A second Winter season is upon Forza Horizon 5’s Mexico today, bringing with it a spell of dry weather to mark the Christmas weekend.
That means a brand new set of seasonal events, with a refreshed Playlist and Forzathon Shop to keep players occupied between bites of mince pie.
With this being the sixth season change (and seventh season) since launch, habitual players should by now know that FH5’s playlist awards points for each challenge — rather than the various percentages on offer in FH4 — with your points total in each season and each series overall contributing towards a target for special and exclusive prizes.
As with last week there’s another 65 points on offer this season, barring any glitches that render events impossible to complete, of the 266 total across the Series.
Series 2
As we’re in the third week of S2, the Series prizes remain in place, although players should by now have already picked up the first of the two prizes.
The “Legendary” Gingerbread Man outfit is a custom, all-in-one clothing piece for your avatar, consisting of a strangely thin, brown morph suit, decorated in icing and gumdrops to resemble the famously uncatchable confectionary. It’s an exclusive Playlist reward, and comes in at 120 points scored across S2. Given that there’s been 133 points available (or 130 for most players, thanks to the Treasure Hunt glitch), you should have it in your collection already.
For now, the second exclusive reward remains out of reach. You’ll need 200 points across the four seasons, and even if you weren’t hit by the Summer bug the most you can score in the first three seasons is 198.
That means the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ will go unclaimed by everyone for another seven days. However, come Spring, we expect to see this hotted-up version of the Lambo — with more power, less weight, and clever adaptive aerodynamics — ripping up the streets of Mexico.
With it still being the season of giving, Horizon Secret Santa is still underway, but it looks like player generosity isn’t quite hitting the levels required right now.
The event is a community gifting challenge, which sees players spending Forzathon Points to gift cars to each other at a special Christmas market in Mulege.
You’ll need to head into the Forzathon Shop, buy a car, and then select “Buy as a Gift” from the options instead of picking it up for yourself. That then contributes towards the community goal, with prizes of the Santa Outfit and a “mystery car” (likely the Peel P50) for hitting 50% and 100% of the target.
At present, with half the time elapsed, the bar sits at just over 40%. That’s an improvement over last week, but still below the required rate to score the top prize for all — so get gifting!
Series 2 will run through to 1430 UTC on Thursday January 6, 2022, when it’ll be replaced by Series 3. For the Winter/Dry season challenges below, you have until 1430 UTC on Thursday December 30 to pick up as many points as you can.
Challenges
This week’s set of challenges is similar to last week’s, with the three regular events joined by a new Collectibles challenge.
However, there’s a slight change to procedings this week too. Two of your challenges center on The Eliminator, with the usual requirement to finish 30th or better in the event — with two points and a Happy Holidays Forza LINK reward — but also the Horizon Open challenge asking you to eliminate five players in The Eliminator.
It’s a little unusual to see the Horizon Open event not being part of Horizon Open itself, but you only need to eliminate five other players across as many session as you like. You’ll get two points and 25,000cr for beating it.
We’d wait until Friday to complete both of these though, as there’s a Daily Challenge for The Eliminator too. Maximum efficiency!
This week’s Photo Challenge, #SnowGiant, is pretty simple. You only need to take a photo of a car at the top of the giant La Gran Caldera volcano. There’s no specific vehicle requirement, so just head up to the top of the game world and snap any car you see for two points and a “Ho Ho Ho” Forza LINK.
The Collectibles challenge is a little more tricky, and best completed once you’ve unlocked all of the Horizon Outposts. Using any car, you’ll need to smash up 25 piles of presents, however only specific gifts will do.
These piles of white-wrapped pressies appear only at the Horizon Outposts, so head along to one and hunt them down. Rack up 25 in total (assuming their collision detection is better than last week’s snowmen) and you’ll get three points and a Merry Christmas horn.
If you’ve not already done it, the Monthly Rivals event remains in the final slot — as it does across the Series. The challenge is to set a clean lap of the Cathedral Circuit in Guanajuato in a DeLorean DMC-12, which is not easy given the slightly wayward handling and the tight tunnel walls. The reward is four points on all four seasons at once, backdated to previous completed seasons if you’re yet to finish it.
