Tips & Tricks for Dominating the Horizon Festival 2025
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Mexico’s varied landscapes, the Horizon Festival in Forza Horizon 5 is a colourful, expansive celebration of automotive culture. A thorough grasp of the game’s mechanics, skill, and strategy are necessary to dominate the festival, regardless of your level of experience. We’ll cover all the necessary pointers in this extensive guide to help you succeed, from winning races to optimising rewards and assembling the best possible collection of cars. Hold on tight, and let’s get started!
Sergio Ramos’ Impact
1. Master Your Driving Assists for Optimal Control
The default driving aids in Forza Horizon 5 are intended to make the experience accessible when you first hit the roads. These settings, though, can occasionally feel constrictive, making you struggle with the car’s handling. Tailor your assists to your playstyle and skill level to win the festival.
- Where to Adjust: Pause the game, navigate to the Campaign tab, select Settings, and then head to the Difficulty submenu.
- Recommended Settings:
- Steering: Switch to Manual for full control, but Simulation is a good middle ground if you’re still learning.
- Braking: Turn off ABS and set braking to Unassisted for precise control, though Assisted is fine for beginners.
- Traction/Stability Control: Disable these for high-performance cars to maximize speed and drift potential, but keep them on for off-road or low-grip scenarios.
- Driving Line: Keep the Braking Only line for guidance on corners without spoon-feeding you the entire track.
- Pro Tip: Adjusting assists not only improves handling but also boosts your Credit (CR) payouts. For example, turning off certain assists with Average Drivatar difficulty can net you a 25% CR bonus, giving you more funds to expand your garage.
Experiment with these settings during early races to find what feels right. The goal is to strike a balance between challenge and control, allowing you to push your cars to their limits.
2. Prioritize the Horizon Adventure Campaign
The Horizon Adventure campaign is your main progression path in Forza Horizon 5. It introduces narrative elements and unlocks new activities, making it essential for expanding the festival and accessing diverse race types.
- How It Works: Earn Accolade Points by completing races, PR Stunts, Horizon Stories, and other activities. These points unlock new chapters, which open up event series like street racing, cross-country, or dirt rallies.
- Focus on Variety: Accolade Points are earned from almost any activity, but winning races yields the most. Check your progress on the map’s top-right corner or the Accolades page to see available challenges.
- Early Strategy: Start with the opening missions for each festival site (e.g., Horizon Street Scene, Horizon Apex) to unlock new race types. This expands your options and helps you earn points faster.
Don’t rush through the campaign exclusively—mix in side activities like smashing XP boards or completing PR Stunts to keep your progression balanced and fun.
3. Build a Versatile Car Collection
Your garage is your greatest asset in Forza Horizon 5. With a wide variety of race types and online events, having a diverse car collection is key to staying competitive.
- Class-Specific Cars: Online races often restrict vehicles to specific classes (e.g., A, S1, B). Maintain at least one fully upgraded car per class, ideally tuned to the maximum rating for that class (e.g., A800, S1900). For example, the Hoonigan Ford “Hoonicorn” Mustang is a versatile A-class beast for both road and drift events.
- Car Types: Keep a mix of car types, such as rally cars for dirt races, off-road vehicles for cross-country, and hypercars for high-speed road events. The Jeep Trailcat is excellent for off-road, while the Bugatti Chiron shines in speed-focused races.
How to Acquire Cars:
- Autoshow: Purchase cars directly with CR.
- Wheelspins/Super Wheelspins: Earn these through leveling up, Car Mastery trees, or Festival Playlist rewards.
- Accolades: Unlock exclusive cars like the Lamborghini Revuelto by completing specific challenges.
- Auction House: Bid on rare cars or sell duplicates to fund your collection.
Pro Tip: Don’t sleep on “unconventional” cars like the Reliant Supervan. With the right upgrades, it can become a drag race monster, surprising opponents in online lobbies.
4. Tune Your Cars Like a Pro
Tuning is where good drivers become great. A well-tuned car can outperform a stock vehicle, even within the same class, giving you a competitive edge.
- Manual Tuning: Adjust tire pressure, gearing, suspension, and differential to optimize for specific race types (e.g., grippy tires for road, softer suspension for off-road). If you’re new to tuning, focus on upgrading engine power and handling first.
- Community Tunes: Download pre-made tune setups from the Forza community. From the start menu, go to Cars > Tune Car > Setup Manager > Load Setup. Search for tunes tailored to your car and event type (e.g., “drift tune” or “A-class rally”). For example, the Nissan Fairlady Z can be tuned for drifting with setups like “Easy Forzathon” by Ugrundy.
- Class Awareness: Be cautious when upgrading—pushing a car into a higher class (e.g., B to A) makes it ineligible for lower-class events. Always check event requirements before committing to upgrades.
Regularly test your tunes in solo races or Horizon Open to ensure they suit your driving style. A tune that works for one player may not feel right for you.
5. Dominate the Festival Playlist for Exclusive Rewards
The Festival Playlist is your ticket to rare cars, cosmetics, and other rewards. This monthly rotating set of challenges is a must for any serious Horizon Festival contender.
- Weekly Forzathon Challenges: Complete four chapters (e.g., owning and driving a specific car like the Nissan 370Z). Each chapter unlocks the next, culminating in 80 Forzathon Points (FP) and 5 Playlist points.
