There are few game franchises which have managed to forge such a strong legacy that the use of an official dictionary word conjures thoughts of the games instead.
They have to be something truly special: a perfect blend of dopamine-rewarding excitement, paired with intentionally satisfying design, and to top it all off, a compelling narrative. I’m sure various franchises are popping into your head, yet this one word pulled from the dictionary will put your minds into the correct gear… horizon.
I am of course talking about Playground Games’ brilliant sandbox-racing series Forza Horizon. Even for those who aren’t fond of racing games, this franchise transformed an average driving experience into a motor amusement park, filled with Evel Knievel style stunts, various stunning landscapes and high-speed hi-jinx. With the Japan-centred Forza Horizon 6 on the… well, horizon, now is as good a time as any to look through all the Forza Horizon games and rank them.
It was an extremely hard list to pick with each entry bringing their own merits, and my #3 and #2 spots are honestly interchangeable. So if your favourite entry doesn’t top this list of every Forza Horizon game ranked, remember, there are no bad Forza Horizon games, only great and even better.
#5 Forza Horizon 5
Put your pitchforks down, I can explain myself.
Forza Horizon, to me, has always been about defying the odds; you were never meant to be the best of the best, with run-down cars, rival racers, and the general public all standing in your way. Throughout a playthrough, you overcome these issues by growing your following, car collection, and victories, until you’re in a Lamborghini driving past thousands of fans cheering your name.
So why does Forza Horizon 5 call you a superstar from the get-go? If you begin as the best, what is there beyond? Of course the narrative, or lack thereof in this scenario, isn’t the most major factor, instead it’s the largely divisive gameplay focus that deals the finishing blow.
Forza Horizon 5 sets a huge focus on the PR stunts that were fun side content in previous titles, making them more or less the main objective. I couldn’t tell you why the story missions function akin to guilds in an RPG, but they lack any sort of connection to one another, void of the motor-powered magic previous storylines have had.
Mexico looks stunning here with the current generation 4K graphics making it the ultimate digital showroom, and credit where credit is due, this entry contains the most cars, most events, and most side content.
Despite this, bigger doesn’t always mean better, and with Forza Horizon 5 lacking the innovation brought with each previous entry, it’s left a sensational open-world racer that doesn’t reach the series’ impeccable standards.
#4 Forza Horizon
This is the one that started it all, and was even viewed as a risk upon its initial conception. Whilst the successful Forza Motorsport series was Xbox’s attempt at simulator-esque racing, the idea of transforming that into an open-world experience was laughed at.
Looking back now it’s easy to critique this view, but it’s really a testament to the quality of this initial title.
So it’s clear Forza Horizon has an immense legacy, but what about the gameplay? Surprisingly, this too stands the test of time; of course it doesn’t reach the heights of the later entries due to hardware limitations, but every minute of fun players have had with the series comes from the foundations this original game set.
Forza Horizon also set the narrative bar for the series through the roof, a standard that many fans believe still hasn’t been beaten. The dialogue, characters, and progression made us truly believe we could dethrone Darius Flynt and become the next Horizon Champion, with a major antagonist like this being a glaring absence from future games.
Compared to the later entries’ carnival style map design, Forza Horizon puts a huge focus on proper races, allowing players various events to test their ever-growing vehicle collection and technical prowess. Whilst certain aspects of gameplay can show their age, Forza Horizon’s debut outing set the stage for every entry that followed, even if they often surpass its quality.
#3 Forza Horizon 2
Expanding upon the solid foundation laid by its predecessor, Forza Horizon 2 is worthy of the series’ bronze medal.
The festival has this time made its way over to the Mediterranean, taking over France and Italy. It’s certainly the most sophisticated of the franchise, with the map made up of fancy brickwork, dazzling cities, and vibrant nature, all of which displayed the Xbox One’s graphical prowess at the time. This is reflected through the main gameplay loop too, revolving around the completion of prestigious championships made up of four races designated to any car type of your choice.
Whilst this focus on standard races aids in the feeling of progression to becoming the Horizon Champion, completing all 168 championships is a Herculean task that transforms the initial sun-soaked ten into a harbinger for boredom.
Forza Horizon 2 negates this looming boredom through an expertly designed map, filled with hidden passageways for collectibles, ramps to score skill points off, and whatever else your heart desires, with this trip to Europe remaining a memorable one to this day. Plenty of the franchise’s huge cornerstones, such as dynamic weather, also originated here in Forza Horizon 2, giving it extra innovation points.
Forza Horizon 2 positively expands upon many of the foundations its predecessor laid down, yet ditches a main narrative, leaving a more entertaining sandbox racer filled with hours of thrilling freedom.
#2 Forza Horizon 3
If the first entry was the soul of the franchise, Forza Horizon 3 was its first true blockbuster moment.
Transporting the festival to the wild and varied biomes of Australia was certainly a bold decision, yet one that complements the radical beauty of the series’ gameplay. This beauty leaves the third outing one of the franchise’s most stunning games, in no small part aided by a skybox of the Outback filmed with 12K cameras. Throw in the introduction of Horizon Blueprints and it’s clear why this remains a fan-favourite throughout the community.
Not only are Forza Horizon 3’s visuals a highlight, but the gameplay solidifies it among the best of the best. A perfect balance is struck between the excessive championships of Horizon 2, with the overwhelming amusement-park design of later entries, with a vast lineup of cars and collectibles available. The map design doesn’t falter either, with the sheer diversity of Surfers Paradise’s skyscrapers, to dense rainforests, and who could forget two of Forza Horizon’s best DLCs in Hot Wheels and Blizzard Mountain.
Forza Horizon 3 is the series at its most bombastic and zany, blending gameplay, visuals, and design into an overall masterpiece, so what could possibly beat it for the #1 spot?
#1 Forza Horizon 4
Here it is: the King of the Festival.
Where Forza Horizon 5 felt like a misguided iteration, Forza Horizon 4 took the series’ roots and expanded upon them, introducing many new mechanics and one of the most gorgeous landscapes of the franchise. Since its delisting in 2024, it has aged like fine wine, yet nothing can capture the sense of community and joy when finding a new set of weekly challenges to conquer for rewards… except for maybe Christmas.
The story missions extend further than disjointed sections here too, with chapters ranging from growing businesses which gain you passive income, conquering a certain vehicle type, or the ultimate boss races. On a content-to-quality ratio, this entry may just be the apex, with a wide array of vehicles, collectibles and missions.
Britain was the perfect location to introduce the signature seasonal shift that Forza Horizon 4 debuted, with players able to experience everything from muddy, autumn trails, to frozen winter lakes, always adapting to the time of year. Whether it’s Edinburgh’s medieval architecture, the expansive woods, or lakeside reflections, a journey will never be the same twice, something Mexico couldn’t replicate.
By merging the series’ best aspects into one cohesive and atmospheric masterpiece, Forza Horizon 4 isn’t just the best in the series, but arguably one of the best in the genre.
If you’ve managed to make it this far, then thank you. Of course no one’s list is ever identical, but hopefully my reasoning at least makes these picks understandable.
With Forza Horizon 6 on the way, Playground Games has the chance to create the greatest sandbox racer of all time, with a stunning backdrop of blossom trees and temples that learns from the mistakes and successes of all its predecessors.
