The back half of Forza Horizon 5’s Series 3 is now upon us, with the latest season change that brings more new events for players to work through — and a sprinkling of snow on the volcano.
Winter — also called the Dry season in FH5 — is the third season in Series 3. The landscape will change slightly from the stormy Autumn season, with hard asphalt and rivers and lakes running dry; an ideal chance to get that 5,000XP board in the reservoir, if you haven’t already.
As we’ve mentioned previously, Series 3 has a specific set of “Evolving World” Accolades too. You’ll be able to tick one of those off this week, though you’ll need either last season or this season’s 45-point cars, and we expect more of these Accolades to pop up with each new Series.
With 10 seasons under our wheels, everyone should be familiar with how FH5’s seasons function. Each challenge carries with it a marked points score, and you’ll need to pick up enough points — 25 and 45 — to win the cars on the list, as well as contributing towards the overall Series score. The rewards are actually slightly easier than in FH4, requiring a third less of the season’s activities completed.
The Winter events will see you trying to score a maximum of 65 points in total, out of the overall score of 266 available across the entire Series.
Series 3
As we’re mid-Series, the two exclusive reward cars remain, though the most active players will have picked up the first of these already.
That’s the Zenvo TS1, a slightly confusingly named model which looks like it’s the 2009-2016 ST1 found in previous games and not the 2016 onwards TS1 GT. Whichever it is though, it produces some 1,100hp from a twin-supercharged V8, so it’ll outrun its own typo.
It’s available for 120 points across the season, and with 141 available so far (133, plus eight for Monthly Rivals) or even 147 if you’ve been hit by the Horizon Tour glitch, it should already be in your garage.
The 200-point car comes into range this week too, but only just. That’s the classic 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1, a facelifted first-gen Mustang featuring a seven-liter V8 under the rather intricate ram-air hood. The extra “Mach 1” performance pack upgrades include body upgrades — like that front splitter — and uprated suspension and steering rack.
For the time being at least, you won’t be able to get either car anywhere but the seasonal Playlist. They may appear in a Forzathon Shop update at some point in the future, and of course people will sell them through the Auction House but Playlist cars tend to go pretty quickly. That means you’ll need to get scoring to get your hands on them, and with a Series 3 Accolade dedicated to owning all the Playlist cars you’ll miss out on Hall of Fame points if you don’t.
Series 3 will run through to 1430 UTC on Thursday, February 3, when Series 4 will replace it. The Winter/Dry season itself will last until 1430 UTC on Thursday, January 27, before the Spring/Hot season arrives as the final stage of the Series.
Challenges
Again there’s two quite different machines on offer in the Playlist this week. For 25 points you’ll win the incredible Porsche Carrera GT, which is one of the best-sounding cars in the world — if a little tricky to drive. Pick up 45 points and you’ll grab the Arctic Trucks-converted Toyota Hilux AT38, which is considerably slower but perfect for clawing up the slopes of La Gran Caldera. The AT38 is a Playlist Exclusive car, whereas the Carrera GT is merely very expensive.
There’s four Challenges for this week, with a Collectibles event joining the usual trio of the Photo Challenge, Horizon Open, and The Eliminator.
The Collectibles event, Light The Beacons!, will clear up an item of confusion for many players. It’s a relatively simple task, requiring you to smash up 50 lanterns — and if you use the AT37 or AT38 trucks for it, you’ll grab an Accolade too.
What and where the lanterns are is the thing that’s had players scratching their heads. Although the red lights suspended above the streets of Guanajuato are also called “lanterns”, these aren’t what you need to smash.
Instead, head out west to Las Dunas Blancas — the sand dunes — and wait for night to fall. You’ll see a number of Chinese Lanterns appear, floating low over the dunes, and it’s these that you need to drive into. Hit 50 and you’ll score three points and grab an “Eat My Dust” Forza LINK message.
For the Photo Challenge, #BigCityLights you will need to go to Guanajuato though. Simply snap any car at night in the city to take the two points and the “Action!!!” Forza LINK message.
