The first expansion of Forza Horizon 5 took longer to arrive than previous games’ first, with Hot Wheels being a summer release rather than a winter one. The second is set to be announced tomorrow, with nothing being known about it. It’s release date will likely land a maximum of a month away from this announcement. Expansions since Forza Horizon 3 have seen a pattern of original followed by licenced, but we’ve already seen a licenced expansion in Hot Wheels. So, what does that mean for the second?

For one, I sincerely hope we’re not getting another licenced property. Since Hot Wheels has made a return, I wouldn’t want to see LEGO also make a return. Bring the vehicles in an update, sure. But I’d rather not see a second LEGO location until something more original has arrived first. What I’m seeing is an original location larger than we’ve seen before from an expansion. One that features multiple biomes rather than a singular fixed one.

After all, the Hot Wheels expansion of Forza Horizon 3 took place on sunny islands while Horizon 5’s featured forest, desert, and ice biomes. Separated onto their own islands, but still multiple ones. And while you could drive around them instead of being restricted to the track, there was no escaping the fact they were built as set pieces first. So why not make a more natural world with those three biomes for the second expansion?

It’s unlikely you’ll be getting snow in the same area as a desert, except on rare occasions. Or in a video game world with a Christmas event running. So to make it work, the desert area needs to be far from the snowy one. There also needs to be a few towns to drive through, since an entirely nature-based world wouldn’t be able to host the Horizon Festival, would it? And that leads me nicely to the progression that I’d like to see with this second expansion.

Forza Horizon 5’s progression is based on expeditions. Or at least, that’s what the marketing would have had you believe. Okay, that’s maybe a bit harsh of me, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. Each discipline has an expedition that you need to take on to open the festival for it. But then, with that expedition done, almost everything that festival location grants you are ready to do. This is something I’ve lamented about the series. Each successive game has reduced the time needed to open all events up.

The best progression of the series for me has been Forza Horizon 3. It was the perfect blend of length and freedom. Based on fans, you start at the first festival location, completing events to increase the number of fans you have. The more fans you have, the more that opens, whether that be new festival locations or upgrading those you have. Implementing this into the other progression systems of Forza Horizon 5 would be a good way of bringing the balance between length and freedom back.

The accolades system gives you fame for completing various things, not just events, but specific tasks. Completing events with certain vehicles or classes of vehicles being the major ones. Fame and fans are pretty similar in how they’re handled, with the completion of events making numbers go up to a specific amount to unlock a new thing. But to add a new festival site or upgrade it, an expedition must take place.

Expeditions are spectacles in the same way as showcases, but without the focus on racing. With expeditions for this expansion, there’s an opportunity to go crazy while still having the core focus be on exploration. It would also be nice to see some world-building through these expeditions, much like the base game has done for Mexico. Whether the world of this expansion is completely original or recreating another real-world location, learning about the place you drive through is always a delight.

Now, it’s not going to be long at all before we find out what this second expansion will be. On 23/February at 17:00 GMT, the Forza channels will be live to show it off. I will certainly be sharing my thoughts after the showcase is over.

Images Taken From:
Forza Horizon 5 | Original Screenshots