Forza Horizon 5 was hinted at for the next-generation console at Microsoft's Xbox Series X reveal at The Game Awards.

Xbox Series X pre-order: Sign up for our email newsletter and be one of the first to get pre-order alerts. I agree to the Privacy & Cookies Policy, Terms of Use, Disclaimer & Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Finder Sign me up!

It's been a big day in gaming. The Game Awards, the video game industry's version of The Academy Awards, have been handed out. But bigger than any of those announcements was the reveal of the new Xbox console.

Game reveals at the awards ceremony have become commonplace, but the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, arriving on stage to give the world its first glimpse of the next-generation Xbox console was a surprise. The Xbox Series X certainly has a unique design.

While the new console was the focus of attention, there was a subtle reveal during the announcement trailer that will also have many fans excited – a new game in the Forza series.

What do we know about Forza Horizon 5 on Xbox Series X?

If you watch the trailer above, at the 55-second mark you will come across some game footage. The trailer later pans out to show that those games are playing inside the Xbox Series X. Two of those games are the already announced Halo Infinite (which is confirmed as a launch title) and what would presumably be FIFA 21 from EA Sports.

However, these games were preceded by the sight of a powerful car (which looks a lot like a Koenigsegg Regera) tearing its way through an open landscape. It's intimated that the world is procedurally generated and that it has real-time weather effects – a feature mastered in Forza Horizon 4.

While not officially confirmed, there's plenty of evidence that this is the first footage from Forza Horizon 5 on the Xbox Series X.

Could it be Forza Motorsport 8 for XSX?

There is also a possibility the unidentified Forza game could be Forza Motorsport 8. Series creator Turn 10 Studios was known to be working on the title at the time and has even come out since the XSX reveal to say it's in playable form. The studio has spoken about having dynamic track temperatures, dynamic rubbering, new tyre heat mechanics and even dynamic atmospheric pressure.

Traditionally, however, the Forza Motorsport series differs from its Horizon counterpart by being a genuine racing title. Real tracks, real chequered flags, real pits; that kind of stuff. This is not what we saw in the Xbox Series X reveal trailer. That said, maybe Forza Motorsport 8 will be different. Turn 10 Studios did have this to say:

"In reality, new features don't really matter in the larger scheme of things. The overall product, and where we're going with it, is so vastly a different and an amazing experience."

When will Forza Horizon 5 come out?

Given that this brief tease in the video is all we got, we can only speculate on a potential release date for the next Forza game. However, given that a Forza Horizon game came out in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018, a 2020 release would be on-trend if this is indeed the title shown in the trailer.

Given that the Xbox Series X has been confirmed for a Holiday 2020 (read: November) release, Forza Horizon 5 could very well be another launch title. This would be huge. Halo and Forza side-by-side at launch would be a big win for the console and its fans.