Winter, the Wednesday of the Forza Horizon 5 schedule, is now back upon us, as the current Series rolls into its third week.
Playground Games has ditched numbers for the Series, with names now the only official way to refer to them. However we’re still going to call it Series 12, even if the name of the current four-week playlist is the rather snappier “Horizon Road Trip“.
The Series has players taking on events and challenges all centered on a specific type of race event each week. Road Racing was first up, with Cross Country following on last week, which makes it Street Racing’s turn.
There’s a few notably Playlist changes over Series 12, with longer events to match the “Road Trip” name. The four huge tracks that make up the final challenge in each race type during the main story — Colossus, Gauntlet, Marathon, and Titan — will feature as their own championships, along with a five-race event each week too.
Of course there’s always new cars to collect in each new Series, with three brand new models and two returning vehicles in the line-up this month. There’s also a new “Evolving World” Accolade for collecting all five.
Series 12: Horizon Road Trip
The two Series Playlist rewards remain in place, although you should already have banked one of them.
Available for just 80 points across the series, the new Audi RS e-tron is the feature car of the Series. It appears on the promotional “Road Trip” logo, and also in the Forza EV Monthly Rivals event.
Naturally it’s a fully electric car, and Audi’s third EV to market. It shares a platform with Porsche’s Taycan, and although it’s not quite as powerful as the top Taycan models, the 590hp — with a short boost to 637hp available — is plenty in what Audi pitches tron as an executive car rather than a sports model.
As 80 points should be a distant speck in your rear-view mirror, you should be looking forward to the 160-point reward now, which is the McLaren 765LT.
Officially the fourth “longtail” car produced by McLaren, the 765LT doesn’t actually have that long of a tail. Although the car is two inches longer than the 720S from which, most of that at the front — though “longsnoot” doesn’t have quite the same ring.
In addition to the different body, the 765LT also has a significant number of tweaks under the skin, including a neat new exhaust system, helping it to another 45hp over the already extremely quick 720S.
The car was previously available as a Series 6 Playlist reward, but you’ll have another chance to pick it up during this week (and next, if you’re not hitting 100%) if you’ve previously missed out. Or just want another.
Series 12 Winter/Dry Season
Two rather different cars are up for offer over Winter, although both come from less well-known marques.
For 20 points you can pick up the new Lynk & Co 03+, making the brand’s first appearance in the Forza series.
It’s a sibling brand to Volvo and Polestar, under the Zhejiang Geely group, and the 03 uses the same platform as the Polestar 2 and Volvo C40. Unlike those cars though, it’s not electric.
Instead, in this “+” performance model, it carries a two-liter version of Volvo’s four-cylinder turbo, good for some 251hp. That makes it a rather rapid hot hatchloon, although not quite as quick as the Cyan Racing model or the World Touring Car based on it.
For 40 points there’s another chance to score the Donkervoort D8 GTO, which has been a Playlist reward a couple of times now.
Based on one of the oldest platforms going, the D8 is essentially an Audi TT RS-powered Lotus Seven. That means close to 400hp in a car that doesn’t even come close to a ton in weight. Little wonder it’s set some rapid Nurburgring lap times.
Winter will last until 1430UTC on Thursday October 6, while Series 12 will continue through to the same time on Thursday October 13.
Forzathon Events
Street Scene is this week’s theme, and you’re going as much into the scene as possible with a raging and rapid event. Get hold of a Mistubishi Eclipse GSX — one is available for the Marathon seasonal — and drive it to start Total Eclipse.
You’ll need to earn three Lucky Escape skills for the second stage. These combo skills pop when you combine a Drift skill and a Near Miss — for almost, but not quite, hitting another car. Your best bet here is to switch to Horizon Solo and go hunting for NPC cars on the main highway.
Next up, win a Drag Race in the Eclipse. You’ll need to head to the main Festival, to the airport, or to Teotihuacan, and race and win at any of these strips — and it may be worth waiting until at least Sunday for this stage.
