In our tests, we found X's two options-'performance' and 'quality'-had their pluses and minuses. That system's owners can crank their game up to a gold-standard 60 frames-per-second refresh, so long as they can live with a 'mere' 1080p resolution and fewer visual effects. Horizon 4 breaks this trend-if you pony up for the more powerful Xbox One X. The X differenceThe Forza Horizon spin-off franchise has always included a curious compromise on consoles: increased visual effects and flair at the cost of frame rate. And we even get a guest appearance from at least one other blockbuster game franchise.

There is a complete and welcome absence of loot boxes or microtransactions-something that will no doubt come as welcome news. In addition to dynamic weather and days that turn into nights, now there are seasonal transitions, each of which brings new challenges for you to complete. There's new online functionality with up to 72 players in a session. But the past two years have involved more than just building a new map. If the developers at Playground were lazy, they could have just dusted off the last game and built a new map for it, replacing Down Under with the land soon to be known as Brexitopia. And in Forza Horizon 4, it's Britain's turn. So far, the Horizon festival has visited Colorado, the Mediterranean, and Australia. It's the work of Playground Games, built on the bones of the Forza game engine developed by Turn 10 for the even longer-running Forza Motorsport series. This concept should sound familiar by now: an open-world driving game you can play solo or online, with a traveling music festival in the background. Price: $59.99/£49.99/€69.99 (Standard) $79.99/£69.99/€89.99 (Deluxe) $99.99/£89.99/€109.99 (Ultimate)Īfter six years spanning three previous installments across two consoles, it's fair to say the Forza Horizon franchise is well established. Release Date: September 28 (Ultimate Edition), October 2 (Deluxe and Standard Editions)

Platform: Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox One S, PC.

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