Summary

  • The Forza Horizon 5 "Midnight Muscle" update releases on January 28 with a new Festival Playlist, neon decorations, two new cars, and all-new features.
  • The update brings a cinematic start screen feature with cinematics from past Forza Horizon games.
  • Voting for the next Festival Playlist will be held from January 30 to February 28.

Xbox announced the neon-themed "Midnight Muscle" update for Forza Horizon 5 will be released on January 28 with new cars, decorations, limited-time events, and much more. This will be the first major content update for Forza Horizon 5 in 2025, and Xbox teases that there's a lot more to come for the open-world racing game.

Released on November 8, 2021, Forza Horizon 5 is the latest entry in Playground Games' Forza Motorsport spin-off series. Players can explore the vast landscapes of Mexico, participate in exciting Horizon Festival races and events across varying terrain, and collect hundreds of cars. Nearly three and a half years after its release, Forza Horizon 5 is rumored to release on PS5 in the future, and the game will continue to receive new content, features, events, and cars via free updates in 2025.

Forza-Horizon-5-Best-Cars-To-Auction-&-Sell
Forza Horizon 5: Best Cars To Auction & Sell

These cars in Forza Horizon 5 will fetch a pretty penny at the Auction House.

On January 28, the Forza Horizon 5 Midnight Muscle update will bring back Evolving World features such as extended night cycles, the Neon Airstrip and Drone Show from Midnights at Horizons, and neon decorations at the Aeródromo en la Selva and in races. The Midnight Muscle Festival Playlist will be available until February 28 with two new unlockable muscle cars: the 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock and the 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R. Moreover, Neon Tank Photo Decorations will be available in Photo Challenges, and a Neon Cube Collectible will be available to find and smash at the Horizon Street Scene Outpost during week four of the Midnight Muscle Festival Playlist in February.

Forza Horizon 5 Midnight Muscle Update Brings New Cars and Neon Decorations on January 28

  • The Midnight Muscle update brings back extended night cycles, the Neon Airstrip and Drone Show, and neon decorations.
  • The Midnight Muscle Festival Playlist will be available with two new unlockable cars:
    • 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock
    • 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R
  • Neon Tank Photo Decorations will be available in Photo Challenges.
  • A Neon Cube Collectible will appear during week four of the update in February.
  • A cinematic start screen selection feature will be added.
  • Voting for the next Festival Playlist will be available from January 30 to February 28.
    • Players can vote for the Italian Automotive and High Performance Festival Playlists.

In addition, Forza Horizon 5 will have a new cinematic start screen selection feature with cinematics from past Forza Horizon games, including the Colorado Horizon Festival start screen from the original game. The Italian Automotive and Horizon Retrowave start screens may also be selected with the new feature for a total of seven start screen options.

Voting for the next Festival Playlist in Forza Horizon 5 will be available from January 30 to February 28 in the "Playlist Vote" section, which replaces the "Coming Soon" section. During the voting period, players can vote between the Italian Automotive and High Performance Festival Playlists, which will determine which Festival will return in March 2025. Similarly to previous Forza Horizon 5 updates, the winning playlist will be accompanied by a major update.

Lastly, the Midnight Muscle update fixes some lingering bugs in Forza Horizon 5. An issue involving the order of car purchases in the Backstage Shop will be fixed. Cosmetic bugs for the 1971 Nissan Skyline 2000 GTR and 2014 Ford UTE will be fixed in the new update as well. These bug fixes should be beneficial to players wanting to collect those cars and complete Forza Horizon 5's main story content.

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Forza Horizon 5 Tag Page Cover Art
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Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 100%
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Released
November 9, 2021
ESRB
E for Everyone // In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Playground Games
Publisher(s)
Xbox Game Studios
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Forza Horizon 5 PS5 release date and price
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Your Ultimate Horizon Adventure awaits! Explore the vibrant and ever-evolving open world landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.

This is Your Horizon Adventure:  Lead breathtaking expeditions across the vibrant and ever-evolving open world landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.

This is a Diverse Open World:  Explore a world of striking contrast and beauty. Discover living deserts, lush jungles, historic cities, hidden ruins, pristine beaches, vast canyons and a towering snow-capped volcano.

This is an Adventurous Open World:  Immerse yourself in a deep campaign with hundreds of challenges that reward you for engaging in the activities you love. Meet new characters and choose the outcomes of their Horizon Story missions.

This is an Evolving Open World:  Take on awe-inspiring weather events such as towering dust storms and intense tropical storms as Mexico’s unique, dynamic seasons change the world every week. Keep coming back for new events, challenges, collectibles, and rewards, and new areas to explore. No two seasons will ever be the same.

This is Your Open World:  Create your own expressions of fun with the powerful new EventLab gameplay toolset including custom races, challenges, stunts, and entirely new game modes. Customize your cars in more ways than ever before with new options such as the ability open and close convertible tops, paint brake calipers, and more. Use the new Gift Drops feature to share your custom creations with the community.
 

Engine
Forza Tech
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
Franchise
Forza Horizon
Genre(s)
Racing, Open-World
How Long To Beat
20 Hours
X|S Optimized
Yes
File Size Xbox Series
134 GB (November 2023)
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty