Forza Horizon 5 Season Change: Starlight Espresso

Andrew Evans · · Comments

The third, Winter season of the Forza Horizon 5 Cars & Coffee is now underway, with players set more challenges all based around our favorite hot, caffeinated beverages.

A lot of the activities across the series revolve around a new location on the map. This “Cars & Coffee Shop”, located at the bottom of the main highway within the traffic circle, also serves as a meeting and photography location.

There’s another all-new car available for scoring 20pt in this season, as well as additional rewards for 40pt this season and — in all likelihood — 160pt across the whole Series. Additionally there’s a DLC pack that focuses on JDM vehicles, and you’ll be able to try two of them out for free in Monthly Rivals.

Table of Contents

Series 36: Horizon Cars & Coffee

You can score 300pt across the series, split evenly across the four seasons at 75pt each. However you will need to own the DLC packs which comprise 56pt, even if these points aren’t required to hit the series completion mark. Access to online multiplayer through Xbox Game Pass Core (or play on PC, where this is not a requirement) is necessary though.

Scoring 80pt across the Series will reward you with the new-to-game Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato ’18, and there’s another chance to pick up the Playlist-exclusive DeBerti Ford Mustang if you hit 160pt in total.

Series 36 Winter/Dry Season Rewards

Scoring 20 points across this season’s challenges will see you earn the new Mazda MX-5 RF, with a second chance to pick up the 2022 Subaru BRZ for scoring 40pt.

Winter will run until 1430UTC on Thursday August 8, with Series 36 continuing for one further week until the same time on Thursday August 15.

Series 36 Winter Playlist: Forzathon Events

This week’s Forzathon Weekly Challenge centers on the Nissan 370Z, while there’s the usual point for each of the seven Daily Challenges for which a new event unlocks each day at 1430 UTC.

For the most part the challenges are straightforward, though you will need to either own or win — through the Photo Challenge this week — the Orange Suit to complete the set.

Series 36 Winter Forzathon Weekly Challenge: Innovation That Excites

  • Car: Nissan 370Z ’10
    • Chapter 1: Own and drive the Nissan 370Z
    • Chapter 2: Spend at least 10,000cr on upgrades
    • Chapter 3: Earn 200,000pt at Drift Zones
    • Chapter 4: Beat any Rivals Ghost
  • Reward: 5 points, 80FP

Series 36 Winter Daily Challenges

  • August 1 – Snappuccino: Take a photo of your car at the Horizon Cars & Coffee Shop
  • August 2 – Bugat”tea” Time: Win a Road Race Sprint in any Bugatti
  • August 3 – Feeling Chai High: Earn three Awesome Air Skills
  • August 4 – Lookin Nice in Pumpkin Spice: Equip the Orange Suit
  • August 5 – Letting Off Steam: Earn an Ultimate Wreckage Skill
  • August 6 – Espresso Yourself: Paint the body of your car
  • August 7 – Give it Your Best Shot: Get three Stars at the Farmland Trail Drift Zone

Series 36 Winter Playlist: Season Events

There’s 38pt spread across the Season Events this week, but that does include two multiplayer events for which you’ll need at least Xbox Live Core (unless you play on PC).

Seasonal Playground Games this week features rounds of Team Flag Rush — for which victory isn’t required to earn the points and prize — while “The Trial” remains in its permanent spot and requires you to beat “Unbeatable” AI over a best-of-three championship as part of a team of human players.

Again the PR Stunts all require the same car this week, in the shape of the BMW M3 ’97. You’ll need a B Class (601-700PI) example of the car, but it can achieve all three goals in entirely stock form.

We have only two Seasonal Championships this week, both on solid ground with a Street Race for B Class (601-700PI) Retro Sports Cars and a Road Race for A Class (701-800PI) “Collector’s Series” cars — a custom set of rare vehicles.

Finally, there’s three more EventLab challenges this week, comprising community-created custom courses, selected by Playground Games for unique challenges.

The Trial: On the Circuit*

  • Car: A Class, Cadillac/Chevrolet
  • Reward: 10 points, Dodge Viper ’16

Seasonal Playground Games: Car-ffeine Rush*

  • Car: B Class, Rods & Customs
  • Reward: 2 points, “I Have the High Ground” Forza LINK

EventLab: Calypso Coastline

  • Car: A Class, Retro Sports Cars
  • Reward: 3 points, Donut Media Honk Honk Horn

EventLab: Grounds Raceway GP

  • Car: S1 Class, Modern Supercars
  • Reward: 3 points, Ferrari 430 Scuderia

EventLab: Plynthcraft Race 2

  • Car: D Class, “Microcar Madness!”
  • Reward: 3 points, Super Wheelspin

PR Stunt Drift Zone: Precipice

  • Car: B Class, BMW M3 ’97
  • Target: 75,000pt
  • Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin

