This video serves as a guide for players who have completed the main "Horizon Adventure" in Forza Horizon 5 and are looking for endgame content. It explains various features and modes available after completing the main story, aiming to help new players understand their options for continued engagement with the game.
The video aims to guide players through the endgame of Forza Horizon 5, addressing the common question, "I beat Horizon, what do I do now?" It acknowledges that after completing Horizon Adventure, the game offers freedom but can feel overwhelming with its many features. The video intends to clarify the available endgame content, noting that much of it can be accessed before finishing the main game.
The core of the endgame experience is presented as an open-ended sandbox, encouraging players to find their own goals, such as creating liveries, tunes, custom maps, engaging in the auction house, or pursuing 100% completion. The video emphasizes that the game is not pay-to-win and players can stop playing once they've had their fill.
The Festival Playlist is highlighted as the most crucial ongoing endgame feature. It was introduced in Horizon 4 and provides a consistent stream of new content weekly. The playlist is divided into seasons (lasting one week) and series (lasting four weeks), with each series having a theme. Players earn points through various events and challenges within each season to unlock rewards, including new and rare cars. It's suggested that earning the weekly rewards should take about an hour. Daily challenges also contribute, and importantly, some can still be completed even after a new season begins if a player is just short of a reward. Monthly Rivals events are also part of the playlist and are recommended for easy points, requiring only a clean lap without needing to beat a specific rival time. Series point rewards track progress over the entire month, and a preview of the next month's content is available. The speaker notes that one doesn't need to complete everything on the playlist and that missed rewards often return in future playlists.
Beyond the playlist, the Event Lab is praised as an underappreciated feature. It allows players to create and share custom race tracks and challenges, catering to various interests like drifting, realistic track replicas, and unique obstacle courses. While some user-generated content might be of lower quality, the video suggests looking for recommended creators and notes that new maps are constantly being added.
The video then moves to Player vs. Player (PVP) modes:
Finally, the video reveals Horizon's "real" hidden endgame: community-organized racing leagues on Discord. Because the in-game online racing is described as basic and poorly regulated, the community has created sophisticated leagues with custom scoring, persistent leaderboards, endurance races, qualifiers, and live-streamed events. These communities, such as Team Wars, One Hour of Racing, and Horizon Racing Academy, offer cleaner racing and a more engaging competitive experience. These leagues often utilize custom maps with unique props, providing fresh layouts not found in standard online play. The speaker also mentions their own community's events, which include custom track time trials and themed races. The video concludes by emphasizing that these communities and friendships are what often keep players engaged with games long after their initial release.
