For the next month Playground Games is handing control over to the fans, with today marking the first day in a new Forza Horizon 5 Series
Officially known as “Community Choice”, Series 29 is a four-week long free-for-all, bringing new EventLab creations to the Playlist as well as featuring players’ own designs and opening up the PR Stunt requirements.
A swathe of new-to-FH5 cars, returning from earlier titles, are available to collect this month too, with eight coming through the weekly playlists — along with an Evolving World Accolade for owning them.
Four more are available which you can either purchase through the Autoshow or within each weekly Forzathon Shop. Your choice rather depends on how depleted your FP account is after Secret Santa!
There’s only mild changes to the world map this month, with the Aerodrome returning to its Series 19 neon decor, as does the Horizon Street Scene Outpost, along with the neon lighting appearing during all races. Notably the seasonal rotation returns after perma-winter in Series 28.
Table of Contents
- Series 29: Community Choice
- Series 29 Summer/Wet Season Rewards
- Series 29 Summer Playlist: Forzathon Events
- Series 29 Summer Playlist: Season Events
- Series 29 Summer Playlist: Challenges
- Series 29 Summer Playlist: Monthly Events
- Series 29 Summer Bonus DLC Events
- Series 29 Summer Forzathon Shop
Series 29: Community Choice
Again we’re looking at a pair of reward cars for the Series that aren’t new to the game but are also previous Playlist rewards that aren’t available through the Autoshow.
Racking up 80 points — which you can actually manage just in this week’s events — will earn you the Nissan GT-R Nismo ’20.
This hopped-up version of the GT-R takes lessons and technology from the GT3 race car, including the aerodynamics and turbocharger. Everything is turned up to 11, with the Nismo much more of a broadsword than a bludgeon to drive.
Scoring 160 points, which will have to wait until the winter season, will give you the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3.
In many respects it’s a spiritual sibling to the GT-R, with Porsche also taking cues from its GT racer — in this case the RSR GTE — for the road car. Paired with an upgraded version of the four-liter boxer six, this 992 model is 17 seconds quicker around the Nordschleife than its predecessor.
Series 29 Summer/Wet Season Rewards
A pair of high-performance British cars are on offer this week, with both rewards being new to FH5.
First up, and for 20 points, it’s the McLaren 12C — an updated version of the company’s first ever production road car, the MP4-12C.
In case that sets your eyebrow raising, McLaren Automotive was created only in 2010 and the most famous model to wear the red swoosh — the F1 — was actually the product of a different company, McLaren Cars.
The 12C marked the debut of the Ricardo-designed V8, derived from a Nissan endurance racing engine, which has underpinned the company’s products up until the V6 hybrid Artura. In this application it is, of course, mid-mounted and produces close to 600hp.
A similarly long-running engine is inside the nose of this week’s second reward car, the Aston Martin DBS V12.
Going for swept volume rather than turbocharging, the near six-liter V12 produces just over 500hp, allowing the DBS — a classic name from Aston’s past — to cruise at almost 200mph, but also hit 60mph in just four seconds.
Summer will run until 1430UTC on Thursday January 11, with Series 29 continuing for a further three weeks until the same time on Thursday February 1.
Series 29 Summer Playlist: Forzathon Events
Classic racers star in this month’s Forzathon Weekly Challenges, and all are available in the Forzathon Shop in their relevant weeks — as well as for a lot of credits in the Autoshow.
This starts with the Le Mans-winning 1958 Aston Martin DBR1, so pick up the car by any means you can and drive it to get In Harmony underway.
You’ll need to get stunting first, racking up and then banking a Skill Chain of at least 50,000 Skill Score in the car. This of course could be achieved with as little as 10,000 with a 5x multiplier (or higher, with a Skill Song playing); any way you can get 50,000 Skill Score in one chain is fine.
After that, hold the DBR1 to a speed of 100mph (161km/h) or more for at least a minute. Your best bet here is to run straight down the highway at just a little over 100mph to give you the time and space required.
Finally take a photo of the car to complete the challenge and earn five Playlist points and 80 Forzathon Points — with the FP doubled if you own the Casa Solariega player house.
