Over the past year, Microsoft has made no secret of its plan to begin launching more and more games on the PlayStation ecosystem. Sea of Thieves was among the first, then Indiana Jones was announced, and now, Microsoft is going even further.
Forza Horizon 5 is one of Microsoft's most successful games in history, serving tens of millions of players. The flagship racing game is the gold standard for the genre, and is a multi-award winner. It's also a huge money maker for Microsoft, owing to its live service nature, on-going updates, and in-app purchases. Forza Horizon 5 first launched back on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Windows PC in November 21. The game was a roaring success, rapidly reaching over 20 million players and, like its predecessors, achieving critical acclaim.
Shared with us via sources initially, and then confirmed by Microsoft on Forza Horizon 5's website, developer Playground Games discussed its partnership with Panic Button, and a new update coming dubbed "Realms."
"The PlayStation 5 version of Forza Horizon 5, developed by Panic Button Studios in partnership with Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games, will have the same content as the Xbox and PC releases of the game. Previously released Car Packs, as well as the Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure expansions, will also be available for purchase.
We are excited to see the Forza Horizon 5 community grow with new players on PS5, and we can't wait to see the creativity and skill these new creators, builders, and racers will bring to our vibrant community.
In addition to bringing Forza Horizon 5 to PS5, we’re working on a special new free content update for all platforms, Horizon Realms. Realms will give players the chance to explore a curated collection of some of the community’s favorite previously released Evolving Worlds, alongside some other surprises. Stay tuned to our channels for more details soon."
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Only yesterday, Microsoft talked to investors about the desire to turn Xbox into a business with higher profit margins, and one way to do that is to sell games. Forza Horizon 5 has likely done all it can do on Xbox Series X|S and PC at this point, so porting it to PlayStation is a sure-fire way to guarantee additional revenue and prestige for the franchise. What is less clear is how the degraded status of "Xbox console exclusives," particularly among its most iconic games, will impact hardware sales going forward. Already, Microsoft has seen decline after decline quarter over quarter with Xbox Series X|S hardware sales, and reducing the reasons to buy a console could potentially only further exacerbate that situation.
Expect Xbox to expand more games across more platforms
Indiana Jones is coming to PS5 at some point in 2025. (Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)
While Xbox has technically been a third-party publisher to some extent since the Microsoft bought Minecraft developer Mojang in 2014, the company's third-party publishing plans have ramped up significantly in the past year. As noted, in 2024, Microsoft brought four previously console-exclusive Xbox games to PlayStation and Nintendo, including Rare's massive pirate simulator Sea of Thieves. The company also confirmed plans to bring Bethesda Softworks and Machine Games' Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PlayStation 5 in 2025, a few months after its initial launch on Xbox and PC. We've also reported via our own sources that Xbox icon itself, Halo, is gearing up for a PlayStation debut. Forza is one of the "big three" iconic Xbox franchises, including Gears of War and Halo. With Forza heading across, it should shed all doubts that Xbox truly does have no red lines over what games will eventually move away from Xbox towards PlayStation.
Looking ahead, several (but not all) of the upcoming games in the Xbox first-party roster are planned to launch across PlayStation 5, including DOOM: The Dark Ages, The Outer Worlds 2, and Ninja Gaiden 4.
Xbox fans stand to benefit from Xbox Game Pass, however, which will save them potentially hundreds of dollars over time if they plan to play any game from the Xbox first party roster. Games like Avowed (launching in February), Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, State of Decay 3, and many more as-of-yet unannounced games will also hit Xbox Game Pass day and date — which remains best on Xbox console hardware arguably.
Xbox reportedly became the world's biggest publisher as of last month, so the strategy is doubtless paying dividends for shareholders. Whether or not it keeps Xbox's digital software store viable long term remains to be seen. What is confirmed is that Forza Horizon 5 is a certified banger, and it'll most likely find a huge new audience on the massive PlayStation ecosystem.
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Bluesky @samueltolbert.bsky.social.
