Forza Horizon 5 moves to Australia and into Winter with Series 13 of the Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges and once more you’ll find yourself needing some new cars and tunes to help with their completion.
As I’m sure we all remember, Forza Horizon 3 took place in Australia, and introduced a lot of features we take for granted today. The huge maps, the massive variety in landscapes, the whole feel of what makes a Horizon game; these can all be traced back to Australia. So chuck another shrimp on the barbie and let’s see what is in store for us this week, shall we?
Part 1: #Forzathon Weekly Challenge – Welcome to Australia
The hero car for this episode of Horizon craziness was a very special car indeed, the Lamborghini Centenario LP770-4.
Built to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ferrucio Lamborghini himself, this thing was a serious weapon, with sci-fi looks and a mahoosive 770 bhp motor squeezed into the wheelbase. It’s also somewhat on the steep side, as if you don’t own it already, a trip to the Autoshow will relieve you of 2.3 million credits.
Luckily, if you complete this week’s collectible challenge, smashing even more boards, the car in question is the prize. Maybe head to Dunas Blancas first, eh?
Chapter 1 – Anniversary-Ception
Get in and drive, same as usual. Pretty easy, even for me!
Chapter 2 – You’re the Boss!
Now, if I was the owner of a car that cost, in real life, the thick end of $2,000,000
the very last thing I would be doing is stupid stunts in it, but, hey, it’s a virtual car so mechanical sympathy can be left at the door.
Get your car, and earn six stars at Danger Signs. Easy!
I simply used the seasonal challenge one for ease.
Chapter 3 – Home Street Home
It would be a shame to have all that firepower under your right foot and not use it to race with, right? Well, the game has got you covered, as now we have to win a Street Race.
Go out there and blow the other cars into the weeds. Stock trim is more than quick enough.
Chapter 4 – Land Down Under
Now this is an odd one, and very tricky to boot. You have to, and I’m not joking here, beep your horn to complete the weekly series. Apparently this will evoke Australia?
I’m not sure about that, but that is the weekly challenge done .Stay in your car for a bit though in order to tick off the photo challenge, details further down the page.
Part 2 – Weekly Challenges
Since the Eventlab wasn’t invented back in 2016 when Horizon 3 suraced, we are spared the cringe worthy efforts of the “artists” who put the things together and can instead concentrate on where Horizon shines – Speed, big air and co-op racing. Yay!
The Trial – Stock Showdown: HSV Gen-F GTS
I guess there isn’t a massive choice of native Australian cars to choose from, but one that has crossed into the mainstream a bit is the HSV Gen F GTS .I’m more familiar with the Ute, the Maloo, but this is a saloon car variant I guess?
Anyway, this is another Stock race, so no tuning required. Simply grab a bunch of like minded racers from the internet, and cooperate in jolly japes against unbeatable Driverbots. Or, if your lucky is like mine, grab a bunch of crash happy, every man for himself selfish racers and get smashed into the first corner, ending up about a million miles behind the action. Roll the dice and take a chance.
Should you be lucky (and may the odds be ever in your favour) you can walk away with a not noticeably Australian Nissan R390.
Danger Sign – Metal Bird
Let’s get airborne now, shall we?
Grab your best Toyota, tuned to a maximum of A Class 800, and leap more than 70 metres.
Sounds deceptively easy, and honestly, it is!
I used the trusty 4Runner TRD Pro from 2019, tuned a bit (now packing around 1100 BHP) and cleared the distance easily. The share code for my car is: 148961853.
A Super Wheelspin is your prize.
Danger Sign – Salto de Rio
For this challenge, we have to take a Holden car, a maximum tune of C Class 600, and jump 122m. Sounds like fun, right?
Well, I decided to try a Torana A9X, mainly because of the silly power bulge sticking out of the bonnet, and tweaked it a tad to make the following share code: 163048096. Hitting the ramp at around 120mph saw us fly past the target.
Yet another Super Wheelspin will be in your inventory for doing this.
Danger Sign – Ranas Saltarinas
For this Danger Sign, a B Class 700 Mazda has to jump a distance of over 165m. I went with the Mazda 323 Gt-R, with a share code of: 148674899.
This had no trouble in clearing the distance.
Another Super Wheelspin? Oh go on then.
Seasonal Championship – Nissan to the Max
Grab a Nissan, tune it a bit to a maximum of B Class 700, and then take part in some races. Sound like fun? That’s because it is.
I only had one choice, Godzilla itself, the R32 Skyline GT-R. The share code is 135285831, and as this tune is built for acceleration and cornering, you may have to get “creative” on long straight sections to keep the field behind you.