Unfortunately “night” is a specific ten-minute window of night in the 100-minute daytime cycle, and it can be hard to judge. As none of the Street Races that runs through the Guanajuato takes place at night we’ve set up a Blueprint (285 359 782) — which also helps with a Daily Challenge later in the week — though you can also create your own to do the same job.
Again, and oddly, the Horizon Open challenge takes place within The Eliminator this week, so you can knock off both the remaining challenges in one go.
For the Open event, you’ll need to pick up three Car Drops during a single round. The starter car, your trusty Volkswagen Beetle, won’t count towards this and it’s likely that upgrades from winning head-to-head races won’t either; only Car Drops will qualify.
Look for the purple smoke, head towards it, and when you get there hit “X” to pick up the car contained within. Do that three times to get the two points and a “Kinda Sus” Forza LINK message.
As usual, The Eliminator’s own challenge only requires that you finish 30th or better — which is often just a case of surviving for a couple of minutes. Chances are that if you spend enough time in a match to complete the above challenge, you’ll complete this one too, for two points and the “I Have The High Ground” Forza LINK message.
Both the Eliminator and Horizon Open require online multiplayer access, so you’ll need to play on PC or have an Xbox Live Gold membership to take part.
Again, if you haven’t already completed it in the two weeks it’s been available so far, the Monthly Rivals challenge is in its usual spot. Complete a clean lap of the event — set at the Plaza Circuit, using a Ferrari 488 GTB provided for you — to win four points added to every Season in the Series, or 16 points in total.
Photo Challenge: #BigCityLights
- Cars: Any
- Location: Guanajuato
- Challenge: Photograph Guanajuato at night
- Reward: 2 points, Action!!! Forza LINK
Horizon Open: Third Time Lucky
- Cars: Any
- Location: The Eliminator
- Challenge: Secure 3 Car Drop in the same game of The Eliminator
- Reward: 2 points, Kinda Sus Forza LINK
The Eliminator: Battle Royale
- Cars: Any
- Location: The Eliminator
- Challenge: Finish 30th or better
- Reward: 2 points, I Have The High Ground Forza LINK
Collectibles: Light the Beacons!
- Cars: Any
- Location: Any
- Challenge: Smash 50 Floating Chinese Lanterns in Las Dunas Blancas
- Reward: 3 points, Eat My Dust Forza LINK
Monthly Rivals: Plaza Circuit
- Cars: Ferrari 458 Italia
- Location: Plaza Circuit, Guanajuato
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 16 points (4 added to each season)
Season Events
It’s a regular 65-point week, so you’ll face the usual set of challenges without any of the bonus EventLab races. That means there’s three Seasonal Championships and three PR Stunts, then the online multiplayer Seasonal Playground Games, Horizon Tour, Horizon Open, and the Trial.
The PR Stunts for this week include a Danger Sign, a Speed Zone, and brand-new Trailblazer for the second time this Series. As usual, all three are worth two points, but the new Trailblazer will score you a Super Wheelspin, whereas it’s a regular Wheelspin for the others.
That Trailblazer is right at the north edge of the map, on the no-man’s land road that runs from Bahia de Plano past the north face of the volcano. It’s called “Over the Dune” and it’s actually a pretty tricky one at first, even in the required A Class “Brocky” Bronco.
Though the entry gates will have you running west to start the timer off, you actually need to head far south, and to the south-westernmost part of the map at El Arco de Cabo San Lucas. If you’re not careful, the route can send you through the Horizon Baja Outpost, but if you keep that to your right you should get the three stars with plenty of the generous time allowance left to spare.
You’re going to need something quick for the Speed Trap, which is open to any S2 Class vehicle. It’s located on the western slope of the volcano, between the Baja Circuit and the mountain, and you’ll need to hit 195mph in your chosen car to get the rewards.
The Danger Sign, La Cruz, is between the Hotel Mirador above Copper Canyon and Guanajuato. You’ll need to jump, of all things, a Bentley Bentayga some 214m to score the points ad even though you’re limited to A Class (701-800PI) this is well beyond the three-star distance for the sign. Good luck, and avoid the left side of the ramp…
As usual, each of this week’s three Seasonal Championships is worth five season points in addition to the special prizes they bring. However one has a bit of a strange car selection that you’ll need to be aware of before you enter.
