Forza Horizon 5 is the fifth installment in the open-world racing game franchise from Xbox and Playground Games, and it appears to be keeping the franchise’s legacy of high-quality game releases alive. The reviews for Forza Horizon 5 are in, and as of this writing, the game has the highest review score of any video game released in 2021.
Forza Horizon 5 presently has a 92 overall rating based on 87 reviews, according to review aggregation site OpenCritic. Forza Horizon 5 reviews appear to agree that the game is a visual beauty, especially when played on Xbox Series X, and that it offers a wealth of content that will keep players occupied for a long time. Negative feedback on the game is hard to come by, however, it appears that the most popular criticism is that it feels much like the previous Forza Horizon titles.
With a 92 average rating, Forza Horizon is not only the highest-rated game of 2021 so far, but it’s also the only game this year to exceed a 90 average rating. Many other 2021 games have come close, like Deathloop, Psychonauts 2, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, but none have managed to achieve 90.
At the time of writing, the Nintendo Switch exclusive Super Mario 3D World Plus Bowser’s Fury is the closest game to Forza Horizon 5. While Bowser’s Fury is a new game, the rest of Super Mario 3D World is a re-release.
When Super Mario 3D World Plus Bowser’s Fury was launched earlier this year, it received overwhelmingly positive reviews, earning it an overall score of 89. It wasn’t quite enough to get a 90 like Forza Horizon 5, but it was still outstanding.
Football Manager 2022, which will be released on Xbox Game Pass on November 9, the same day as Forza Horizon 5, also has an 89 overall average rating on OpenCritic. With widespread accolades for both Football Manager 2022 and Forza Horizon 5, it appears that November 9 will be a very exciting day for Xbox Game Pass customers.
While Xbox Game Pass customers will have to wait until November 9 to play Forza Horizon 5, the game can be downloaded now. Those who purchase the more expensive editions of Forza Horizon 5 will be able to play the game early, as it will be released on Friday, November 5.
