Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Sep 25, 2018
    97
    Forza Horizon 4 is one of the most polished driving games ever made. The feeling, the amount of content, the spectacular open world and the unbelievable visuals are some pieces of this puzzle that match perfectly to form, all together, a true masterpiece that is perfect in almost every single aspect.
  2. Oct 8, 2018
    95
    Forza Horizon 4 delivers a visually stunning racing experience, packed with plenty of cars and races, a huge open world map with real landscapes and for dynamic seasons that change the way you drive.
  3. Oct 1, 2018
    95
    Forza Horizon 4 is nothing short of fantastic. With a host of content, backed by a fantastic roster of cars that tread the fine line between arcade and simulation perfectly. While the amalgamated UK may be a little too pristine, not completely reflecting reality, it's such a stunning and enjoyable place to race around that any issues are washed away in the utter fun you're having. Forza Horizon 4 is, without a shadow of a doubt, the pinnacle of the series and arguably the best racing game you can buy.
  4. Sep 26, 2018
    92
    Sure, the gameplay comes from the predecessor, so Forza Horizon 4 is very similar to it, but the basic principle still works great.
  5. CD-Action
    Feb 13, 2019
    90
    After a bit too conservative Forza Horizon 3, which was just an improved second Horizon, the latest game in the series easily exceeded my expectations. Its world is enormous and full of various activities (including seasonal events), the driving model is exceptional both on and off road, there are over 450 varied cars and the PC version is spectacular. All that makes Forza Horizon 4 the best open world racing game I have ever played. [12/2018, p.66]
  6. Oct 15, 2018
    90
    Even just as a racing game in general, it’s an absolute joy to play. No other racer comes close in terms of this level of polish – from the driving model to the freedom of customization, detailed open-world, and all-around gorgeous presentation. I fully agree with the final part of the game’s opening dialogue: Don’t go anywhere, Horizon is here to stay. At ease, ladies and gentlemen. The king has returned to his kingdom.
  7. Oct 8, 2018
    90
    Forza Horizon 4 is a tremendous achievement and will most likely displace Gran Turismo Sport as my racing game of choice. Yes, even without a racing wheel. With hundreds of cars and dozens of race tracks and more to come, I won’t run out of stuff to do any time soon. See you in Scotland.
  8. Oct 8, 2018
    90
    This doesn't come easily, but Forza Horizon 4 is quite possibly one of, if not the, greatest racing game in existence. It's beautiful, it's varied, it's practically endless. it's Playground at the top of its game.
  9. Sep 27, 2018
    90
    Against other racing games, Forza Horizon 4 stands alone as the best representation of what arcade fun is all about, evoking the spirit of OutRun, Need for Speed, and Burnout: Paradise. It is a love letter to car enthusiasts that doesn’t shun outsiders and casual players.
  10. Sep 25, 2018
    90
    Quotation forthcoming.
  11. Sep 25, 2018
    90
    Currently Forza Horizon 4 is the best and the most beautiful arcade racing game on PC.
  12. Sep 25, 2018
    90
    Forza Horizon 4 is beautiful and exhilarating, with seamless multiplayer, compelling progression, and more cars than you know what to do with.
  13. Sep 25, 2018
    90
    Playground Games continues to excel at making the act of virtual driving exciting, approachable, and entertaining without sacrificing complexity.
  14. It incorporates elements of arcade driving, simulation racing, storytelling, exploration, discovery, collection and even role-playing in ways that few other racing franchises have even tried and none can match. If there's space for just one racing game on your shelf, Forza Horizon 4 is probably the one it ought to be.
  15. Oct 4, 2018
    89
    Although the UWP requirement is possibly a dealbreaker, Forza Horizon 4 is a must-have for every "virtual" driver out there, created by people who are really in love with cars.
  16. Sep 25, 2018
    89
    Unless you're looking for a hardcore sim, Forza Horizon is still the best racing series around.
  17. Oct 18, 2018
    88
    Playground Games newest addition to the open world racing genre is everything you can expect from a game that belongs to the Forza family. It’s easy to learn due its granular design, yet it provides deep tuning tools for the connoisseur. Despite its numerous and solid online systems that feeds its communities, the series feels like it has forgotten its competitive roots. Despite this, Forza Horizon 4 invites you to take part in its copious amenities and, in the end, the experience feels like your own, as long as you do not demand too much from the multiplayer.
  18. Oct 11, 2018
    85
    Forza Horizon 4 introduces pretty much zero revolutionary changes and the veterans won't find anything genuinely new here. At the same time, though, it has so many perfectly realized features that the competition (The Crew & Need for Speed) are left far behind in the dust.
  19. Sep 29, 2018
    80
    Forza Horizon 4 isn't going to be a huge surprise to anyone who played a previous entry, but in a world where the other big open-world games have ranged from mildly to extremely disappointing, it's great to have another solid entry in the genre to tear through.
  20. Sep 25, 2018
    80
    With a beautiful Blighty and an innovative season-based online endgame, Horizon 4 is a wonderfully polished, thoroughly modern racer. Sadly, it doesn’t feel quite as progressive or impactful as its Aussie predecessor, and there’s a sense the sandbox series is ever so slightly coasting on its laurels.
  21. 70
    With the implementation of seasons and a new location, this installment in the series make for a wonderful, fulfilling racing experience, although it has a few minor bugs that need fixing.
  22. Oct 11, 2018
    70
    A AAA game produced in 2018 with the backing of Microsoft simply should be far more technically sound than Forza Horizon 4 in its current state. And this perhaps is the greatest travesty for this otherwise brilliant game.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.
  1. Sep 25, 2018
    Such creative timidity is a minor blot on what is otherwise a very fine racing game. It’s sharper than previous games, more openly designed, bigger and more fun. One of Forza Horizon 4’s strengths is that it tends toward freedom, letting us do just what we want, and liberating us from races and activities that we don’t fancy. Most of all, this is a fun, even joyful experience, a thrilling racing fantasy.
  2. Forza Horizon 4 is quickly turning into one of my favorite racing games. For me, it’s up there with iRacing, but for totally different reasons.
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 964 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Jan 23, 2021
    9
    Graphics - 10/10
    Story - 5/10
    Game's length - 9/10 Gameplay - 9/10 Variety of cars - 9.5/10 General world design - 8.5/10 Fun factor -
    Graphics - 10/10
    Story - 5/10
    Game's length - 9/10
    Gameplay - 9/10
    Variety of cars - 9.5/10
    General world design - 8.5/10
    Fun factor - 9.5/10
    Main/Pause menu music - 9/10
    Sound/Music - 9/10
    How many times i have finished it - 1
    Where does it stand in my top "1000 video games of all time" list - 30
    Full Review »
  2. Nov 29, 2018
    1
    It's a huge disappointment, as it often happens to every widely hyped game, and you know how it ends.. devs get lazy, publishers get greedy.It's a huge disappointment, as it often happens to every widely hyped game, and you know how it ends.. devs get lazy, publishers get greedy. In short, it's a step back from Horizon 3. Gone is any kind of progression and gone are the championships. It's a very nice map filled with nothing (yes, there are many races, but they are all disconnected from each other and there is no sense of purpose, except the grind for money to buy more cars).

