Image via Forza Motorsport
Forza Horizon 5 was a huge success and is considered by many to be the best of the Forza games. If you’re a fan of that series, you might be wondering how the new Forza Motorsport compares to Horizon and whether you’d enjoy it as much. I’ll answer these same questions in the guide below.
Should you buy Forza Motorsport if you like Forza Horizon?
If you are a Horizon player but have never played a Forza Motorsport game, you should know that there is a main difference in the main objective of the games: while the Horizon series aims to offer a fun experience of casual racing, exploration and the customization, the other seeks realism and is aimed at an audience that enjoys simulation racing and sports competition.
Having said this, There’s no reason you can’t enjoy both. games, knowing that each one will aim to produce a different experience. I come from a sim racing background and also enjoyed the Forza Horizon 5 arcade games, so I don’t see why it can’t happen the other way around.
Related: Which edition of Forza Motorsport should you buy?
Types of tracks in Forza Motorsport
While Forza Horizon focuses on open-world events with different track surfaces and checkpoint-based racing, Motorsport takes us to a conventional style of competition where All races take place on paved circuits.. Additionally, Forza Motorsport’s tracks are carefully modeled after real-world tracks, while Forza Horizon takes place in a fictional world that only draws inspiration from certain areas of the real world.
Driving model in Forza Motorsport
Although it offers a wide variety of vehicles, the Horizon games have a driving model that is quite forgiving: tire degradation, tire grip, brakes and crash physics are not realistic for the game to be easier to learn. new players. Forza Motorsport, however, while far from the precision of simulators like Assetto Corsa and iRacing, does a great job of incorporating tire physics, fuel loading, suspension balance, and all manner of components into the mix. .
Racing rules in Forza Motorsport
During races, Forza Horizon has few rules beyond having to go through checkpoints. It’s fair game when it comes to crashing into other cars or going off the track. Forza Motorsport has a big emphasis on fair competition and competing fairly (it even incorporates a Safety Rating for multiplayer), so learning and following the sports regulations is imperative to being able to compete with others. This means learning when it is fair to hit another car and when it is not, learning to give back any speed advantage gained by going off the track, always leaving room on the track for a car that is significantly to the side, etc.
Related: Every Forza Motorsport and Horizon game, ranked
Learning curve in Forza Motorsport
Forza Motorsport has a steeper learning curve than Forza Horizon. Not only is the grip of the vehicles much less, but you can’t go through walls. Additionally, you’ll have to learn to control understeer, oversteer, brake lockup, and more. This may be a burden for some players, but for me, it’s really exciting to master a difficult track or car or perform a pinpoint pass without contact.
Variety of cars and tracks in Forza Motorsport
The goal of Forza Motorsport is not to give you a huge variety of cars so you can jump in and drive, but to give you a decent amount of options and to choose a few that you would like to have. The idea is that by driving fewer cars you learn more about them and level them up, making them feel like they are yours.
Although the list of cars is not much smaller, Forza Horizon offers more variety. Since Forza Motorsport’s tracks are all traditional circuits, the types of vehicles offered only vary between racing cars and street cars. Forza Horizon has more diversity because the events differ much more from each other.
Is Forza Motorsport for you?
If you’re up for a challenge or would like to see a different side of racing, there might be something of interest to you in Forza Motorsport. In a good sim racing community, you are expected to show respect, but also be respected by your opponents and be willing to learn your share.
For more information on Forza Motorsport, see Is there early access to Forza Motorsport? here at Pro Gaming Guides.