Forza Horizon 5 begins a brand-new Series today, with new events, cars, challenges, and collectibles across the next four weeks based on the new theme — as well as major overhaul of part of the map to play around with.
This 20th Series is officially called “High Performance”, and as you’d expect it brings more speed to Mexico. Nowhere is that more obvious than the new Oval circuit, built inside the Horizon Stadium.
It’s a short-track, two turn oval, along with some new infield elements, and it’ll be a permanent addition to the game — along with its own EventLab build marker to allow players to create their own races in the stadium, with or without the oval. Naturally there’s also a new set of Evolving World Accolades linked to the circuit.
The Playlist also offers four new-to-Forza vehicles, each coming up for 20 points on the respective weeks, allowing you to build your collection for little effort and score another Accolade for picking up all four.
Series 20: High Performance
With the new cars all coming in the weekly lists, the two Series rewards vehicles we’ve seen before but very much on the rare side. In each case the cars are well worth picking up, if only to flip for profit through the Auction House.
Score 80 points across the Series and you’ll pick up the Ferrari 599XX, a car which has its own significance in the Forza Horizon ouevre.
It’s based on the 599GTB, but developed without any mindfulness towards road use. The XX is a track-day special, with the added twist that Ferrari keeps the car for you to make sure it’s always in perfect condition for your trip to the circuit.
Among the changes from the road car, the 599XX sports an almost 100hp bump in power — to a demented 700hp — as well as fan-assisted aerodynamics and specialist control electronics. Notably it was also the chosen car of Darius Flynt, the antagonist from the original Forza Horizon.
The 160-point car this month needs no introduction. One of the greatest road cars ever made, and the fastest in the world for almost a decade, the McLaren F1 is a must-have for any petrolhead’s lottery garage.
Only 106 examples of the three-seat F1 were made across all examples, with less than 70 being the original road car you see here. Its BMW-sourced V12 is good for 618hp and that sends it on to a top speed of 240mph.
Series 20 Summer/Wet Season Rewards
The first new car of the series is the headline act and comes for 20 points across this week’s Playlist: the Lamborghini Huracan STO.
As the “O” suggests, this extreme Huracan is a homologation model for the Super Trofeo race car; the name literally means “Super Trofeo Omologato”.
That means you get the most powerful version of the 5.2-liter V10 used across the Huracan’s various models, with 632hp, but it’s only driving the rear wheels. The race-car origins are somewhat given away by the various aerodynamic aids and the cold air snorkel on the engine cover.
In addition the STO is significantly lighter, partly thanks to the lack of the front-end drive mechanicals but also due to extensive use of carbon fiber. That includes the “cofango”, with the entire front bodywork consisting of a single piece which hinges forward as one.
Score 40 points and you’ll get an actual race car, in the shape of the KTM X-Bow GT4.
The normal KTM X-Bow is a pretty extreme track toy, with very little bodywork wrapped around the Audi engine that powers it. That means it’s not particularly efficient in aerodynamic terms, so KTM created a slippery new body for it to compete in GT4 racing.
As part of that, the car is now a closed-cockpit affair with a canopy roof to house the occupants. However it didn’t impact weight significantly, so the X-Bow proved very hard to balance with other vehicles in the category. The solution was to put an inch into the ride height to make it teeter about in the corners, but you’ll be driving the non-homologated version in the game.
Summer will run through to 1430UTC on Thursday May 4, with Series 20 continuing for another three weeks until the same time on Thursday May 25.
Series 20 Summer Playlist: Forzathon Events
There’s a car with even less bodywork than the X-Bow up in this week’s Forzathon Weekly Challenge, as the Ariel Atom 500 V8 is the hero car. Own and drive it to get Science Meets Speed underway.
First take the powerful Atom to earn six stars at any Speed Traps, then just take a photograph of it. Finally win any Road Racing event to complete the challenge and earn five points and 80FP, with the Forzathon Points doubled if you own the La Casa Solariega player house near Teotihuacan.
