Forza Horizon 3

About

Forza Horizon 3 is an open-world racing game that allows players to explore Australia in over 350 cars. As the director of the Horizon Festival, you can customize the event and hire or fire friends in multiplayer and co-op modes. The ultimate goal is to make the Horizon Festival the ultimate celebration of cars, music, and freedom.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 141 reviews

graphics38 positive mentions

optimization5 negative mentions

Forza Horizon 3 features stunning graphics and a beautifully crafted open world set in Australia, providing a visually immersive experience.
The game offers extensive customization options for cars and events, allowing players to tailor their racing experience to their preferences.
With a diverse car list and various race types, including off-road and street racing, Forza Horizon 3 delivers a fun and engaging gameplay experience.

The game lacks a split-screen multiplayer option, limiting local co-op play and requiring players to take turns instead.
Some players have reported issues with AI difficulty, where Drivatars can feel overly aggressive or unrealistic in their racing behavior.
There are concerns about microtransactions and the availability of DLC content, which can detract from the overall experience and accessibility of the game.

graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
7%
7%
The graphics in Forza Horizon 3 are widely praised for their stunning visuals and realistic car detailing, effectively showcasing the beautiful Australian landscape. Reviewers highlight the game's impressive graphical fidelity, which enhances the overall gameplay experience, making it feel immersive and engaging. Despite some minor issues like graphics stuttering, the overall consensus is that the game's graphics are a significant strength, contributing to its appeal as a top-tier racing title.
- “Forza Horizon 3 looks incredible.”
- “The graphics on the cars and environment are breathtaking; it feels as if you are really there.”
- “Incredible graphics for a racing game.”
- “Said graphics and things not the best.”
- “[finicky offline mode, some graphics stuttering.]”
- “[finicky offline mode, some graphics stuttering.]”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
38%
12%
The gameplay in Forza Horizon 3 is praised for its extensive customization options, particularly through the Horizon Blueprint feature, which enhances the overall racing experience. Players appreciate the beautiful graphics, diverse car selection, and engaging multiplayer modes, although some find the difficulty level can be too easy at times. Overall, the game offers a smooth and addictive gameplay experience, with a vibrant open world that keeps players engaged.
- “Long story short, Forza Horizon 3 offers a much more diverse and customizable gameplay experience than any other racing game out there.”
- “This game also brings in some new gameplay features, such as the incredible multiplayer modes where you can make your own Horizon festival, set up your own races and challenges, and then invite others to your festival.”
- “Forza Horizon 3 feels familiar with its already-polished gameplay, but the new setting, cars, and incredible customization options open the throttle on an already-fantastic platform.”
- “I found Blizzard Mountain difficult enough without the added gameplay mechanic.”
- “My only complaint about the gameplay is that it sometimes gets to be too easy.”
- “Does not offer split-screen gameplay!”
music
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The music in the game features a diverse selection, ranging from classical to techno, and is generally well-received, with many praising its integration into gameplay. However, some users find it annoying and feel it doesn't quite match the quality of its predecessor, Forza Horizon 2. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, contributing positively to the game's immersive experience.
- “The music also sounds good and ranges from classical music to techno.”
- “And the music is awesome!”
- “And the music selection is still the greatest!”
- “I found the music annoying.”
- “First impression is the graphics are awesome, and the gameplay is fun; however, coming from Forza Horizon 2, I have to say that the music and overall experience falls a little short of its predecessor.”
- “When they play a 'skill song,' quickly find a farm and trash the crops (or palm trees) by drifting and plowing through them for the duration of the song to rack up skill points more quickly, but it's better to not do that while you're in a convoy, because the AI convoy 'buddies' will mess you up by deliberately crashing into you, which will reset your skill point accumulation.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
13%
63%
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering graphics and long loading times, particularly on PC. While some players enjoy the gameplay, the finicky offline mode and repetitive race options detract from the experience, suggesting that further optimization is needed to enhance overall performance and user engagement.
