Forza Horizon 4 is an open-world driving game from Playground Games. It is set in the United Kingdom and builds on most of the previous concepts found in the previous installments of the Horizon side of Microsoft's long-running Forza franchise.
Gameplay
New Additions
Unlike previous entries, Forza Horizon 4 is a connected game, with human players surfacing directly in each other's open worlds instead of the "drivatar" AI found previously. Players can join races started by others, and every hour a Forzathon Live event begins, tasking participating players with completing cooperative challenges. Completing challenges rewards Forzathon Points which are used in the Forzathon Shop to unlock a changing selection of cars and cosmetic items.
The game features more dramatic weather effects along with seasons that cycle weekly in order. These seasons bring about changes to the environment that also affect handling. For example, winter necessitates the use of snow tires, and the increased rainfall in the spring means muddier trails that can be more challenging to drift through.
As part of the game's 'Horizon Life' narrative, players can customize the appearance of their driver as well as purchase property around the map that serve many of the same functions as the festival site.
As with previous entries, performing skills while driving earns Skill Points which are used to unlock bonuses and perks. In Forza Horizon 4, every vehicle has its own set of perks that can be unlocked.
Online Racing
Online Adventure from Forza Horizon 3 has been replaced with Team Adventure. While structurally similar to Online Adventure, this iteration has players competing on two teams. Solo racing was later added in due to player feedback.
The Eliminator
The Eliminator is a battle royale-inspired multiplayer mode featuring 72 players. All players begin the match with a slow car and can upgrade to faster cars by finding car drops around the map or by eliminating other players in head-to-head races. These races are triggered by honking the horn near another player.
Similar to other battle royale games, the play area becomes smaller as the match progresses. When there are only 12 players remaining, a Final Race is triggered with the finish line spawning a few miles away on the map. The first player to reach the finish wins the match.