    All rewards come in form of wheelspins, which are a bad and lazy way to design games, as it turns gaming into gambling, and lures players into addiction. You seriously end playing just for the very pitiful adrenaline rush of a wheelspin that will most likely end with winning a pair of strawberry shorts for your cringy character.

    All multiplayer is badly designed as well, and broken due to the fact that it rewards ramming to eliminate players of the other team. So it's not about who's better at racing.

    All the cars are just the same and same and same list of cars that have been for years in the the Forza franchise car list. They even dare selling a "spider" version of the same car (McLaren 650) to the Car Pass owners, and they even release it with the top on. That's literally the same car that was already in the base game, and they sold it to you again for a premium price.

    All the seasonal events are limited to three championships that every week are the same. Off Road Buggies, Off Road Buggies, Off Road Buggies. Devs, care to be a bit creative, maybe? Only the first four weeks the seasonal rotation content was fun and felt there was some effort, but it soon ended. And the Forza Live is a joke, it's just a grind of speed traps/zones, drift zones and danger signs. Boring as.. you got it. After the first month of excitement (you try the cars, the seasons, the "stories", the events etc) it really wears down to a purposeless and uninspired grind.

    All this before even mentioning that because this is on Microsoft Store, it's automatically a nightmare for updates, game corruption, forced reinstalls, etc etc. Really, just avoid playing any games on the MS Store as the plague - unless you're a real masochist.
    Full Review »
  3. Jan 21, 2021
    1
    The game looks pretty and that's it. The online experience is ass. The cringy character that is dubbing like a whore or otherwise kidsThe game looks pretty and that's it. The online experience is ass. The cringy character that is dubbing like a whore or otherwise kids wouldn't buy so you are forced to watch it on every god damn loading screen which is like 50% of this game. Bots are ass like always and seem like they just ignore weather mechanic and by god don't you dare touch them or them are going to hit the wall and ride into it till the end of the match. **** loot boxes go spin the wheel of fortune and get other shorts so you can dance macarena with style!-no. If I would want to play a game with various character customization I would choose sims or something. Full Review »