Since its release, Forza Horizon 5 has gained praise not only for its tactical, open-world racing environments but also for its stunning graphics. With The ForzaTech engine, Playground Games has achieved a milestone with this entry in the franchise. It aims to both showcase jaw-dropping graphics and provide solid performance on Microsoft's flagship console, the Xbox Series X. This review focuses on graphical features and performance metrics such as frame rate stability and rendering resolution to assess its performance against the benchmark set by the developers.
Platform Summary: Xbox Series X Console Ecosystem
Before analyzing the game’s visuals and performance, it would be helpful to describe its hardware components first:
- CPU: 8-core AMD Zen 2 @ 3.8 GHz (3.6 GHz with SMT)
- GPU: AMD RDNA 2 with 52 CUs @ 1.825 GHz (12 TFLOPs)
- Memory: 16 GB GDDR6 (10 GB @ 560 GB/s, 6 GB @ 336 GB/s)
- Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD (Approx. 2.4 GB/s raw I/O throughput)
- Target Output: 4K @ 60 FPS, with support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Forza Horizon 5 provides two main modes on Xbox Series X:
- Quality Mode: Native 4K resolution at 30 FPS with enhanced visual settings.
- Performance Mode: Dynamic resolution (targeting ~1440p to 4K) at a locked 60 FPS with reduced graphical features.
Graphical Options and Rendering Pipeline
Rendering Modes: Performance vs. Quality
Forza Horizon 5 pushes the Series X hardware to its limits and delivers true 4K rendering with increased shadow detail, ambient occlusion, greater distance scaling for vegetation and geometry, and better environment effects. All of these are in comparison to the Quality Mode preset.
In Performance Mode, fluidity is prioritized, which results in downgrading some shadows, reflections, and ambient occlusion. In addition, shadow and geometry resolution scales dynamically with the scene, usually remaining around 1440 to 1800 p, sometimes reaching just below 4K resolution in sparsely populated scenes.
Ray tracing comes into play only during Forzavista; it is not used during gameplay. Here, ray tracing reflections are used so the car models can be showcased as accurately as possible. Relying on the screen space technique and pre-baked lighting, reflection is done during gameplay.
Visual Feature Analysis
Ray Tracing (Forzavista Only)
Forza Horizon 5 uses ray tracing exclusively in Forzavista mode, providing real-time reflective ray tracing on the cars and 30 FPS. The game performs screen jitter and friction of the moving cars within a 4k resolution, with every frame locally reflecting a portion of the region surrounding the car.
While the Forza screensaver is not performing, there is no reason to be using Xbox Series X hardware capabilities to leverage reflections on surfaces in real-time. The reflections that are used during the game appear to be imaged from an angle significantly diverging from the player’s vantage point. Except for some off-angle looks toward other surfaces, it used reflections that mirror the angle of view.
Texture Detail
In every mode, texture resolution used for vehicles and the environment is especially sharp. Playground games have the opportunity to display dense, lush jungles. Most sophisticated urban and desert regions as well. All of them are reconstructed from high-quality material shaders.
During quality mode, anisotropic filtering is set to hyper, which widens the texture detail significantly, even for slanting view_ports. Performance mode dials this back, but not to the degree that would compromise immersion or sharpness.
Draw Distance and Level of Detail (LoD)
The game’s draw distances are a technical achievement. The lower-level areas of the game, like foliage, buildings, and any architectural details, are visible from great distances with little to no pop-in, even at high speeds.
Transitions between levels of detail, specifically in quality mode, foliage, and environmental geometry, are kept from coherence over distance and minding gaps. Performance mode is more aggressive with scaling, that is, LoD, tree detail, and even building meshes, which do tend to drop in quality rapidly and are still subtle and smooth.
Lighting, Shadowing, and Atmospheric Effects
The lighting in Forza Horizon 5 uses a hybrid global illumination combined with local dynamic lighting for light shifts during the time of the day. Each shadow is soft and accurately mapped, especially in Quality Mode.
Localized rain, dynamic weather, volumetric fog, and integrated dust all heavily contribute to the immersion and fog. As time goes on, shafts, god rays, and ambient shadows move easily and add calm realism.
Particularly during storms or sunrise/sunset hours, volumetric lighting, along with particle effects, is rendered with great precision. While Overall cohesiveness remains intact, performance mode pares some volumetric fog layers and lower particle density fog layering placed alongside simpler volumetric layering.
During calm periods, scaling down to preserve framerate is not an issue, and scaling down during dense action sequences isn't a problem; scaling down, being smartly implemented, further enhances sight. Sharp image retention at lower resolutions is achieved through TAA (temporary anti-aliasing).
Performance Benchmarks: Frame Rate and Resolution
Frame Rate Stability
Performance Mode (Target: 60 FPS):
- Maintains a rock-solid 60 FPS in nearly all gameplay scenarios.
- Even in dense urban centers or during sandstorms, frame pacing remains consistent.
- Minor dips to ~58 FPS have been noted during split-screen or convoy-heavy events, but these are rare and brief.