Collectibles: It’s Raining Gifts
- Cars: Any
- Location: Any Horizon Outpost
- Challenge: Smash 25 piles of white presents
- Reward: 3 points, Merry Christmas Horn
Photo Challenge: #SnowGiant
- Cars: Any
- Location: La Gran Caldera
- Challenge: Photograph any vehicle at the top of La Gran Caldera
- Reward: 2 points, Ho Ho Ho Forza LINK
Horizon Open: People Person
- Cars: Any
- Location: The Eliminator
- Challenge: Eliminate 5 players in The Eliminator
- Reward: 2 points, 25,000cr
The Eliminator: Battle Royale
- Cars: Any
- Location: The Eliminator
- Challenge: Finish 30th or better
- Reward: 2 points, 50,000cr
Monthly Rivals: Cathedral Circuit
- Cars: DeLorean DMC-12
- Location: Cathedral Circuit, Guanajuato
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 16 points (4 added to each season)
Season Events
It’s the regular set of events this week, with three Seasonal Championships and three PR Stunts available to all players. This week’s stunts though include a Speed Trap, a Danger Sign, and the new-to-FH5 (or at least the base game) Trailblazer.
The Trailblazer is actually a pretty good excuse to wrap up three things at once. It’s set at the Barranco route, which takes you to the top of La Gran Caldera and has you skittering down the east slope.
You’ll need an A Class UTV for the challenge and the limit is a generous 15 seconds remaining, but while you’re there you can also complete the Photo Challenge and, so long as it’s snowing, collect the Stay Frosty Accolade for the hat trick. Naturally you’ll also score the two points and the Wheelspin prize.
For the Danger Sign you’ll head across to the Base Jump stunt, handily located in the Horizon Rush Outpost itself (with three of this week’s collectibles right before the jump). Take any B Class Retro Sports Car and you’ll meet the simple 274m distance required with no bother so long as you can stick the landing on the road below — again for the usual two points and Wheelspin. Keep hold of the car for later too…
This week’s Speed Trap is the Bulevar location in the middle of Guanajuato. Given the S1 Class requirement, the 150mph trap speed should be no bother, so just add power to your 1997 Mazda RX-7 (not the 2002 Spirit model) and score the Wheelspin and two points.
The Feliz Navidad Seasonal Challenge puts you in some slightly slower machinery, with your choice of any C Class car from the 1970s. Complete the three Dirt Racing rounds in first place overall to take five points and a Hoonigan Escort too.
Oh, Deer is named for its prize of the Reindeer Antlers clothing item. To win that, and the five points, you’ll need to tackle three Cross Country races in any Land Rover Range Rover model in A Class, and come home first overall.
Finally there’s three Road Racing events using the 2020 Toyota GR Supra — hence the name of ’20 Supra GR Championship. Again this is for A Class cars, but beat your Highly Skilled AI opponents over the three rounds and you’ll win a Toyota Race Suit, as well as the five points.
Again, there’s four events in online multiplayer, requiring an active Xbox Gold subscription for console players, or to play the game on PC, to access.
There’s Horizon Tour and Horizon Arcade in their usual spots, consisting of co-operative events against AI Drivatars in the Tour or working with other players to beat mini-challenges in Arcade. Neither offers additional prizes beyond the three points for each.
Of course the tough challenge of “The Trial” returns. This is made harder by the fact that not only do you need to beat the “Unbeatable” AI Drivatars, but you’ll have to work with the rest of your team to make sure they come through too; hindering each other will likely see you lose, as will sprinting off into the distance to claim the glory without any teamwork.
For this week’s challenge you can choose any Retro Sports Car up to 700 PI in B Class — did you keep the car from the Danger Sign earlier? Good. If you collectively beat the AI over three rounds, you’ll claim 10 points and the homologation special Nissan GT-R NISMO LM.
Playground Games moves over to the jungle airport for Jungle Bells. It’s the usual team vs. team co-op event, with a best-of-five rounds format over games of Zombies, King, and Flag Rush. You only need to participate to the end to claim the Andretti Motorsport Rallycross Beetle. And three points, of course.