Cross Country Skiing is a pretty simple one. You’ll just need any A Class (701-800 PI) car from the Unlimited Buggies group for your three-race Cross Country challenge. Beat the AI over the championship and you’ll take home an Ariel Nomad.
Speed Skating meanwhile puts you into S1 Class (801-900PI) Super Saloons. This is a three-race championship set in Street Racing events, so watch out for oncoming civilian traffic. There’s a 2012 BMW M5 on offer for winning the title.
The final event of the three is the most awkward. You will need to use a car which has the words “Super Sport” in its name, according to the box-breaking description “Horizon Specials: Cars Named Super Sport”. This isn’t an existing car category in the game, so you’ll have to dig through your garage to find eligible machines — and they’ll need to be tuned to S2 (998PI) to be eligible.
For the thumbnail for “Athletes”, PG has show a Veyron Super Sport and a Corvette ZR-1 (which is a little odd). Off the top of our heads there’s also the Veyron’s predecessor the EB110 SS, a bunch of older Chevrolets, the Bentley Continental GT Supersports, and the Ford Transit Supersport Van — though we’re not sure if that can reach 998PI.
Navigate this very strange car restriction and win, and you’ll end up with the “Classic Running Man” emote for your avatar.
The remaining events are online multiplayer only, so you’ll need to either play on PC or have an active Xbox Gold subscription to take part.
In their usual spots are the two Horizon Tour and Horizon Arcade events. In these you will (try to) work with a team to either beat the AI across a championship (Tour) or beat mini-challenge score targets (Arcade). Each is worth the usual three points, with no additional prizes — and current a glitch means that the Tour might be showing as already complete for some players.
In Playground Games you’ll go to the airport in the jungle for the co-op team-vs-team event. You’ll be paired up with up to five other players to face a rival squad of humans, in a best-of-five set of Zombies, King, and Flag Rush games.
This week’s car class is a bit odd, but it comes from an EventLab category. Essentially you can choose a David or a Goliath — a huge car or a tiny one — for the event. Each has its benefits; hitting a tiny car to steal its flag or crown or infect it is very difficult, whereas the huge ones are hard to avoid to keep your flag or crown, or uninfected status.
Whichever you choose, it’ll need to be tuned to A Class (701-800 PI). Finish a set to take the three points and a GMC Vandura — winning isn’t necessary.
Finally there’s the Trial, which this week puts you into S1 Class Classic Racers. You’ll race with up to five team-mates against a squad of “Unbeatable” AI Drivatars, needing to outscore the AI as a team across three races.
That can be a tricky propostion, as you’ll need to work with your team to help each other out while hindering the AI, but a lot of players can only see the checkered flag and aren’t that bothered by some blue-on-blue violence. With the fast and S1 Class cars on skinny classic racer tires, braking and cornering might lead to some chaos.
However, should you and your team succeed you’ll win ten points and a Super Wheelspin as a reward.
Danger Sign: La Cruz
- Car: A Class, Bentley Bentayga
- Location: La Cruz, Guanajuato
- Challenge: 214m
- Reward: 2 points, Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Bypass
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Bypass, Bahia de Plano
- Challenge: 195mph
- Reward: 2 points, Wheelspin
Trailblazer: Over the Dune
- Car: A Class, Ford Bronco #25
- Location: Over the Dune, La Gran Caldera
- Challenge: 25s
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Seasonal Championship: Athletes
- Car: S2 Class, Horizon Specials Cars Named Super Sport
- Location: El Estadio Horizon
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Classic Running Man Emote
Seasonal Championship: Cross-Country Skiing
- Car: A Class, Unlimited Buggies
- Location: La Gran Caldera
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Ariel Nomad
Seasonal Championship: Speed Skating
- Car: S1 Class, Super Saloons
- Location: La Gran Caldera
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, BMW M5 2012
Horizon Arcade: Mini Games
- Car: Any
- Location: Horizon Arcade (any)
- Challenge: Complete any Horizon Arcade Theme
- Reward: 3 points
Horizon Tour: Co-op Championships
- Car: Any
- Location: Horizon Tour
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 3 points
Seasonal Playground Games: Cat and Mouse
- Car: A Class, Horizon Specials David vs Goliath
- Location: Aerodromo En La Selva
- Challenge: Complete the Championship
- Reward: 3 points, GMC Vandura
The Trial: Grand Finale
- Car: S1 Class, Classic Racer
- Location: Tierra Prospera
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Super Wheelspin
Forzathon Events
You’ll be heading into the wilds in this week’s challenge, “Ultimate Offroader”, which sees you driving the rather purposeful Jeep Trailcat. Get into the car and drive it to clear stage one.