Weekly Challenge: Science Meets Speed
- Car: Ariel Atom V8 500
- Chapter 1: Own and drive the Ariel Atom V8 500
- Chapter 2: Earn six stars at Speed Traps in the Ariel Atom V8 500
- Chapter 3: Take a photograph of the Ariel Atom V8 500
- Chapter 4: Win a Road Racing event in the Ariel Atom V8 500
- Reward: 5 points, 80FP
The seven Daily Challenges come at their usual rate of one each day, at 1430UTC. There’s seven days to complete each one — running into the next season if required — with one point and 10FP apiece.
Round Trip starts off the Series. Just visit the Horizon Stadium, and its nice new Oval circuit, to get the point; you probably won’t need to make a special effort for this one.
Earn five stars from any Speed Zones using any Modern Supercar next, to complete Woosh!.
You’ll need to be Squeaky Clean next, earning three Clean Racing Skills in any Road Racing Event. This just needs you to drive between a couple of sets of checkpoints without hitting anything solid (or opponent cars too firmly), and you could combine it with the Weekly Challenge above.
Hop to it! on Sunday, by earning a Kangaroo Skill in any Rally Monsters car. This combination skill requires you to earn two Air Skills — leaving the ground with all wheels and landing safely — in quick succession.
It’s a Match Made in Heaven next as you’ll need to win any Dirt Racing event in any Unlimited Offroad vehicle.
Get a Brand-New Look after that, when you paint the body of any of your cars.
Finally have some Arcade Fun by completing a Horizon Arcade event in any Extreme Track Toy vehicle. This can be completed in combination with the season event for efficiency!
Daily Challenges
- April 27 – Round Trip: Visit the Stadium
- April 28 – Woosh!: Earn five stars from Speed Zones in any Modern Supercar
- April 29 – Squeaky Clean: Earn three Clean Racing Skills in any Road Racing event
- April 30 – Hop to it!: Earn a Kangaroo Skill in any Rally Monsters car
- May 1 – Match Made in Heaven: Win a Dirt Racing event in any Unlimited Offroad vehicle
- May 2 – Brand-New Look: Paint the body of any car
- May 3 – Arcade Fun: Complete a Horizon Arcade event in any Extreme Track Toy vehicle
Series 20 Summer Playlist: Season Events
You’ll find eight events on the solo Playlist this week, as a Horizon Arcade event joins the two Seasonal Championships, three PR Stunts, and two EventLabs.
The PR Stunts continue to be anything goes events, with any vehicle permitted up to the top of S2 Class (901-998PI). You’ll score two points and a Super Wheelspin for completing each one.
All three targets are on the high side this week, with 170mph for Atlantes de Tula Speed Zone, 180mph for Swamplands Speed Trap, and 450m for the Ridge Crest Danger Sign all well above three-stars. Watch your landing zone for Ridge Crest, which might be the trickiest one to ace.
Seasonal Championships are three-race series running against Highly Skilled AI. You’ll need to top the final points table to take your prizes, which are five points to your season total and a bonus vehicle reward.
Ahead of the Corvette is a one-make Road Racing event for the 2002 Chevrolet Corvette, tuned to meet A Class (701-800PI) specifications. You’ll receive a 2019 Porsche 911 for winning. Meanwhile Hiding in Plain Fright heads to the Dirt Racing series, with S1 Class (801-900PI) Rally Monsters taking part, and a 2012 BMW M5 for overall victory.
We have two more EventLab challenges which transform the environment with creative use of props. Each is worth three points for completion.
The Windy City, as you’d expect, turns a stretch of the south-west seafront into Chicago, with a tight circuit that also feature Hot Wheels Speed Boost pads — useful for getting your S1 Class (801-900PI) car back up to speed. Avoid getting caught out by numerous solid objects placed in your path to earn the points and a 1982 Porsche 911 Turbo.
You’ll need an S1 Class (801-900PI) Rally Monster for Mulege Outskirts, a compact circuit set around the west and south of the town built on elevated platforms. There’s a Super Wheelspin for taking the win.
That leaves the Horizon Arcade challenge. Just complete three rounds of any Horizon Arcade theme — Air, Chaos, Drift, Speed, or Wreckage — in any car, either on your own or in a team (the points targets scale by number of participants) to earn three points.