- Daily Challenges: Seven challenges unlock daily at 14:30 UTC. Each grants 1 Playlist point and FP. Examples include smashing coffee cups or earning air skills.
- Seasonal Events: Includes PR Stunts, Seasonal Championships, and Horizon Arcade. Completing these earns significant points and rewards like the RAESR TS ’19 or Toyota Trueno.
- Forzathon Shop: Spend FP on cars, horns, and cosmetics. Prioritize exclusive vehicles that are hard to obtain elsewhere.
- Pro Tip: Focus on high-point events like The Trial (co-op championship) and Seasonal Championships early in the season, as they offer big rewards. Check the Playlist regularly to avoid missing limited-time objectives.
6. Level Up Fast with Online Play
While offline races are great for practice, online play is the fastest way to level up and earn XP, CR, and Accolade Points.
- Horizon Open: Join matchmade races or championships against other players. These offer higher XP than offline races—up to 30,000 XP in an Eliminator event compared to 15,000 XP for two offline races.
- The Eliminator: This battle royale mode pits you against other players in a shrinking map. Survive and upgrade your car by finding drops to earn massive XP and Playlist progress.
- Horizon Arcade: Team up with nearby players for co-op mini-games like smashing piñatas or drifting. These are low-pressure ways to rack up points and have fun.
- Pro Tip: In Eliminator, predict the final race’s direction (e.g., south) and position yourself at the opposite edge of the arena (north). Time your sprint to gain a head start when the walls drop.
Online play not only boosts your rewards but also hones your skills against real opponents, preparing you for competitive events.
7. Smash Boards and Unlock Perks
Scattered across Mexico are XP boards, Fast Travel boards, and collectibles that offer immediate rewards and long-term benefits.
- XP Boards: Grant 1,000–10,000 XP, accelerating your leveling. Prioritize these early to unlock Wheelspins and Car Mastery points.
- Fast Travel Boards: Reduce the cost of fast travel. Smashing all 50 allows free fast travel to any road, saving time. The Buenas Vistas house (west coast) also unlocks this perk, making it a priority purchase.
- Player Houses: Each house offers unique perks, like double Forzathon Points (La Casa Solariega) or daily Wheelspins (Hotel Castillo). Save up for these to enhance your festival experience.
Use the map filter to locate boards and plan efficient routes. Many PR Stunt ramps (unlocked via Horizon Rush) make hard-to-reach boards accessible.
8. Master PR Stunts and Drift Zones
PR Stunts (Speed Traps, Speed Zones, Drift Zones, Danger Signs, Trailblazers) are quick challenges that test your driving precision and reward Accolade Points, XP, and Playlist progress.
- Speed Traps/Zones: Use high-speed cars like the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (aim for 258 mph on Speed Traps). Follow the racing line and avoid collisions for clean runs.
- Drift Zones: Equip a drift-tuned car (e.g., BAC Mono with a drift setup) and maintain long, smooth slides. Turn off Stability Control to maximize points.
- Danger Signs: Choose lightweight, high-power cars for maximum air distance. The Mercedes-Benz #24 TANKPOOL24 Racing Truck excels at Ambleside Edge.
- Trailblazers: Off-road vehicles with good handling (e.g., Jeep Trailcat) are ideal. Cut corners through open terrain to shave seconds off your time.
Aim for three stars on each stunt to unlock achievements and bonus rewards. Download community tunes for festival specific stunts to simplify the process.
9. Customize Your Experience
Forza Horizon 5 offers extensive customization options to tailor the game to your preferences, enhancing both enjoyment and performance.
- Advanced Controls: Adjust deadzones for thumbsticks and triggers to fine-tune acceleration and steering sensitivity. Set damage to Cosmetic for stress-free races or Simulation for a realistic challenge.
- Car Customization: Use the Designs & Paints menu to create unique liveries. HSB sliders let you pick custom colors, and Special finishes (matte, flake) add flair. Revert to factory colors anytime via the paint menu.
- Map Filters: Declutter your map by filtering for specific race types or uncompleted activities. This is crucial festival once you’ve unlocked all expeditions and the map becomes crowded.
Personalizing your controls and visuals keeps you immersed and focused, helping you perform at your best.
10. Have Fun and Experiment
The Horizon Festival is about freedom and fun. While dominating the leaderboard is satisfying, don’t forget to festival enjoy the journey.
- Try Everything: Experiment with new race types, like cross-country or EventLab custom courses. Mess around with ridiculous tunes (e.g., a 200 mph Reliant Supervan) or take on Horizon Arcade mini-games.
- Explore Mexico: The open world is packed with hidden gems, from Barn Finds to scenic routes. Take time to cruise and soak in the vibrant landscapes.
- Join the Community: Share your tunes, liveries, and EventLab creations on the Forza Forums or Reddit. festival Engage with other players for tips and inspiration.
The festival is sleepless, and the opportunities are endless. Do what you love, whether it’s drifting through Guanajuato or chasing three-star stunts.
Final Thoughts
It takes a combination of skill, strategy, and creativity to dominate the Horizon Festival in Forza Horizon 5. You can advance through the ranks and earn rewards by perfecting your assists, creating a flexible garage, and working through the Festival Playlist. You will quickly become a Horizon legend if you follow these suggestions, are open to trying new things, and enjoy yourself. So start your car, go for a drive, and leave your mark on the festival. Mexico is ready!