The next step requires you to win three Dirt Racing Series Trail events in the Jeep. Only point-to-point (Trail) events will do the trick, so don’t enter any circuit (Scramble) events or they won’t count. Dirt events have an orange map marker, in case of any confusion.
After that, you’ll be asked to score 15 Air skills in the Trailcat. This is pretty simple; you’ll get an Air skill any time all four wheels leave the ground, so just get jumping. You could probably combine this with the Seasonal Trailblazer, as it’s a bit of a trek across the map over rough terrain.
Finally you’ll go racing again, as you try to win any three Cross Country Series races. Although it’s not clearly stated, only point-to-point events count for this one again, so find the right green map markers and get winning. That will earn you the five seasonal points and 80 Forzathon points.
There’s also the seven Daily Challenges, arriving at a pace of one each day, with seven days to complete each. As usual, they’re worth one point towards your season total and 10FP apiece.
First up is Dry Run, which sets you the task of reaching 140mph in any Dirt Racing event. Luckily you should have a Hellcat-powered Jeep Trailcat to hand for the Weekly Challenge, and three Dirt Racing events to win…
Plot Twist follows on Friday, needing you to score five Drift skills in any Horizon Story chapter. Though the Lucha de Carreteras story would be ideal for this one, as most events are all about stunts and skills, it doesn’t seem to trigger the challenge. However any other story does — the V10 story might be the easiest.
The weekend starts with some food abuse, as Taco This asks you to smash up a taco cart. You can find these small food carts in pretty much any built-up area or rest stop around the map, and you’ll probably break one by accident just driving through Guanajuato…
For Sunday you’ll need to get your drift shoes on for In Reverse. Head into any Horizon Arcade Drift event — there’s always one on somewhere — in any Drift Car class vehicle and complete all three stages to take the point.
Hyper Equipment on Monday is the other end of the scale. You’ll need to win any Road Race Series event in a Hypercar class vehicle.
On Tuesday you’ll be asked to Play By The Rules, by racing any Event Blueprint created by another player. You can find these by going into the pause menu, heading to the Creative Hub tab, and selecting EventLab
That leaves A Little Something, which tests your generosity by asking you to send a Gift Drop to any other player.
Finally this week, we have a new Forzathon Shop, which is all about power.
Headlining the offerings is the Bugatti Chiron, a 400km/h hypercar packing an eight-liter, quad-turbo W16 engine. Among the fastest road cars ever made, the Chiron is also one of the most expensive at $3.3m a time — though you can pick it up for 700FP.
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is a slightly different way of getting an incredible amount of speed. To create it, Dodge fitted the already pretty powerful Challenger Hellcat with a new 6.2-liter V8 engine, to which is also strapped a giant supercharger, to produce 840hp.
Though it’s less than 1/30th of the price of the Chiron in the real world, the FH5 version will set you back 400FP.
Both cars are also available in the Autoshow, though at 2.4m credits the Chiron is a bit steep and probably worth picking up in the Forzathon Shop. We’d avoid spending FP on the 150,000cr Dodge.
Along with the cars, there’s a pair of “Epic” customization items, with the Pink Blazer clothing item and the Pop’n’Lock emote for your post-race dances, at 75FP each. As usual there’s two spots for the Wheelspin (80FP) and Super Wheelspin (300FP).
See more articles on Forza Horizon 5 Season Change.