Finally earn 100,000 Skill Score in the car, by drifting, sliding, smashing, and jumping your way round Mexico. You don’t need to collect this all at once, but once you hit the magic 100k you’ll earn five points and 160FP.
Weekly Challenge: Total Eclipse
- Car: Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 1995
- Chapter 1: Own and drive the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 1995
- Chapter 2: Earn three Lucky Escape Skill combos in the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 1995
- Chapter 3: Win a Drag Race in the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 1995
- Chapter 4: Earn 100,000 Skill Score in the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 1995
- Reward: 5 points, 160FP
As usual there’s seven Daily Challenges across the week too, with one coming along at 1430UTC each day. You’ll have seven days to complete each, with one point (and 20FP) available for every one.
Again it’s a simple one to start the week. Visit the Street Scene Festival Outpost to complete Making a Scene — you’ll come here several times in the week, so no special effort is needed.
For Bandit on Friday you’ll need to take the ’77 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am to victory in any Street Race.
It’s all about those Overnight Parts as the weekend starts. Spend 75,000cr on upgrades to get the point.
On Sunday you’ll be living your life a Quarter of a Mile at a Time, by winning any Drag Race; it’s worth combining this with the Weekly Challenge above.
Undergrounder follows on Monday. Take victory at the Tunnel Run Street Race in Guanajuato in any S1 Class (801-900PI) car to claim the point.
It’s a Festival of Speed up next, as you’ll need to complete three rounds of any Speed-themed Horizon Arcade. You might need to wait a bit for this one, as the theme is one of four that rotate every ten minutes or so.
Finally there’s Takedown, which requires access to online multiplayer. Just eliminate another driver in a head-to-head race in The Eliminator to complete.
Daily Challenges
- September 29 – Making a Scene: Visit the Street Scene Festival Outpost
- September 30 – Bandit: Win a Street Race in the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am 1977
- October 1 – Overnight Parts: Spend 75,000cr on upgrades
- October 2 – Quarter of a Mile at a Time: Win a Drag Race
- October 3 – Undergrounder: Win the Tunnel Run Street Race in any S1 Class car
- October 4 – Festival of Speed: Complete Round 3 of a Horizon Arcade Speed event
- October 5 – Takedown: Win a Head-to-Head in The Eliminator
Season Events
Four Seasonal Championships dominate the single-player offering this week — exclusively Street Racing events — alongside just two PR Stunts.
Again the PR Stunts are possible with the same car, as with all PR Stunts across the entire Series. You’ll just need an S2 Class (901-998PI) car of any type.
This week’s Stunts are the Colina Danger Sign, to the northwest of Guanajuato, and the Los Arboles Speed Trap, over on the east slope of the volcano. Both offer two points and a Super Wheelspin for completion.
You’ll need a fair old distance on the Danger Sign, with 518m being well in excess of three stars — and the landing zone puts you at risk of failure so pick your spot carefully. 170mph through the Speed Trap is on the high side, but run at it downhill and it should be a breeze.
The four Seasonal Championships are each worth their usual five points, but there’s two “endurance” events in the mix again. While regular events consist of three races against the Highly Skilled AI, there’s a one-race series on one of the game’s enormous circuits and a five-race series too.
On The Move and Retro Street make up the normal events. You’ll need an A Class (701-800PI) vehicle from the Trucks category for the former and it awards an HSV Maloo for victory, while it’s a C Class (501-600PI) Retro Hot Hatch race for the latter with a Renault Megane R26.R prize.
For The Marathon you’ll need to race the long Street Scene finale event. It’s open to S1 Class (801-900PI) Modern Supercars; finish first for the points and an Audi TT RS reward.
Street Endurance is the five-race event, for A Class (701-800PI) Modern Sports Cars. Come out on top across the five races — and you will need to do all five, even if you have an unassailable lead — to take the points and a Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX. That’s handy as it’s required for the Weekly Challenge.
