The Forza series of racing games has collaborated with the Hot Wheels brand multiple times in the past. Now, it plans to do so again with the upcoming Hot Wheels expansion for the critically acclaimed Forza Horizon 5. Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios revealed this new expansion during today’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, although a recent Steam page update did spoil this announcement beforehand. Whoops.
The reveal trailer for this new expansion shows off various cars racing on enormous Hot Wheels–esque toy tracks that wind all throughout Forza Horizon 5’s realistic locales. Players who wanted a wacky twist to the standard Forza Horizon gameplay loop will certainly get one here, as the tracks on display feature plenty of loops, corkscrews, and other interesting gimmicks. The trailer uses a rock cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz as the background music, an interesting choice to say the least.
This seems a bit familiar
Longtime fans of the Forza Horizon series will no doubt remember that the Hot Wheels expansion for Forza Horizon 3 featured plastic tracks almost exactly like the ones shown here. Developer Playground Games delisted the expansion back in 2020, so fans likely won’t mind that this new Hot Wheels expansion doesm’t seem to differ too much from the previous one, at least on a surface level.
Ultimately, though, the Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels will have a major advantage over 3’s expansion in that it will allow players to create and share their very own tracks through EventLab. The simple, yet dynamic designs of the Hot Wheels tracks make them an ideal fit for user creation, so it’s fortunate that Playground Games has finally chosen to capitalize on this potential. Players will not have to wait long to take advantage of this new feature, as Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels releases July 19 via Steam and PC Game Pass.
