The races start at the current location, and finish at a randomly generated way-point, usually more than 500 metres away from the player and their opponent.

In addition to races, the map is scattered with barn find cars, rare classical vehicles that can be restored and added to the players garage for later use.

When free-roaming, the player may encounter discount signs which, when smashed, give a price reduction on all upgrades from that point forwards.

[12] Playground Games originally pitched a reboot of the "long-dormant, much-loved" Project Gotham Racing before it was reworked into Forza Horizon.

After initial research, creative director Ralph Fulton stated that there was "one clear winner", Colorado, USA.

These vehicles include the Lamborghini Aventador J, Gumpert Apollo Enraged, Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Halo Edition and the 1993 McLaren F1.

[28] In June 2023, Turn 10 Studios announced that the online servers for Forza Horizon and Forza Horizon 2 would be closed on 22 August that year, citing low contemporary player counts, rendering online multiplayer unplayable and preventing user-generated content from being shared or downloaded.

[29] The game's soundtrack contains several dubstep tracks, with a demonstration showing a variation of Avicii's "Levels" remixed by American music producer Skrillex.

Not just overseeing the music soundtrack, but also the design of the festival within the game, how the radio stations work in the car, and loads of other bits — including how you never put toilets near the food areas.[...

Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Forza Horizon for "Racing Game of the Year".

[50] Eurogamer deputy editor Oli Welsh called Horizon "a big, exciting game that finally brings car enthusiasts together with the realistic open roads they crave.

"[35] Welsh noted that the control scheme and realistic handling allows players to enjoy driving even the slowest of cars.

[35] GamesRadar's Sterling McGarvey felt that sometimes the cars lacked precise handling, but gave high marks for the game's environment and vast amount of activities to do.

"[46] The Globe and Mail also gave it a score of eight out of ten, calling it "a refreshing take on the racing genre that successfully straddles the line between serious car porn simulation and arcade-like bang 'em up games (including its voracious hunger for your "quarters").

"[53] Digital Spy similarly gave it four stars out of five, saying, "It will be interesting to see how Forza Horizon fares against Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Criterion's new open world racer that is out next month.

But in the absence of that review, it is clear that Playground Games has seriously raised the bar in all areas for the non-linear racing genre with Forza Horizon, and others will now have to play catchup.

"[47] The Guardian likewise gave it four stars out of five, praising its "RPG-like popularity engine" that encourages players to perform stunts and make riskier decisions rather than to simply follow racing lines.

[55] One reviewer said, "The way you participate in events and run races on public roads serves well as a new direction for the series.

"[55] Another reviewer stated, "This used to be a really stoic racing simulator, but this is more of a driving game designed to be easy to pick up.