Danger Sign: Colina
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Guanajuato, Colina Danger Sign
- Challenge: 518m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Los Arboles
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: La Gran Caldera, Los Arboles Speed Trap
- Challenge: 170mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Seasonal Championship: On The Move
- Car: A Class, Trucks
- Location: Copper Canyon, Canon Run
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, HSV Maloo
Seasonal Championship: Retro Street
- Car: C Class, Retro Hot Hatch
- Location: Guanajuato, Tunnel Run
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Renault Megane R26.R
Seasonal Championship: Street Endurance
- Car: A Class, Modern Sports Cars
- Location: Cordillera, Highland Climb
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Audi TT RS
Seasonal Championship: The Marathon
- Car: S1 Class, Modern Supercars
- Location: Horizon Street Scene Outpost, The Marathon
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX
Hot Wheels DLC owners can score an additional seven points, with the two regular events in the floating island of toys. If you don’t have the pack you won’t miss out on Playlist completion, as they are extra points and not required for 100%.
The PR Stunt this week is the Frozen Rush Speed Zone. It also requires an S2 Class (901-998PI) car of any type, with a target average speed of 170mph, which isn’t easy given the ice track. You’ll earn two points and a Super Wheelspin for completion.
Another orange-themed Seasonal Championship is available too. Paint the Streets Orange uses the regular three-race format against Highly Skilled AI, and you’ll need to top the points table to win. Grab an S2 Class (901-998PI) Hypercar and take it to victory to earn five points and a Volkswagen Golf R 2014 — useful for the Treasure Hunt this week…
Hot Wheels Speed Zone: Frozen Rush
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Hot Wheels Park Ice Cauldron, Frozen Rush Speed Zone
- Challenge: 170mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Hot Wheels Seasonal Championship: Paint the Streets Orange
- Car: S2 Class, Hypercars
- Location: Hot Wheels Park Nexus, Nexus Speed Circuit
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Volkswagen Golf R 2014
Two multiplayer events await, and you’ll need Xbox Live Gold or to play on a PC to access both.
Seasonal Playground Games returns in its one-type format. You’ll need an A Class (701-800PI) Super Saloon, and come through three rounds of Team Survival — victory isn’t required — to win three points and a Unimog.
If you’re not familiar with Team Survival, one team is infected (green) and the other is not (purple). The infected team must infect the entire opposing team, while the uninfected must avoid being infected and run the clock down. Should you become infected (orange) you can tag an uninfected team-mate to be cured.
The Trial occupies its seemingly permanent spot, and also uses the Street Racing theme this week. That, in combination with the relative low pace of C Class (501-600PI) Vans & Utility vehicles, should make it an easier event — although the oncoming NPC traffic might be a fly in the ointment.
Commonly the hardest on the Playlist, The Trial is a best-of-three-race team series, with six “Unbeatable” AI drivatars on the red team and six humans on the blue team. Every opposing driver you finish ahead of scores you 100 points, but you gain nothing for finishing ahead of team-mates — unless you win the race and get the 50pt bonus.
That means the best strategy is always to hold up the AI and avoid holding up your fellow people — although it’s rare that there’s not one try-hard who friendly fires their way through the races too.
However if you can work together and win, there’s ten points and a Mosler MT900S on offer.
Seasonal Playground Games: Team Survival
- Car: A Class, Super Saloon
- Location: Aerodromo en la Selva
- Challenge: Finish the event
- Reward: 3 points, Mercedes-Benz Unimog
The Trial: Street Safari
- Car: C Class, Vans & Utility
- Location: Gran Puente, Jungle Descent
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Mosler MT900S
Challenges
Three challenges are up again this week, with a Treasure Hunt and the Photo Challenge accompanied by a Horizon Open event.