Winning the championship will get you the HSV Gen F you need for The Trial, so maybe do this one first?
Seasonal Championship – Aussie Rules!
Aussie Rules is a bit like rugby for people who are too violent to play nicely, and it is much the same here.
We have to take an Australian car, which as a breed are pretty hairy chested and unsophisticated, and then tune to A Class 800, then go racing in it.
I started with a Maloo from 2014, and tweaked it a little in an attempt to teach it some manners. The resulting tune is: 101727402. And not to tootle my own trumpet, but I seem to have built a Maloo that will go around corners without eating its own tyres.
Winning will add another song to the Horizon Mixtape radio station. One I’ve never heard of, but Ingrid is, apparently, a hybrid!
Seasonal Championship – Clever Girl!
Obvious reference to Jurassic Park time, as this championship is all about the Raptor, and to a maximum of C Class 600. I went with the F-150 SVT Raptor, and a share code of: 139383916.
Don’t be afraid to get physical, as the opponents certainly aren’t shy.
Winning will get us a Hot Wheels Bone Shaker, just in time for Halloween.
Horizon Tour – Co-op Championships
I may have mentioned before that I think that the Tour co-op championships are one of the best things about Horizon 5, and I haven’t changed my mind. A team of random people from the internet, or a full team of friends if you have enough who still play (*cough Editor-man cough*) and fun will ensue.
I can’t recommend a tune for this as it could be any class, but just go with the flow and pick up some sweet weekly points for your trouble.
Part 3 – Other Challenges
The miscellaneous section, as I like to call it, kicks off here. We have some photography, some smashing and a bit of the Horizon Open to take part in.
Photo Challenge – #HorizonAnniversary
Take your Lambo Centenario to the Horizon 3 Festival site. This is easier said than done, as the site isn’t marked on your map, so to save you the rouble of hunting around, I’ll include a photo of where it is, in Dunas Blancas.
Snap a photo while you are there to win a car horn. The Australian Cover Car horn, to be precise.
I’ll also show my effort below to act as inspiration/ a warning as to what not to do.
Collectibles – Warren Delivery!
Should you not fancy springing 2.3 million credits for the Centenario, you can smash ten of these boards to receive the car.
I have included a photo below of what you are looking for, but be warned: the boards are golden and do not show up very well against the sand. Still, persevere and you’ll save a chunk of change.
Horizon Open – One For The Streets
The weekly invite to play Horizon Online is here, and this week it is the turn of Street Racing to be in the spotlight. You simply have to complete an event, no winning required, and as it could be any class, recommending a tune is somewhat tricky.
Go with whatever you have that works would be my advice!
A “Ring Ring” horn will be your reward for this.
Part 4 – Hot Wheels Events
There are some new events to be found in the Hot Wheels expansion too. Remember, you’ll need to be right up there with an Elite rank in the expansion in order to take part.
Danger Sign – Ice Crash
A Danger Sign, an S2 Class 998 car, and a distance of merely 600 metres to beat. What could be easier? Rocket science or brain surgery, probably.
I went with the Aston Martin Valhalla Concept car, with a share code of: 169242751. This is plenty fast enough, and approaching from the right saw me hit some speed boost pads to help out.
Another Super Wheelspin is up for grabs.
Seasonal Championship – Reach For The Stars
Another championship, another entry barrier of Australian cars of A Class 800. I used the same Maloo as above, the share code was: 101727402.
Winning all the races, or best two out of three in a convoy (as with all the championships) will get you another not Australian car, the Nissan 370Z.
We’re over halfway through Series 13 and that means you’ll have no doubt completed the new Horizon Story goodies and the two Monthly Rivals events. If you haven’t yet, both of those will need completing should you be looking to max out your points and rewards.
In terms of rewards, Series 13 Winter adds the Eagle Speedster for 20pts and the HW Ford Mustang for 40pts. You can then throw in the full Series 13 rewards of the Wuling Sunshine which will set you back 80pts and the 650S Spider for 160pts.
Series 13 and the whole Anniversary jazz concludes next week with Spring; a season in which you’ll be able to add the AM One-77 and the Peel P50 to your garage. Expect us to sort you out with more cars and tunes for those new challenges too.
If you don’t yet have a copy of Forza Horizon 5 then it is playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S or PC via the Xbox Store. It’s on Game Pass too whilst the Hot Wheels expansion costs real money.
Please remember to head into the comments if you like this guide. Or if there are things we can change that will make it easier for you, give us a shout. We’re on the usual socials too.
