Microsoft is calling the launch of Forza Horizon 5 the biggest ever for Xbox Game Studios, with a whopping 4.5 million players joining the game on day one.
The long-awaited racing game is available to play on PC, cloud, console and, notably, launched on day one on the Xbox Game Pass platform.
That has opened the game up to thousands of people who would normally be required to buy the game on day one in order to play it, and the results of that are evident.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Phil Spencer says the company’s decision to open up the doors to as many players as possible – via the cloud or Game Pass regardless of whether they can afford or acquire a top Xbox Series X console – is paying off.
For comparison’s sake, Spencer says the peak concurrent players for Forza Horizon 5 are 3x greater than those who enjoyed Forza Horizon 4 on its launch day in September 2018.
It’s a sensational achievement for Microsoft and pretty much ensures Forza Horizon 5 will end the year as the next-gen game that has reached the most people.
We’re yet to publish our Forza Horizon 5 review, but our hands-on last month left a “glorious first impression” on Trusted Reviews‘ deputy editor Max Parker.
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“It’s a visual treat on Series X, with fun and approachable gameplay that always feel varied,” said Max in his initial verdict.
So far the game, which is based across the incredible terrain of Mexico, has already yielded an impressive 92 score on metacritic, earning the “must play” recommendation, based upon reviews from a multitude of sources.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