- “The PC version has performance issues for a large number of people. As for in-game, the player-created race options are slightly boring and repetitive, where extra races and content from the developers would have been more ideal.”
- “Minor performance issues; a hands-off approach may allow you to fall into a rut.”
- “And the ridiculous stuttering redline high-rev when starting from a standstill is...well...ridiculous.”
- “Forza Horizon 3 is possibly the best racing game in the world, just marred by performance issues on the PC and the dull nature of the create-your-own-race options.”
- “The PC version has performance issues for a large number of people. As for in-game, the player-created race options are slightly boring and repetitive, where extra races and content from the developers would have been more ideal. That or the ability to create your own route, rather than use the blueprints.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The story aspect of the game is generally well-received, praised for its beautiful graphics and motivating narrative, though some players feel it lacks depth and relies too much on luck rather than skill for progression. The open-world design offers a variety of missions and a strong sense of freedom, enhancing the overall experience, but the single-player limitation on consoles has disappointed some fans looking for multiplayer fun. Overall, while the story is engaging, it may not meet everyone's expectations in terms of impact and multiplayer accessibility.
- “Its beautiful, the story is motivating and the landscape is massive.”
- “Great graphics, story, and fun, but single player only on console limits family fun.”
- “Excellent open world with a variety of missions and worthwhile rewards. Great freedom of choice for both arcade and realistic racing fans.”
- “While it's a cool feature, I did feel like it didn't make as big an impact as I'd hoped story-wise. However, experience-wise, it does make it a lot more fun to choose your own races.”
- “The tasks and challenges you're required to complete to advance the main story seem to depend far more heavily on luck than on any amount of skill.”
- “It has a very good free roam mode, but the storyline is quite basic.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has been criticized for frequent glitches, including random freezes, crashes to the main Xbox screen, and issues with car inventory disappearing, despite a recent update aimed at addressing these problems. Players find the driving experience varied, but the technical issues significantly detract from overall enjoyment.
- “And there are lots of glitches in Horizon 3.”
- “The game freezes up frequently, randomly closes/sends you to your main Xbox screen, and occasionally it removes half the cars from the garage as if you never had them (last one was fixed by rebooting the console).”
- “Even after a recent game update, it still glitches/freezes up.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the game's exceptional replayability, praising the beautifully crafted driving mechanics, stunning car designs, and extensive difficulty and tuning options that provide a virtually limitless experience. Overall, players find the game to be highly enjoyable and packed with opportunities for repeated play.
- “Granted the driving is beautifully done, the cars look amazing, and the difficulty and tuning options offer literally limitless replayability.”
- “The game itself has tons of replayability.”
- “So much fun and has lots of replayability.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Many gamers express concerns about the microtransactions in the game, viewing them as detrimental to the overall experience and the credibility of the Forza Horizon series, which they perceive as a cynical approach to monetization.
- “Overall a great game, but the microtransactions are hurting the credibility of the Forza Horizon series.”
- “The only problem most gamers have is the microtransactions.”
- “Yet another cynical monetization platform.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players highlight a particularly emotional moment in the game where the protagonist expresses intense excitement and nostalgia over discovering a barn find Holden, showcasing the game's ability to evoke strong feelings and personal connections.
- “There was a part in the game where he becomes incredibly emotional over a barn find Holden.”
- “The game masterfully captures the emotional journey of the characters, making you feel deeply connected to their struggles.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it evoked a range of emotions that I didn't expect from a game.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its excellent open world, featuring a diverse range of missions and rewarding experiences. Players appreciate the strong variety of cars, each set against beautiful environments enhanced by striking environmental effects, catering to both arcade and realistic racing fans.
- “The open world is excellent, featuring a variety of missions and worthwhile rewards. There is great freedom of choice for both arcade and realistic racing fans. The car variety is strong, with each vehicle offering unique and beautiful environments, complemented by striking environmental effects and atmosphere.”