PR Stunt Speed Trap: Callejon

  • Car: B Class, BMW M3 ’97
  • Target: 115mph
  • Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin

PR Stunt Speed Zone: Pyramid of the Moon

  • Car: B Class, BMW M3 ’97
  • Target: 100mph
  • Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin

Seasonal Championship: A Mug-Nificent Collection

  • Car: A Class, “Collector’s Series”
  • Reward: 5 points, Nissan 370Z

Seasonal Championship: Be a Good Sport

  • Car: B Class, Retro Sports Cars
  • Reward: 5 points, BMW M3 ’97

Series 36 Winter Playlist: Challenges

Snapping any Alfa Romeo on the frozen lake atop Gran Caldera will complete the Photo Challenge, #Alfa-gato, and award the Orange Suit you need for a Daily Challenge later in the week.

Smashing any ten of the approximately 15 coffee cups dotted around the Horizon Cars & Coffee Shop will complete the Collectibles challenge. Some are harder to find, but they’re all around the traffic circle and the slip roads leading away from the site.

You’ll need access to online multiplayer for the Horizon Open event, which requires you to score six Ultimate Speed Skills in online races. This is pretty tough to achieve, but we’d recommend S2 (901-998PI) Street Racing events to get it checked off.

Collectibles: Spill the Beans

  • Cars: Any
  • Location: Horizon Cars & Coffee Shop
  • Reward: 3 points, “Gotta Smash ‘Em All!” Forza LINK

Horizon Open: Car Go Brew’m*

  • Cars: Any
  • Location: Horizon Open Custom Racing
  • Reward: 2 points, Donut Media Trying to Race Horn

Photo Challenge: #Alfa-gato

  • Cars: Alfa Romeo (any)
  • Location: Gran Caldera
  • Reward: 2 points, Orange Suit

Series 36 Winter Playlist: Monthly Events

You’ll have four weeks to complete the four Monthly Events, each requiring that you set a clean time on the course indicated with the cars provided — this month including two from the paid DLC pack. Each awards one point to each season across the Series, whenever you complete them.

Monthly Rivals: Arch of Mulege Circuit

  • Cars: Mazda MX-5 RF (provided)
  • Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)

Monthly Rivals: Cathedral Circuit

  • Cars: Autozam AZ-1 (provided)
  • Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)

Monthly Rivals: Copper Canyon Sprint

  • Cars: Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae (provided)
  • Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)

Monthly Rivals: Mangrove Scramble

  • Cars: Mitsubishi Montero Evo (provided)
  • Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)

Series 36 Winter Bonus DLC Events

A further 14 points is available for players who own the two DLC expansions, comprising seven points in each of the locations. There’s a PR Stunt and Seasonal Championship in each location, as usual, and this week’s Seasonal races award the car required for the PR Stunt.

Hot Wheels Speed Trap: Horizon Nexus

  • Car: A Class, Audi TT RS ’10
  • Target: 220mph
  • Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin

Hot Wheels Seasonal Championship: Time to Play

  • Car: S1 Class, Track Toys
  • Reward: 5 points, Audi TT RS ’10

Rally Adventure Danger Sign: La Cantera

  • Car: A Class, Ariel Nomad
  • Target: 275m
  • Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin

Rally Adventure Seasonal Championship: Retro Reapers

  • Car: C Class, Retro Hot Hatch
  • Reward: 5 points, Ariel Nomad

Series 36 Winter Forzathon Shop

  • Bugatti Veyron SS ’11 – 625FP
  • Ferrari F12tdf ’15 – 275FP
  • Puebla Mexican Suit – 75FP
  • Sombrero – 75FP
  • Relax Emote – 75FP
  • Super Wheelspin – 150FP
  • Wheelspin – 60FP

*denotes a multiplayer event, requiring Xbox Game Pass Core

See more articles on .

About the Author
More Videos
Subscribe to GTPlanet on YouTube!
Related Articles

Forza Horizon 5 Series 40: A Bit of Porsche

Andrew Evans · · Comments
Today marks the start of Forza Horizon 5’s Series 40, officially known as “Horizon Track Day”, bringing a new set of challenges over the next four weeks all clustered around the central theme as the game moves into its fourth year.

Forza Horizon 5 Season Change: Naughty Nineties

Andrew Evans · · Comments
The latest Forza Horizon 5 Series has rolled into its second week, with a continuing emphasis on cars that are not quite retro enough for a large set of players to not feel very ancient indeed.