Weekly Challenge: In Harmony
- Car: Aston Martin DBR1 ’58
- Chapter 1: Own and drive the Aston Martin DBR1
- Chapter 2: Bank a Skill Chain of 50,000 in the Aston Martin DBR1
- Chapter 3: Maintain a speed of 100mph (161km/h) for one minute in the Aston Martin DBR1
- Chapter 4: Take a photo of the Aston Martin DBR1
- Reward: 5 points, 80FP
There’s a bit of a mix in the Daily Challenges this Series, which arrive at the usual (and obvious) rate of each day — at 1430UTC — with one point for completing each one.
Hit up the Bright Lights first of all, as you visit the Aerodrome in its redecorated neon glory. You’ll be visiting the location anyway for the Photo Challenge this week, so you may as well double-up.
Add a Pinch of Pepper as you smash up five picnic tables in any Porsche Cayenne. There’s a nice location up by Hotel Mirador (just south of the Puerta Petrea Trailblazer) for this.
Next up take a photo of your character using the “Blow Kiss” emote to show you’re Feeling Car-ismatic. Again, with two challenges requiring car photos this week (the Weekly Challenge and the Photo Challenge), you can pair this one up for efficiency.
Corvette Operation next requires that you win any Street Race in any Chevrolet Corvette.
Earn four Awesome Near Miss Skills in any Dodge to complete You Better Dodge. This is easily achieved by passing close to cars on the highway at speed going in the same direction as you.
Try not to Tyre Yourself Out next by earning three stars at any Trailblazer. It’s not clear if this is in one hit or not, but the City Escape Trailblazer is an easy one to achieve this even in A Class (701-800PI) cars.
Finally bank a total of 50,000 Skill Score using the Hot Wheels Boneshaker to complete A Ton, A Skeleton!
Daily Challenges
- January 4 – Bright Lights: Visit the Neon Airstrip
- January 5 – A Pinch of Pepper: Smash five Picnic Tables in any Porsche Cayenne
- January 6 – Feeling Car-ismatic: Take a photo of your character using the “Blow Kiss” Emote
- January 7 – Corvette Operation: Win a Street Race in any Chevrolet Corvette
- January 8 – You Better Dodge: Earn four Awesome Near Miss Skills in any Dodge
- January 9 – Tyre Yourself Out: Earn three stars at any Trailblazer
- January 10 – A Ton, A Skeleton!: Bank 50,000 Skill Score in the Hot Wheels Boneshaker
Series 29 Summer Playlist: Season Events
There’s an odd feel to the playlist across this month and this week in particular, with fewer Seasonal Championships — just two this week — alongside the largely open-class PR Stunts, some set at temporary locations, and a veritable slew of EventLabs.
This week’s PR Stunts all require any S2 Class (901-998PI) car, and award two points and a Super Wheelspin as usual. In each case the target score is just above three stars, but not particularly far above.
Ranas Saltarinas, a temporary Danger Sign at Valle de las Ranas, has a 254m goal, and there’s 210mph and 175mph respective targets at East Coast and Pantano Pass Speed Traps.
The Seasonal Championships are both three-race Road Racing events against Highly Skilled AI. Each is worth five points and a bonus prize, for which you need to top the points table at the end of the championship.
Short Circuits requires any A Class (701-800PI) Aston Martin for the event, awarding a 2009 BMW M5 for victory. Mazda-ful Driving is an event for B Class (601-700PI) Mazda models, awarding a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle if you win.
The three EventLab creations — worth three points each — are rather varied this week, and include an event apparently set in space… That’s Starship Horizon, an event for A Class (701-800PI) cars from a specific electric vehicle hopper and it’s kind of an odd one as the cars all appear to be floating!
However there’s a couple of areas where whatever’s beneath the invisible surface impacts the vehicles, including a section where cars can get stuck if they don’t approach it dead-on, so take extreme care. Look out for the short-cut too. You’ll win a Grey Suit for beating the AI.
Los Jardines International is a more traditional race track, with S2 Class (901-998PI) Extreme Track Toys required. Watch out for the tight chicane at about 40 seconds in, but otherwise it should be a breeze for a Super Wheelspin reward.
Finally there’s Seoul City 2.0, a creation using EventLab Island. A Class (701-800PI) Modern Sports Cars are required for the race which appears to be a facsimile of the Korean capital, and there’s a Buick GNX for victory.
