as sim as you want so you basically get the best of both worlds. You have standard races, 1 on 1 races, glorified time trials racing against planes and hot air balloons, sections where you just try and hit top speeds, signs to destroy for discounts, old cars called barn finds to discover hidden in the world (Supposed to be Colorado and does a decent job of doing it), and Forza 4's insane livery / car details system. But it is all kept in realism so maybe it is a tad too safe for a system with 3 Forza's and 2 Project Gotham's. The cars look great bit not quite up to Forza 4's levels plus there are not quite as many to choose from. It also runs at 30 fps instead of 60. And when you see it you will know why. It looks incredible and some of the cars are so fast it looks like the road textures are moving backwards! Great variety in racing terrain as well. Dirt, mud, street, gravel. It is all here and most races require you driving on more than one. It has the best lighting engine in any racer by far, a sweet day to night cycle, and very little pop-in. And these tracks are insanely detailed. Nothing is better than driving through the forest and seeing the lights from a nearby town or better yet, the Horizon Festival in the background. It is a looker and one of the best looking console games out period. Speaking of the festival that counts as your hub for all things racing. Your garage, upgrades, all done there. There is somewhat of a story to it but I lost interest in it. Needless to say the music was decent enough that I did not load up my hard drive music to turn it off. The story did do a good job on how you earn the wrist bands, which in actuality just opens up more tracks. If you have a 360 and like racers there is no reason not to pick this up. It is probably the best racing game out, and since racing is usually my favorite genre, that is saying something.… Expand
  20. frast
    Jan 17, 2013
    8
    Such distances from the original series are often not good, in this case, however, lived up to the task, and Microsoft has done a really nice racer. Interesting festival atmosphere, very pleasant driving model, interesting races, open road, and most importantly, the view from the inside, so that the game is really fun. The game, however, has its drawbacks, we feel terrible constraints on the choice of cars, not used for racing at night, do not admire artwork and designer to the power of imposing additional races. My Rating - 8/10… Expand
  21. Mitchellsymes
    Jan 3, 2013
    10
    it's very good many new things great songs why not buy it nice cars nice places to race the game looks awesome it's a free rom if you love free rom racing games you will want to get this game (
  22. Sinan454
    Nov 16, 2012
    3
    You did the good thing. Ask GT to make another Review of Forza Horizon and they would give it 7,5 or 8. It's definitely not an Open World Game. It feels like 15 maps combined with glue so it looks like an Open World. And you can't discover anything? What Can you discover? You can't get away from the road because there are these metals things following the road anywhere you drive. You HAVE to follow the road. It's VERY linear.… Expand
  23. tribb
    Oct 27, 2012
    4
    The offline play is awesome and i like the open expanse that you get to explore but online play is a different matter. This game will probably gather dust on my tv unit as i return to forza 4 for its online play, to me horizon has lost some of the realism. Don't get me wrong it's a very good game and i spent hours exploring the map offline but after accumulating a few cars i went online and the play is not as good as forza 4. Also what happened to tuning? It seems that you can upgrade cars but once upgraded that's it, there's no option for tuning to get the edge over others...… Expand
  24. agent101
    Nov 13, 2012
    10
    Best game ever made on one level with Criterion and Rockstar, real next-gen graphics and very detalied world in all moments, from cutscenes to track objects. Best soundtrack EVER inludes #1 hits from bands: Arctic Monkeys, Dizzie Rescal ft. DJ Fresh, Benny Benassi, Santigold and classics 80-90s New Order/The Stone Roses.
  25. JDConspirator
    Jan 6, 2013
    9
    Forza was getting stale. Circuit based racing that has been done to death in the franchise full of exotic exports and authentic driving experiences. The restrictions were too tight it seems, as Playground Games have stripped out all the senses of confinement and given us a stunning naturalistic landscape to race around in. Red rocking canyons, long stretches of road and valleys tearing through the countryside with mountains gleaning in the backgrounds. The lack of changing weather systems and varied terrain are slight dents in the bodywork, but bringing Forza to the open world is a successful experiment that is due to a repeat trip.… Expand
  26. Antipika
    Oct 28, 2012
    9
    Forza Horizon does feel a bit like NFS (it did remind me Underground 2 actually). The game is pretty solid. I only experienced the single player mode, fully cleared it in 14 hours of gameplay and well I had fun from the first minute to the last.

