‘Forza Horizon 5’ release date, gameplay: Steam lists PC system requirements; ray tracing support may be limited

Xbox surprised racing simulation fans with the announcement of “Forza Horizon 5” at its E3 showcase. Aside from dropping a new trailer, the developers also announced its release date and provided ample details about its gameplay and performance.

‘Forza Horizon 5’ PC system requirements, gameplay

Both Steam and Microsoft Store have already listed the PC system requirements for “Forza Horizon 5,” and they do not look too demanding considering the scale of AAA titles released this year. Both digital stores say players will only need Intel i3-4170 @ 3.7Ghz or Intel i5 750 @ 2.67Ghz processors to run the game. It will also play with just Nvidia 650TI or AMD R7 250x graphics cards. The game will require 80GB of free storage space.

The listed specifications might be updated, though. In a comprehensive support page and FAQ for “Forza Horizon 5,” the developers wrote, “We will have more to share on PC requirements and features later this year.” This could be referring to more demanding requirements for gamers who want to play the game at a higher resolution and framerate.

On the same page, developers also confirmed that “Forza Horizon 5” can perform with 4K resolution at 30 FPS on Xbox Series X and 1080p resolution at 30 FPS on Xbox Series S. A performance mode will be available that will allow the game to target 60 FPS framerate.

As for ray tracing, “Forza Horizon 5” will support the advanced gaming feature but on a limited capacity only. The same FAQ page notes ray tracing can be enabled in the Forzavista viewing mode that will “make the cars look even more true to real life.” There is no indication yet if this feature would be available on other game modes.

Developers also confirmed that “Forza Horizon 5” will support cross-play and cross-save on Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. However, Xbox players will not be able to carry over their saved data on Steam.

‘Forza Horizon 5’ release date, compatibility

The trailer offers a glimpse of the “Forza Horizon 5” setting, which takes place in Mexico. But Playground Games and Turn 10 have yet to announce the full list of vehicles included at launch.

“Forza Horizon 5” will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 9 on all the mentioned platforms. Since the game is a first-party title, it will also be available on Xbox Game Pass. Members of the subscription service and players who will purchase the game’s Standard Digital and Deluxe Digital Editions will get early access on Nov. 5.