As a multiplayer event you’ll need multiplayer access — Xbox Live Gold, or playing on a PC — for the Open event, but it’s not a massive challenge this week. Just earn five Ultimate Drift Skills, which you’ll earn for a drift that goes on long enough to pass through Great and Awesome to end up at Ultimate, during Horizon Open Drifting events to win two points and the “It’s Morbin’ Time” Forza Link greeting.
The #StreetScene Photo Challenge this week will require you to photograph the Renault Megane R26.R at the Horizon Street Scene Outpost. It’s worth two points and a pair of Watermelon Ankle Socks, and the vehicle is available from the Retro Street seasonal if you don’t already have it.
That leaves the Treasure Hunt, Super Street. The clue reads “Open the hatch and turn up the heat to top the podium of these super streets”. Given the theme of the week and the picture clue, that should all suggest you’ll need to win any Street Racing Series event using any Super Hot Hatch.
Complete that to receive the treasure hint, which takes the form of a red circle on your map showing roughly where the chest is located. You could probably guess from the last two weeks that the chest is at the Horizon Street Scene Outpost. Smash it to take three points and 100FP as a prize.
Photo Challenge: #StreetScene
- Cars: Renault Megane R26.R 2008
- Location: Horizon Street Scene Outpost
- Challenge: Photograph the Renault Megane R26.R at the Horizon Street Scene Outpost
- Reward: 2 points, Watermelon Ankle Socks
Treasure Hunt: Super Street
- Cars: Super Hot Hatch
- Location: Any Street Racing Series event
- Challenge: Win any Street Racing event in any Super Hot Hatch, find and smash the Treasure Chest
- Reward: 3 points, 100FP
Horizon Open: Critical Success
- Cars: Any
- Location: Horizon Open Drifting
- Challenge: Earn five Ultimate Drift Skills during Horizon Open Drifting
- Reward: 2 points, “It’s Morbin’ Time” Forza LINK
The Rivals events remain in place for the next two weeks. Both consist of a hot-lap challenge using the new Audi models introduced in the most recent update, with four points on offer — one added to each week of the Series, including past seasons — for each.
You’ll need to run a clean lap of the required Rivals course in the vehicle provided for each of the challenges. Speed isn’t important, only cleanliness, so keep it away from the solid stuff.
For Forza EV you’ll be in the new Audi RS e-tron GT, tackling a lap of the Emerald Circuit. The Monthly Rivals event places you in the Audi RS7, with the tricky figure-eight Bolo Ocho circuit in Guanajuato as the venue.
Forza EV: Emerald Circuit
- Cars: Audi RS e-tron GT (provided)
- Location: Palacio Azul del Oceano, Emerald Circuit
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Bolo Ocho Circuit
- Cars: Audi RS7 (Provided)
- Location: Guanajuato, Bolo Ocho Circuit
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Forzathon Shop
Rare cars await in The Forzathon Shop this week, with two mid-engined, 600hp weapons separated by 15 years — and a million dollars.
Sitting up front is the Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion. This homologation special was made specifically so that Porsche could race in top-tier FIA GT racing which, at the time, encompassed the top class at Le Mans.
Superficially similar to a 996-generation 911, the car was more or less a 962 under the skin — including the twin-turbo, 3.2-liter flat six that powered it. The street version was a little detuned, but otherwise each of the 20 cars was the same as the car that won its class at Le Mans in 1996.
You can pick it up for 600FP, although it also costs 2.5m credits in the Autoshow, so it depends whether you value credits or Forzathon Points more.
McLaren’s 650S Coupe is the other vehicle option, although the 400FP price is steep considering it’s only 420,000cr in the Autoshow.
An evolution of McLaren Automotive’s first road car, the MP4-12C — the F1 being built by a predecessor arm of McLaren — the 650S features more power and more technology, with the long-lived McLaren V8 producing some 641hp.
Store items this week are the Doodle Pattern Joggers and the Breaking Shatter Horn at 75FP each. The Wheelspin (60FP) and Super Wheelspin (150FP) remain in their usual spots.
See more articles on Forza Horizon 5 Season Change.