Quality Mode (Target: 30 FPS):
- Holds 30 FPS with minimal deviation.
- Frame pacing is consistent, though less fluid than Performance Mode.
- Input latency is perceptibly higher, which may affect competitive play.
Resolution Metrics
| Mode | Dynamic Resolution Range | Typical Output |
| Quality Mode | Native 4K (3840x2160) | Native 4K |
| Performance Mode | 1440p–2160p (Dynamic) | ~1800p average |
Dynamic scaling in Performance Mode is smartly implemented, prioritizing resolution during less intense scenes and scaling down only when needed to preserve framerate. Temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) ensures that the image retains clarity even at sub-native resolutions.
Smoothness and Input Response
In Performance Mode, smoother and more responsive driving is enabled through Xbox Series X low-latency controller input with VRR. The combination of fast, smooth inputs and 60 FPS creates the ideal setting for those looking to drive competitively or seriously.
With Forza Horizon 5's quality mode, input responsiveness improves. However, a noticeable increase in overall input lag is present, as well as slower animations, which affects faster control in high-speed situations.
Both VRR displays and modes benefit from less judder and tearing. However, locked framerates, in this case, treat this feature more as a luxury.
Comparative Analysis: Against Other Visual Showpieces
When compared to other visually demanding Xbox Series X titles:
| Title | Resolution | Frame Rate | Ray Tracing | Open World? | Visual Complexity |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 4K/1440p | 30/60 FPS | No | Limited (Forzavista only) | Very High |
| Flight Simulator | 1440p–4K | 30 FPS | Yes (RT Mode) | Yes | Extremely High |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1440p–4K | 30/60 FPS | Partial Very High | Yes | Very High |
| Halo Infinite | Dynamic 4K | 60/120 FPS | No | Semi-open | Moderate–High |
Comparing Forza Horizon 5’s graphics performance with Cyberpunk 2077 shows that Forza is more stable than Cyberpunk 2077's RT mode and has a higher visual fidelity than Halo Infinite. Though Flight Simulator has а an edge with higher environmental complexity, it performs poorer in terms of frame rate and responsiveness.
A Triumph of Optimization
Forza Horizon 5 performs on par with Flight Simulator as being one of the most cross-generational games on Xbox Series X. It leverages the power of Series X with an uncommon level of consistency, and technical finesse exceeds polish.
Key technical achievements include:
- Environments that are visually dense and demanding, as well as high fidelity, are rendered over a massive, streaming open world with minimum pop-in and artifacts.
- Performance Mode offers near-perfect 60 FPS performance across both modes.
- Photorealistic visuals are provided through high-quality lighting for various materials, especially when it comes to golden hours and during storms.
- Enhanced features made while prioritizing frame rendering smoothness and detail enable players to switch between modes, giving freedom based on preference without major sacrifices.
Playground Games has maximized the current capabilities of the ForzaTech engine while ensuring near-zero load times are given. Instant travel and loading into the open world takes less than five seconds, even in the most demanding visual scenarios, pegging their demand.
Areas for Improvement
Most users who buy Xbox racing games think that even with the technological achievements made in the game, there are still aspects where Forza Horizon 5 can be improved:
Limited Ray Tracing Integration
Forzavista does not fully utilize real-time ray-tracing features. While functioning ray tracing may be too demanding for current consoles within expansive 60 FPS open-world gameplay, rudimentary hybrids (like RT shadow or reflection during cutscenes and replays) systems would significantly improve immersion at a low-performance cost.
Lack of Granular Graphical Controls
Shadow, reflection, and foliage density are console-grained features that do not appear on the PC variant, showcasing performance toggles. These quality sliders would allow fine-tuning of visual/performance balance tailored to user display preference and capability.
Dynamic Resolution Floor
The described issue of racing competitively during dense city centers or weather-heavy regions is when the resolution on 4k screens dips to 1440p. Performance Mode doesn’t manage to scale seamlessly, and upgrading reconstruction during these moments would be beneficial.
Frame-Paced 30 FPS Quality Mode
Even though 30 FPS is locked, the frame pacing in Quality Mode sometimes causes very subtle judder during camera pans or the transitions from cutscenes to gameplay. Players who buy Xbox games used to higher refresh rate environments may find this bothersome, even if it is not severe. A 40 FPS option would be beneficial if provided for VRR displays, which would serve as a balanced compromise between fidelity and responsiveness.
Conclusion: Benchmark for the Genre
Forza Horizon 5 is arguably one of the most technologically proficient titles of the current generation when viewed from the Xbox Series X console perspective. Playground Games provides an incredibly smooth experience by strategically optimizing the beautifully crafted, biome-diverse world.
With the absence of extensive ray tracing, customizable visuals, and other features, there is certainly room for further growth. However, the spectacle and performance axis is something the game achieves remarkably well. Open-world racing games - or even outside the genre - are rarely polished, and Forza Horizon 5 is strongly marked by dynamic weather systems, vast draw distances, brisk loading, and a level of polish that is unparalleled.
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