Danger Sign: Base Jump
- Car: B Class, Retro Sports Cars
- Location: Horizon Rush Outpost
- Challenge: 274m
- Reward: 2 points, Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Bulevar
- Car: S1 Class, Mazda RX-7 1997
- Location: Guanajato
- Challenge: 150mph
- Reward: 2 points, Wheelspin
Trailblazer: Barranco
- Car: A Class, UTV
- Location: La Gran Caldera
- Challenge: 15s
- Reward: 2 points, Wheelspin
Seasonal Championship: ’20 Supra GR Championship
- Car: A Class, Toyota Supra 2020
- Location: Horizon Festival
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Toyota Race Suit
Seasonal Championship: Feliz Navidad
- Car: C Class, 1970s
- Location: Guanajuato
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Hoonigan Escort
Seasonal Championship: Oh Deer
- Car: A Class, Land Rover Range Rover
- Location: Horizon Rush Outpost
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Reindeer Antlers
Horizon Arcade: Mini Games
- Car: Any
- Location: Horizon Arcade (any)
- Challenge: Complete the Event
- Reward: 3 points
Horizon Tour: Co-op Championships
- Car: Any
- Location: Horizon Tour
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 3 points
Seasonal Playground Games: Jungle Bells
- Car: B Class, Classic Rally
- Location: Aerodromo en la Selva
- Challenge: Complete the Championship
- Reward: 3 points, Volkswagen Beetle Andretti Rallycross #34
The Trial: Santamental Feelings
- Car: B Class, Retro Sports Cars
- Location: Playa Azul
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Nissan GT-R NISMO LM ’95
Forzathon Events
This week’s Forzathon Events Weekly Challenge, Game Changing, requires you to perform some miracles in a Ferrari 458 Italia. Get and drive the car to complete the first step.
The second stage will need you to get the 458 up to 200mph and stay there for ten seconds. Once that’s complete, you’ll need to pick up six stars from any Speed Zones in under five minutes.
A decent speed and grip tune will help you through both, though we don’t expect these to be particularly stiff challenges.
Finally, take your Ferrari to any Road Race Circuit events — only Circuit events will do, not Sprint events — and take two wins. It can even be the same circuit twice. Once that’s all done you’ll get five Playlist points and 80FP.
Once again, the seven Daily Challenges award you one point (and 10FP) each, with a new one each day during the season, and a seven day window to complete each.
You’ll start off with Family Sport, requiring you to win any Road Race (Circuit or Sprint) in a Super Saloon class vehicle with any PI rating.
Friday’s challenge is another which hinges on The Eliminator. Simply complete a game of the battle royale mode to pick up the point.
For Christmas Day you’ll be flying like Santa’s sleigh in Air Force Three. Ramp your way to success by earning three stars in any Danger Sign (perhaps pair that with this week’s Danger Sign challenge at the Horizon Rush Outpost).
You’ll need to demonstrate control (without which power is nothing, as we all know) with Sunday’s Control master, by driving above 100mph in any car for more than 20 seconds; that could be something you pair up with the Weekly Challenge, as you’ll need to stay at 200+ for five seconds in the Ferrari.
Parking Ticket on Monday will have you smashing up bicycles around Guanajuato, in the ultimate anti-cyclist demonstration. Batter 25 of the bikes to pick up the point.
On Tuesday you’ll be asked to drive the 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 though a Horizon Tour event to complete Camper Convoy. You will need to tune it to match the vehicle class requirements, and it will only fit in the “Anything Goes” events in the Tour.
Finally the recursive Challenging challenge on Wednesday will challenge you to complete a Challenge Card in Super7. Any card will do, whether in the main event or one you encounter in Free Roam.
Once you’ve picked up 25 points across the events this week you’ll get your hands on the lightly mis-named Ferrari 599 GTO — the “Gran Turismo Omologato” that never served as the homologation model the name suggests. For 45 points you’ll win the Meyers Manx Forza Edition, a special model of the dune buggy which comes with a Destruction Skills bonus.
The Forzathon Shop remains the center of the Secret Santa action this week, and it looks set to be a busy one as PG looks to be updating the list each day. With some choice items coming through, you’ll want to keep a close eye on this during the week, and we’ll update this article as the list changes.
Thursday’s store only had space for two cars, with the Range Rover Sport SVR (300FP) and the Nissan Fairlady Z Forza Edition (600FP) alongside Ho Ho Ho and Deck the Halls horns. The latter is a Shop/Playlist/Wheelspin exclusive with an Event XP boost, and looks set to stay in place all week.
For Christmas Eve through into Christmas Day the store updated with some bargains. The Audi RS6 (100FP) and Aston Martin DB5 (100FP) are destined to be Secret Santa gifts, as they’re available in the Autoshow for not much money. However the Hot Wheels Twin Mill (200FP) and Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (200FP) are far rarer, with the Ferrari a seven-figure purchase normally, and the Hot Wheels exclusive to the Shop, Playlist, and Wheelspin.
However the list returned to Thursday’s line-up after 24 hours, and is set to change again at the end of the week as usual. That could hint at a special New Year list as well next Saturday, but we’ll have to wait and see.
The remaining two spots will be the Wheelspin (80FP) and Super Wheelspin (300FP) all week.
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