Playground Games’ third entry in the Forza Horizon series has moved from strength to strength since release last autumn. Not only was it a critical success at the GAME Awards, but it looks like a commercial success as well. According to GfK Chart-Track (link via NeoGAF), Forza Horizon 3 came in an impressive tenth position in terms of physical game sales in the UK last year.
This particular feat is a Forza series-first this generation. What’s more, the game beat another gigantic Microsoft exclusive in Gears of War 4. FH3 is also the second-highest exclusive in terms of sales for the year, beaten only by Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
The game builds on it’s 2014 predecessor Forza Horizon 2 by incorporating a larger open world section (this time set in Australia), while giving players the freedom to go off-road. In our review, we called the game a “big breath of fresh air“.
The more approachable physics—compared to the sim-style Motorsport games—no doubt helped, as well as the diverse car selection (which recently just got bigger). Horizon 3 is also one of the first games to be eligible for the “Xbox Play Anywhere” model, allowing players to enjoy the game on both XB1 and PC at no extra charge.
Playground’s technical competence resulted in one of the prettiest racing games of 2016, with FH3 running smoothly on the Xbox One and PC. The title also marked one of the first applications of HDR in the genre (on the Xbox One S).
It’s also worth noting this is something of a home-town win for Playground, as the company is based in the UK itself.
Elsewhere on the list, Psyonix’s Rocket League sold fantastically well physically—though not as strongly as it has been digitally—claiming 25th place, while Codemasters’ F1 2016 slotted in at the 41st position.
For fans of the genre, it’s certainly refreshing to see a racing game up high on the sales charts. No doubt Microsoft will be hoping to continue the momentum with this year’s Forza Motorsport 7 (recently confirmed by none other than Fanatec). Of course, Sony will also be launching Gran Turismo Sport later this year, a historically high seller. Like we said earlier this month, 2017 could be the best year for our favorite genre yet!
Forza Horizon 3 is currently available on Xbox One and Windows 10 platforms.
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