    The "plot" is something we all seen already (noob driver with no car & cash climbing the popularity ladder and eventually becoming the champion    ). Races are fun and the variety of car/challenge makes you never bored. I really loved the OST (Nero, Mord Fustang, etc.)

    The "grind" isn't endless and you can see straight after couple hours than the end isn't far. I don't really like playing racing game where grinding EXP/cash/championships take months. At least here you see the end of the tunnel, and that's what kept me motivated to clear the game.

    A solid 9/10.    … Expand
  27. xSatNiteEduardo
    Nov 4, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great addition to the pile of racing games on the 360. Addictive is the word that comes to mind. Take the good bits from other games, add them together but give them a slightly different overall spin and you have one awesome game. I can only compare it to Most Wanted 2012 since their release is so close. Well the user scores here tell the story. Great graphics in Horizon compared to MW. Both games need more character in the AI people you race against but at least in Horizon there is some character there. Only one game says play me and that is even after all achievements earnt and that is Horizon. It is now my view that Forza is the name on the top 2 racing franchises - NFS and Burnout beaten at first attempt and I say again look at the user scores for confirmation of this. This is an awesome game with an awesome list of cars and awesome rivals mode.… Expand
  28. phil24
    Nov 3, 2012
    9
    Best racing game of the year? yes. This game is everything you are expecting and though it may not be perfect (at least let us tune the gears playground...) beyond that it is exactly what we have been waiting for since Forza first came out... a.k.a. open world Forza. Those who say that the game feels more arcade like than other Forza games, check your difficulty and turn the driving to simulation. What can you expect? Paint shop, garage, customization, online racing, storefront, and forza physics are all still there. What more do you want? Great game, hope to see more from this playground / turn 10 partnership in the future.… Expand
  29. Shiranui_corp
    Nov 2, 2012
    10
    Excelente juego, mucho mejor que el NFS MW criterion, eventos decabellados, autos detallados, buenos graficos, excelentes rivales etc Microsoft demostro que puede trascender su franquicia de una serie monotona a una mas emocionante de carreras callejeras
  30. hourlyb
    Nov 1, 2012
    9
    Very good solid racing game. The controls are tight, realistic, and the engine has very few hiccups. Car selection is good, but I wish some of the cars from Forza 4 made it into the game. Open world is a really nice touch, great looking world with a good looking day to night cycle. Good music selection, with Bass Arena (Dubstep, Dance, House), Pulse (Alternative, Pop) and Rocks (music in name) station. AI is intelligent, as always. Vinyl editor is a nice distraction, I wish you could buy other peoples "stamps" (images they created already), not just entire vinyls. Showtime events are a good replacement for the usual checkpoint type races of the genre. Instead of just racing against a clock, you're racing against a plane/helicopter/hot-air ballon. Much more interesting. Barn find cars are mostly useless(50s race cars aren't generally good against modern cars), but still nice to have. Glad I spent the money, well worth it!… Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 83 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 75 out of 83
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 83
  3. Negative: 0 out of 83
  1. DarkStation
    Feb 28, 2013
    90
    Forza Horizon is not simply a great racing game; it’s a great game in general. From the handling to the visuals and sound, from the tweaking to the reward system, Horizon has everything it needs to be an enjoyable time. It may lack the challenge and depth that fans of the core Forza series know and love but if you’ve admired the Forza Motorsport games from a distance (like me) then do yourself a favor and play this amazing game.
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  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Nov 30, 2012
    80
    Valiant and almost flawless effort to bring more arcade elements into the serious Forza games offers more than any other competition. [Dec 2012]
  3. XGN
    Nov 20, 2012
    90
    Like a real party Forza Horizon can entertain you for hours. The game offers variation in both the singleplayer and multiplayer modes and looks fantastic. The soundtrack just completes it. Despite a few flaws the franchise took a turn that proves to be good for newcomers, but also great for the fanbase. You can't miss out on this party.
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