Forza Horizon 5 is just about here! We don't expect the previous edition to reach 'end of life' until next year but who's still going to be playing Forza Horizon 4 when all the hype is about Mexico?
So, here's a look back at what we loved about the Great Britain map.
Epic Lake District roads
The Lake District in Cumbria certainly has some incredible driving in real life. There are steep ascents peppered with switchbacks and fell passes so prone to extreme weather they're closed half of the year. This stunning scenery has been faithfully recreated in game and it's been a blast to explore the Derwentwater area from the comfort of our sofas.
Of course, it's not just the roads that make for great driving in the Lake District. The rugged terrain also provides a great off-road experience and in Forza Horizon 4 we've been able to blast around the countryside in a huge range of machinery. It's a big upgrade from the much flatter and barrier-littered landscapes of Horizon games previous.
Picturesque Broadway
Broadway, the Cotswolds village, is some considerable distance from Ambleside in real life. But we can see why Playground Games had to shoehorn this location into Forza Horizon 4. The quaint scenes, immortalised in many a picture postcard, look fantastic in the Horizon world.
Its distinctive wide high street, rare for British villages of its era, make for the perfect spot to discover the top speed of your car in Forza Horizon 4. We also love the detail of the shops and pub entrances. No one is picking up a Forza Horizon game to study interior building detail through windows, but the Playground Games team have thoughtfully included just enough stuff that the world feels lived-in.
Historic Edinburgh
Princes Street in the real-world Edinburgh is largely closed to general traffic. Only trams, buses, taxis, and cyclists can use the road beyond its open eastern end. In Forza Horizon 4, though, we've been able to go flat out past the Scott Monument and the Royal Scottish Academy. The speed trap along this section is one of the trickiest in the game.
Making Edinburgh Castle itself one of the player houses in the game was a stroke of genius. Driving out of this grand residence in your hypercar never fails to feel fantastic.
We can't wait to see how Playground Games try and top this with the Mexican locations of Forza Horizon 5!