Forza Horizon 5 could have a Mexican setting, likely to be unveiled alongside Halo Infinite, Starfield, and Age of Empires IV at E3 2021
Fans of the popular Forza franchise have been anticipating the next iteration of the Horizon open world racing series, Forza Horizon 5, for quite some time now. While it has been known that the game is very much likely to be in development, Microsoft and Playground Games have been tight-lipped about its features, locales, and launch date. Earlier, Forza Horizon 5 was expected to be set in Japan, but the latest rumor doing the rounds is that the game will based in Mexico.
This information comes via @IdleSloth84 on Twitter, who feels hints from game industry insider Jeff Grubb could possibly point to a Mexico setting for Forza Horizon 5. Windows Central, too, reported that Forza Horizon 5 could shift to Mexico from Japan, but cautions that this is still a rumor and there's no hard evidence to confirm the same.
We also do not have confirmation on the possible launch date for the game, though the speculation is that Microsoft may indeed at least show off the game at E3 2021 in June. Klobrille, a well-known Xbox community member over at the ResetEra forums, also hinted that Horizon 5 will see an E3 announcement alongside Halo Infinite, Bethesda's Starfield, and Age of Empires IV. Incidentally, Turn 10 Studios, makers of the Motorsport line of Forza games, is working on a Forza Motorsport reboot, which was teased back in July 2020; the release date is not known, but right now things point to a 2022 unveiling.
The expectations from Forza Horizon 5 are considerably high, and the game will hopefully launch on Steam as well alongside Xbox Game Pass. Forza Horizon 4 released on Steam on March 9 this year and despite being three years old, it quickly rose to become the top selling racing game on Valve's platform. However, Horizon 4 on Steam still seems to offer an less-than-ideal experience with players complaining of stutters, crashes, and a host of networking and stability issues, most of which are not present in its Windows Store equivalent.
(Speculation) Looks like Forza Horizon 5 will be set in Mexico ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/nwReSnZOTo
— Idle Sloth (@IdleSloth84) April 24, 2021