April 25 marks the early access debut ofForza Horizon 5on PS5, bringing Microsoft’s staple racing series for the first time on PlayStation, but it doesn’t come without caveats. It’s a huge deal for such amarquee Xbox franchise to arrive on PlayStation, and both fans of the franchise and PlayStation owners who haven’t yet been able to experience it can gain from the expanded player base.Forza Horizon 5is not only one of the best Xbox games ever made butone of the greatest racing games of all time, up there withMario Kart 8
However, there are issues with the PS5 release ofForza Horizon 5. TheMicrosoft account requirementis one concern, but it’s not the biggest problem. Despite the game releasing in several editions (of which only the Premium Edition grants the April 25 early access),Forza Horizon 5doesn’t have any physical release on PS5.
Forza Horizon 5 Is A Digital-Only PS5 Game
A Baffling Decision
Xbox already has a bad track record regarding its support for physical media, as highlighted byIndiana Jones and The Great Circle’s physical releasenot having the full game on the disc on PS5. However,Xbox has reached a new low barwith one of its biggest gaming franchises. DespiteForzabeing a huge franchise andHorizon 5winning multiple GOTY awards, there’s no physical release for this landmark debut on PlayStation 5.
Indiana Jonesreceived a physical disc copy that required a download, so there’s no reason thatForza Horizon 5couldn’t take the same approach.
For such a major and shocking debut—aForzagame on PlayStation—the lack of a physical release is incredibly odd. If titles likeHalo: The Master Chief Collectioneventually arrive on PS5, I’m now worried that they’ll also lack physical releases. Sure,Forza Horizon 5is over 100 GB, which is the maximum capacity for an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc, butI think the market is there for a physical release, given that the game is such a high-profile, critically acclaimed Xbox title.
At the very least,Indiana Jonesreceived a physical disc copy that required a download, so there’s no reason thatForza Horizon 5couldn’t take the same approach.Even the Xbox version received a physical release, albeit one with the same download requirement issue. This situation is even worse for a franchise likeForzadue to licensing issues.
Forza Games Tend To Get Delisted Over Time
These Games Don’t Last Forever
Forzanewcomers jumping intoForza Horizon 5on PlayStation might not realize thatForzagames always get delisted years down the road. These games have real-life licensed cars, music, and more, and those licenses don’t last forever. Last year,Forza Horizon 4was delistedfrom digital marketplaces. These delistings can be frustrating, and Xboxgave free copies to certain players who bought DLC but only played through Game Pass. Nonetheless, it seems likely that the same could eventually happen toForza Horizon 5.
The same thing will inevitably happen toForza Horizon 5, and with the game originally releasing in 2021, it’ll happen soon, like a couple of years. If a person didn’t buy a digital copy of previousForzagames, only physical copies could be purchased after delistings, showing why physical media is important. This isn’t a situation like Ubisoft’sThe Crew, asone can still enjoy single-player in these old titles today.
Having the full game on the disc is important, but in situations like these, where the games are taken off digital storefronts, these download-required discs aremany people’s only option to play these classics. The PlayStation 5 port ofForza Horizon 5, specifically the PS5 Pro version, is undoubtedly the best version of the game, and it’ll be inaccessible to many in just a handful of years if there’s no physical version.
This Decision Hurts Everyone
Not only is the lack of a physical release forForza Horizon 5bad from a preservation standpoint and for the consumer long-term, but it seems like the wrong choice for Microsoft’s bottom line. Xbox may not have expectedForza Horizon 5to be a huge PS5 release, but it’s surreal for many to seeForzaon PlayStation, which has been a staple Xbox franchise for decades. It was even a running tradition atE3 back in the day to have aForzacar on stage every year for Xbox’s presentation.
People would have bought a physical release forForza Horizon 5just for the novelty of having this marquee Xbox game in an actual PS5 case. Even if it wasa disc that required a download, that’s still useful when the game gets delisted. Looking at the physical prices for other delisted games likeSamurai Jack: Battle Through Timehighlights just how crucial physical copies become, and I’m certainly glad I got that one when it was still cheap.
WithForza Horizon 5not seeing a physical release, I wonder if other rumored Xbox exclusives will get the same treatment. If Xbox releases games likeHaloon PS5 anywhere down the line, ignoring the benefits of physical releases and the sales they could generate would be hard to justify.