EventLab: Mulege Outskirts
- Car: S1 Class, Rally Monsters
- Location: Mulege, Mulege Town Scramble
- Challenge: Finish the race
- Reward: 3 points, Super Wheelspin
EventLab: The Windy City
- Car: S1 Class
- Location: Costa Rocosa, Descansar Dorado Sprint
- Challenge: Finish the race
- Reward: 3 points, Porsche 911 Turbo ’82
Danger Sign: Ridge Crest
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Cordillera, Ridge Crest Danger Sign
- Challenge: 450m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Swamplands
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Rio de la Selva, Swamplands Speed Trap
- Challenge: 180mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Zone: Atlantes de Tula
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Atlantes de Tula, Atlantes de Tula Speed Zone
- Challenge: 170mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Seasonal Championship: Ahead of the Corvette
- Car: A Class, Chevrolet Corvette ’02
- Location: Horizon Festival, Horizon Mexico Circuit
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Porsche 911 ’19
Seasonal Championship: Hiding in Plain Fright
- Car: S1 Class, Rally Monsters
- Location: Atlantes de Tula, Cascada Trail
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, BMW M5 ’12
It’s a short multiplayer offering this week with just one event, requiring an Xbox Live Gold subscription — unless you play on PC — in order to access.
That is, of course, The Trial. Often the hardest challenge on the playlist, it’s a best-of-three-race championship for up to six players against a field of six “Unbeatable” AI.
Each player on each team earns 100 points for each opponent they beat, but there’s no reward for beating your own team-mates — so help each other out and don’t get in each other’s way.
It reverts to a more open class this week, with B Class (601-700PI) Hot Hatches permitted for a Road Racing Series event. That should mean lower speeds and more controlled driving from your human co-workers.
There’s ten points and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 GSR ’99 for overall victory, which you should get done in two races — although Volcan Sprint is a beast if your team-mates aren’t all on the same page (or enter stock cars).
The Trial: Hot on the Trial
- Car: B Class, Hot Hatch
- Location: Guanajuato, Copper Canyon Sprint
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 GSR ’99
Series 20 Summer Playlist: Challenges
It’s a three-Challenge week, with one — Horizon Open — being a multiplayer event. That means you’ll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription (unless you play on PC) in order to access it.
For this you’ll only need to pick up ten Speed Skills in any Horizon Open event, with a 2013 Dodge Viper awarded for completion — alongside two points for the playlist.
The regular Photo Challenge will see you heading home, or at least to one of them, as you’ll need to photograph the Ferrari 812 Superfast at the Buenas Vista Player House near Cabo san Lucas. Snap the car to complete #FastAtLaVista and earn two points and a “World’s Fastest” Forza LINK greeting.
That leaves the Treasure Hunt, which this week gives you the clue “Hypercars turn up the charm by five as they narrowly avoid others on the highway”. Solving that will give you the task you need to perform: earn five Near Miss skills on the main highway in any Hypercar.
Complete that and you’ll earn the treasure hint: a red circle on the map showing you the approximate location of the Treasure Chest. This week that’s located at the spiral roundabout in Costa Rocosa, just on the south-east corner of the circle; smash it to complete Charmed, I’m Sure, to pick up three points and 100FP.
Horizon Open: Keeping up to Speed
- Cars: Any
- Location: Any
- Challenge: Earn ten Speed Skills in any Horizon Open event
- Reward: 2 points, Dodge Viper ’13
Photo Challenge: #FastAtLaVista
- Cars: Ferrari 812 Superfast
- Location: Buenas Vista Player House
- Challenge: Photograph the Ferrari 812 Superfast at the Buenas Vista Player House
- Reward: 2 points, “World’s Fastest” Forza LINK
Treasure Hunt: Charmed, I’m Sure
- Cars: Hypercar (any)
- Location: Any
- Challenge: Earn five Near Miss skills in any Hypercar; find and smash the Treasure Chest
- Reward: 3 points, 100FP
A new Series means two new Rivals challenges for the month. Each awards a total of four points — one to each season, regardless of when you do them — for completion.
