Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
Forza Horizon 4
The arcade racer sends players into an open recreation of Great Britain with changing seasons that noticeably alter tracks and handling. Hundreds of cars, a relaxed festival framing and a strong multiplayer mode make it one of the most accessible racing games of its generation.
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What kind of game this is
At its core this is Racing, set in the present day. Visually it is going for realism, and the overall tone stays light and upbeat. The world is open, so wandering off and ignoring the main path is part of the deal. Sessions of an hour or two sit at the sweet spot here.
Difficulty stays forgiving, so progress rarely depends on your reflexes. There is no story to speak of, the systems carry everything. You can play it with others cooperatively or go head to head. It runs on 2 platforms. It sits in the mid price bracket.
What stands out
- Open world map
- Changing seasons
- Relaxed driving feel
This fits you if
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you are after a proper adrenaline rush
- you like getting lost and ignoring the main objective for hours
- cutscenes annoy you and you just want to play
- you want zero frustration and no difficulty wall
- you have someone to play with
Look elsewhere if
- you need real difficulty to stay interested
- you play mainly for narrative
- you prefer a stylised look over realism
- you want something with real weight to it
What it costs you in time
About 35 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 6 weeks, or 18 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 92 out of 100, which puts it above 93 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 70 overall. That is a strong score, comfortably above what most releases manage.
For comparison, Racing averages 81 points across the database, so this one sits 11 points above its own genre. The figure rests on a comparatively small number of ratings, so treat it as an indication rather than a verdict.
Released in 2018, so it has 8 years behind it. Usually cheap by now and the rough edges are long fixed.
The facts
- Release year
- 2018
- Genres
- Racing
- Playtime
- approx. 35 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Relaxed, forgiving
- Story weight
- None, pure gameplay
- Play with
- Solo, Co-op, Competitive
- Setting
- Present day
- Visual style
- Realistic
- Price bracket
- Mid price
- Platforms
- PC, Xbox
- Critic rating
- 92 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 2018 | approx. 35 hrs. | 92 | Mid price |
| Riders Republic | 2021 | approx. 20 hrs. | 77 | Mid price |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 2021 | approx. 30 hrs. | 94 | Mid price |
| The Crew Motorfest | 2023 | approx. 25 hrs. | 78 | Mid price |
If you liked this, try these
- Riders Republic Shared: Racing, Present day, shorter
- Forza Horizon 5 Shared: Racing, Present day, rated higher
- The Crew Motorfest Shared: Racing, Present day
- Descenders Shared: Racing, Present day, shorter
- Need for Speed Heat Shared: Racing, Present day, shorter
- Forza Motorsport (2023) Shared: Racing, Present day