EventLab: Los Jardines International
- Car: S2 Class, Extreme Track Toys
- Location: Los Jardines
- Challenge: Win the race
- Reward: 3 points, Super Wheelspin
EventLab: Seoul City 2.0
- Car: A Class, Modern Sports Cars
- Location: EventLab Island
- Challenge: Win the race
- Reward: 3 points, Buick Regal GNX
EventLab: Starship Horizon
- Car: A Class, Horizon Special: EV
- Location: Estadio Horizon
- Challenge: Win the race
- Reward: 3 points, Grey Suit
Danger Sign: Ranas Saltarinas
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Valle de las Ranas
- Challenge: 254m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Trap: East Resort
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Playa Tranquila
- Challenge: 210mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Pantano Pass
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Riviera Maya
- Challenge: 175mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Seasonal Championship: Mazda-ful Driving
- Car: B Class, Mazda
- Location: Gran Caldera
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Chevrolet Chevelle ’70
Seasonal Championship: Short Circuits
- Car: A Class, Aston Martin
- Location: Guanajuato
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, BMW M5 ’09
Only one multiplayer event makes the list this week, requiring an Xbox Core subscription to take part on console — although it’s free to take part on PC.
Naturally that’s The Trial, which is a Road Racing challenge for A Class (701-800PI) GT and Super GT cars this week.
The event is a best-of-three-race team championship, with a squad of up to six human players facing a team of six “Unbeatable” AI racers. Your goal is to score more points as a team than the AI do.
Each player on each team scores 100pt for each opponent they beat, but there’s nothing for beating a team-mate. That means the best tactic is not only scoring well yourself, but helping team-mates and denying the opponents as you attempt to get the 1,850pt target each round.
With sufficiently switched-on players (using appropriately tuned cars) it’s a straightforward win in two, with ten points and a Plymouth Cuda for doing so.
The Trial: Fan-tastic Tours
- Car: A Class, GT/Super GT
- Location: Cascadas de Agua Azul
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Plymouth Cuda
Series 29 Summer Playlist: Challenges
It’s another three-Challenge week, but unusually two of those are Treasure Hunts — alongside the permanent Photo Challenge.
For the Photo Challenge, #LamboLights, you’ll need to head to the Aerodrome with any Lamborghini. Take a photo there in night-time conditions — changing your Effects Mode settings is the most effective way — to earn two points and a Horizon Rush Tee.
Both of the Treasure Hunts require you to perform specific challenges to reveal the approximate location of the Treasure Chest, which you’ll then need to find and smash.
Better Make Way! is the easier and quicker of the two this week. The Clue is “Take this maker for a meander, 3.0mi should do the trick!”, and the thumbnail — and challenge abbreviation — should make your task obvious.
Grab any BMW and drive three miles (4.8km) to reveal the Hint, which this week centers on the Aerodrome. The Chest itself is located in a small dip to the west of the westernmost hangar on the south side of the strip; smash it to earn 100FP.
For Relighting the Fire, the challenge is a little more complex and time-consuming. The Clue, “The Firebird will win and win again, aiming for gold!”, along with the thumbnail, is an approximation of the challenge which requires you to win two races of any kind in any Firebird. We used the 1968 base model and a Road and Dirt race…
That reveals the Hint, located at the Horizon Street Scene Outpost, and the Treasure Chest is pretty much in plain sight in the Outpost’s parking lot. Smash it and you’ll win 250,000cr.
Photo Challenge: #LamboLights
- Cars: Lamborghini (any)
- Location: Aerodromo en la Selva
- Challenge: Photograph any Lamborghini at Aerodromo en la Selva while it’s night time
- Reward: 2 points, Horizon Rush Tee
Treasure Hunt: Better Make Way!
- Cars: BMW (any)
- Location: Any
- Challenge: Drive three miles (4.8km) in any BMW; find and smash the Treasure Chest
- Reward: 3 points, 100FP
Treasure Hunt: Relighting the Fire
- Cars: Pontiac Firebird (any)
- Location: Any race
- Challenge: Win two races in any Pontiac Firebird; find and smash the Treasure Chest
- Reward: 3 points, 250,000cr
Series 29 Summer Playlist: Monthly Events
Four Monthly Events populate this month’s lists, with a pair of Monthly Rivals and a pair of Forza EV challenges.
In each case you can complete them at any time in the Series for four points each, with one point distributed evenly to each Season. That’s a total of 16 points this Series.