They’re different from regular “Rivals” events, as there’s no requirement to beat anybody else’s lap times. All you need to do is post clean laps at the tracks indicated, using the vehicles provided to you. That means a steady lap is better than a fast one in terms of getting the points.
This month’s combinations are the Chihuahua Circuit to the east of Guanajuato in the new Porsche Mission R for Forza EV, and — unusually — Dunas Blancas Sprint, north of the volcano, in the Huracan STO for Monthly Rivals.
Forza EV: Chihuahua Circuit
- Cars: Porsche Mission R (Provided)
- Location: Hotel Mirador, Chihuahua Circuit
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Dunas Blancas Sprint
- Cars: Lamborghini Huracan STO (Provided)
- Location: Gran Caldera, Dunas Blancas Sprint
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Series 20 Summer Bonus DLC Events
Each of the two DLC packs give two additional events on the Playlist for owners. They aren’t required to complete 100% of the Playlist, rather act as a way to get some quick extra points.
There’s a PR Stunt in each location, which this week consists of a Speed Trap in Rally Adventure and a Drift Zone in Hot Wheels. As with the stunts on the main map, you’ll need an S2 Class (901-998PI) car, and you’ll win two points and a Super Wheelspin for each.
The Speed Trap target for Rally Adventure, Cascada Fuerte, is over three stars at 115mph; straightlining it from the south is probably your best bet. You’ll find the Hot Wheels Drift Zone, Horizon Nexus, a bit easier at just 138,000pt.
Each map also hosts a three-race Seasonal Championship too, worth five points apiece. Hyper-formance is another S2 Class (901-998PI) event in Hot Wheels, with a Lamborghini Huracan Performante for the victory. It’s more sedate in Rally Adventure’s Subaru Boogaloo, for B Class (601-700PI) Subarus, which awards a Doodle Jumper.
Hot Wheels Drift Zone: Horizon Nexus
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Hot Wheels Nexus, Nexus Drift Zone
- Challenge: 138,000pt
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Hot Wheels Seasonal Championship: Hyper-formance
- Car: S2 Class, Hypercars
- Location: Hot Wheels Nexus, Ram’s Head Speed Sprint
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Lamborghini Huracan Performante
Rally Adventure Speed Trap: Cascada Fuerte
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Sierra Nueva Cascada Fuerte, Cascada Fuerte Speed Trap
- Challenge: 115mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Rally Adventure Seasonal Championship: Subaru Boogaloo
- Car: B Class, Subaru
- Location: Sierra Nueva La Preza, Reserva del Carrizo
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Doodle Jumper
Series 20 Summer Forzathon Shop
Mid-engined motors pack out the Forzathon Shop, albeit from very different eras.
The centerpiece is the Lotus Elise GT1, a truly madcap creation intended to allow Lotus to fight in the crazy roadgoing race-car era of top level sportscars.
Based very loosely on the tiny Elise, the GT1 was heavily modified to suit high speed racing. It was over a foot wider and nearly three feet longer — more than a foot of that between the wheels.
The small, 1.8-liter Rover K Series engine wasn’t going to be enough either, so Lotus fitted the 3.5-liter V8 twin turbo from the Esprit — although its own factory racer had a 5.7-liter Chevrolet V8.
While the car was hopelessly unsuccessful in all forms, Lotus did — as regulations required — build one road car. It’s yours for 600FP, although it’s also available in the Autoshow for 1.8m credits.
Fast-forward 20 years and you’ll reach the second car available this week: the Audi R8 V10 Plus.
Unusually, the second-generation R8 spent a year in GT3 racing before it ever became available as a road car — so in a way it’s even more of a race car for the road than the Elise GT1. Like its predecessor, it uses Lamborghini underpinnings and the 5.2-liter V10 engine to provide an excellent soundtrack and 200mph+ top speed.
It’s not expensive, at 250FP, but then 242,000cr in the Autoshow isn’t going to put too much of a dent in your funds either.
Store items this week are the Windows Tada horn and the Extreme E Yellow Race Suit, at 75FP each. The Wheelspin (60FP) and Super Wheelspin (150FP) remain in their usual spots.
See more articles on Forza Horizon 5 Season Change.
