Here’s when Forza Horizon 5 launches, the download size, and more

When Forza Horizon 5 releases, potentially millions of players will be lining up to jump into the latest title from Playground Games. “When” is the critical word, however, as Forza Horizon 5 isn’t releasing at the exact same time for all players around the world, and will instead roll out in waves depending on where you live. This can get confusing, more so when you factor in preloading the game to save time on downloading, how much space FH5 will take on your console or PC, and more. Fortunately, we’ve collected all that information and more.

Here’s everything you need to know about Forza Horizon 5 and when you can play it.

Forza Horizon 5 is one of the most anticipated Xbox and PC games of the year, an open-world racer courtesy of Playground Games and Xbox Game Studios. The title takes the long-running racing series to Mexico for the first time, and will feature the largest and most diverse map and longest car list at launch of any Forza Horizon game before it. Fans are understandably hyped for what’s to come in Forza Horizon 5.

There’s a ton to look forward to in FH5, with Playground incorporating community feedback and additional development time to deliver a legitimately massive leap over Forza Horizon 4, which was already a fantastic game in its own right. After we previewed Forza Horizon 5, even going so far as taking a road trip around Mexico, we concluded that Forza Horizon 5 may actually deliver on its highly ambitious promises when it releases later this year.

Forza Horizon 5 is now available to preorder, and it’s worth it to be first in line (or even early!) to play what could be the best Xbox racing game in recent memory when it releases on Nov. 9, 2021 (Nov. 5 for some preorders).

Forza Horizon 5 is officially releasing on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Game Pass, giving players an endless number of ways to jump into the latest Forza Horizon Festival.

When is the release date and launch time for Forza Horizon 5?

The official release date for Forza Horizon 5 is Nov. 9, 2021, and that’s exactly when the majority of players will gain access to Playground’s latest project. However, some players have early access to FH5, which opens the doors to players on Nov. 5, 2021. Whether you’re playing on launch day or four days early, it may not be immediately clear when Forza Horizon 5 drops on that fateful day.

Many games release simultaneously across the world, going off of where midnight is for the game’s primary market or home country, or roll out gradually in every region as the new day begins there. Forza Horizon 5 is straddling this line, and will release at midnight in every region’s easternmost time zone, meaning players may have to do some quick math to figure out exactly when they’ll be able to play. Fortunately, we have all the dates and times you need right below.

Early access

Forza Horizon 5’s early access begins on Nov. 5, 2021, and will release at midnight in every region’s easternmost time zone. Players can gain early access to FH5 be preordering Forza Horizon 5 Premium Edition, or by preordering the Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-Ons Bundle. Players accessing FH5 through Xbox Game Pass can also enjoy early access by purchasing the aforementioned Premium Add-Ons Bundle DLC.

Here’s when Forza Horizon 5’s early access goes live in many regions and countries:

Full release

Forza Horizon 5’s full release begins on Nov. 9, 2021, and will release at midnight in every region’s easternmost time zone. The full release applies to all FH5 players, including those who have preordered Forza Horizon 5, are playing through Xbox Game Pass, have received their physical copy, want to play through Xbox Cloud Gaming, and more. Forza Horizon 5 will also become generally available for purchase, losing its “preorder” status.

Here’s when Forza Horizon 5 officially releases in many regions and countries:

Forza Horizon 5 is an absolutely massive game, featuring hundreds of cars in a beautifully rendered world and an endless number of events and challenges for players to complete. Of course, this means FH5 takes up a considerable amount of space on practically any gaming device. Here’s the download size of Forza Horizon 5 on every platform, so you can be sure you have enough space for this epic adventure.

• Xbox Series X|S: 103GB — Forza Horizon 5 takes advantage of lightning-fast SSDs and new techniques to shrink its install size
• Xbox One: 116GB — Forza Horizon 5 is 13GB larger on older Xbox One consoles due to its older technologies and slower HDDs
• PC: 103GB — both Microsoft Store and Steam players can also enjoy a slightly more compact Forza Horizon 5 install size
• Xbox Cloud Gaming: 0GB — players who are conscious of storage space can use Xbox Cloud Gaming, which uses streaming and doesn’t need to download anything to play Forza Horizon 5

How can I preload or preinstall Forza Horizon 5?

Installing a game as large as Forza Horizon 5 understandably can consume a significant amount of time, even with speedy internet. To help with this, FH5 is available to preload, ensuring players can leap into everything Playground Games has built the moment FH5 releases. Here’s what you need to know about preloading Forza Horizon 5 on every platform.

• Xbox consoles: Forza Horizon 5 is available to preload on the entire Xbox console family (Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One) right now, and it’s easy to do.
  • Anyone who has preordered any edition of Forza Horizon 5 that includes the base game can preload FH5 by installing it from the Microsoft Store or Games & apps menu, or by updating the already installed placeholder for Forza Horizon 5
  • Anyone playing Forza Horizon 5 through Xbox Game Pass can also preload FH5 through the Microsoft Store
  • You can also preload Forza Horizon 5 remotely using the Xbox mobile app on Android and iOS devices
  • Anyone playing Forza Horizon 5 with a physical disc can also preload the necessary update and files using the Xbox mobile app on Android and iOS devices
• PC: Forza Horizon 5 is available to preload on PCs right now, and it’s easy to do.
  • Anyone who has preordered any edition of Forza Horizon 5 that includes the base game can preload FH5 by installing it from the Microsoft Store, or by updating the already installed placeholder for Forza Horizon 5
  • Anyone playing Forza Horizon 5 through Xbox Game Pass for PC can also preload FH5 through the Microsoft Store or Xbox app
  • Forza Horizon 5 is not available to preload through Steam yet, but this is coming before release
• Xbox Cloud Gaming: Preloading Forza Horizon 5 isn’t necessary with Xbox Cloud Gaming, as all you’ll need is an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and a compatible device to play FH5 the moment it releases, with no downloads or hassle.

What localized languages are in Forza Horizon 5?

Forza Horizon 5 is releasing in a ton of places all around the world, and Playground has prepared its latest game by ensuring FH5 supports localization for a variety of languages in every region and country. Here’s what you need to know about localization in Forza Horizon 5, and what languages will be supported at launch.

• Full localized voiceover support: Forza Horizon 5 will support full localized voiceover support — meaning all spoken lines and dialogue will be changed — for the following languages:
  • English
  • Spanish (Mexico)
  • Portuguese (Brazil)
  • French
  • German
• Localized text support: Forza Horizon 5 will support localized text — meaning all subtitles, menus, and other text will be changed — for the following languages:
  • English
  • Spanish (Mexico and Spain)
  • Portuguese (Brazil)
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Russian
  • Czech
  • Turkish
  • Hungarian
  • Traditional Chinese
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Polish