They’re similar to Rivals events, pitting you against a ghost for a run around a circuit in a specific car — provided to you for the event — but you’re not required to beat any lap times. The goal is to complete a clean run of the course, so you’ll need to avoid collisions with solid objects, make sure you hit the checkpoints, and don’t use the Rewind feature.
For Monthly Rivals you’ll be heading to the Playa Azul circuit in the Pagani Huayra and the Horizon Mexico circuit in the Nissan GT-R Nismo. Forza EV uses the Jaguar I-PACE at the Emerald Circuit and the Rimac Nevera at the Arch of Mulege Circuit.
Forza EV: Arch of Mulege Circuit
- Cars: Rimac Nevera (provided)
- Location: Mulege
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Forza EV: Emerald Circuit
- Cars: Jaguar I-PACE (provided)
- Location: Palacio Azul
- Challenge: Post a Clean Time
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Horizon Mexico Circuit
- Cars: Nissan GT-R NISMO (provided)
- Location: Horizon Festival
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Playa Azul Circuit
- Cars: Pagani Huayra (provided)
- Location: Playa Azul
- Challenge: Post a Clean Time
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Series 29 Summer Bonus DLC Events
14 bonus points are available through the two DLC expansion packs, with each offering seven bonus points through a two-point PR Stunt and a five-point Seasonal Championship. They’re not required for Playlist completion, but offer a boost for DLC owners.
As with the main map the PR Stunts are largely open and require only an S2 Class (901-998PI) car, for two points and a Super Wheelspin apiece.
The 165,000pt Ice Cauldron Drift Zone in Hot Wheels is similarly just above three stars, but not a tricky event, while the Tres Colinas Speed Zone in Rally Adventure is well below three stars at just 77mph — and a cinch as a result.
Just as with those on the main map, the Seasonal Championships are three-race events against Highly Skilled AI. You’ll be Pedal Pushing in Hot Wheels, with S1 Class (801-900PI) cars from the 1990s chasing an Audi RS3 prize. It’s Hatchback by Popular Demand in Rally Adventure, for C Class (501-600PI) Retro Hatchback cars and a Toyota 86GT reward.
Hot Wheels Drift Zone: Ice Cauldron
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Hot Wheels Ice Cauldron
- Challenge: 165,000pt
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Hot Wheels Seasonal Championship: Pedal Pushing
- Car: S1 Class, 1990s
- Location: Hot Wheels Giants Canyon
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Audi RS3
Rally Adventure Speed Zone: Tres Colinas
- Car: S2 Class
- Location: Sierra Nueva Tres Colinas
- Challenge: 77mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Rally Adventure Seasonal Championship: Hatchback by Popular Demand
- Car: C Class, Retro Hatchback
- Location: Sierra Nueva Valle de Pozas
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Toyota 86GT
Series 29 Summer Forzathon Shop
The Forzathon Shop will be keyed to the Weekly Challenge throughout the Series, and that means that the headline vehicle is the one you’ll be using each week.
This week that’s the 1958 Aston Martin DBR1, which delivered the brand its only 24 Hours of Le Mans success in 1959.
Built to take advantage of new regulations which no longer required road-legal cars in top-class sportscar racing, the DBR1 was a lightweight racer sporting a tubular spaceframe chassis and a 255hp version of the three-liter straight six engine.
Also available is the Nissan Pickup Rally Raid, a Dakar rally car based on the Navara. Although unsuccessful in terms of overall classification, the Nissan did pick up some stage wins through legendary rally driver Colin McRae.
The Aston is available in the Autoshow at an eye-watering 22,500,000cr — representing the car’s record sale price at auction for a British-built car — which makes the steep 1,200FP cost look like a bargain. Certainly it is against the 400FP Nissan, which is a 500,000cr car.
This week’s other items include the Doodle Pattern Utility Trousers and Classic Running Man Emote at 75FP each. The Wheelspin and Super Wheelspin are also available at their usual 60FP and 150FP respectively.
Series 29 Summer Forzathon Shop
- Aston Martin DBR1 ’58 – 1200FP
- Nissan Pickup Rally Raid #23 – 400FP
- Doodle Pattern Utility Trousers – 75FP
- Classic Running Man Emote – 75FP
- Wheelspin – 60FP
- Super Wheelspin – 150FP
See more articles on Forza Horizon 5 Season Change.
