When it was announced that May’s Forza Monthly show was going to be an extended edition previewing Forza Horizon 5 Series 8, our expectations were high. Considering that Forza Horizon 5 has been out for over six months now, it was the perfect time to reveal the first expansion.
Previewing Series 8, the May Forza Monthly Show was underwhelming, to say the least. Some Series 8 reward and Car Pass cars showcased in the stream like the BMW M8 Competition and Audi RS4 Avant are new to Forza.
But the Series 7 Festival Playlist already revealed Series 8’s reward and Car Pass cars early.
You’d be forgiven, then, for thinking that Playground Games was saving a major reveal for May’s Forza Monthly. Sadly, there were no show-stopping surprises. So when are the Forza Horizon 5 expansions coming?
When are the Forza Horizon 5 expansions coming?
Like FH4, FH5 is getting two expansions. Both expansions are included with the Premium Edition at no extra cost, or you can buy them as a bundle.
While Playground Games is doing a great job supporting FH5 with new challenges, rewards and cars every month, an expansion will reinvigorate FH5 - especially as player numbers have fallen rapidly over the last few months.
There’s no release date for the first Forza Horizon 5 expansion yet, but looking back at FH4’s expansions may provide some clues.
FH4's first expansion, Fortune Island, was announced in November 2018 and released on 13 December the same year, less than three months after the game’s release.
Considering FH5 has been out for six months, the first expansion is long overdue. If Playground Games followed the same release schedule as FH4, the first FH5 expansion would have been released around February this year. Six months after release, the fact that Expansion One still hasn't been announced is perplexing.
Fortune Island was followed by the Lego Speed Champions DLC expansion released on 13 June 2019. By then, FH4 was nine months old. FH5 is over six months old, but Playground Games is remaining silent about the two planned expansions.
FH5 Series 9 starts on 23 June. If the next Forza Monthly previewing Series 9 is around four weeks away, we expect it to air on the week of 6 June. Forza Monthly shows typically air on Thursdays, meaning the June show will likely start on Thursday 9 June.
This happens to be the same week as the Xbox Games Showcase replacing E3 2022 on 12 June, where we’re expecting to see the full reveal of Forza Motorsport. With all this in mind, we think there’s a strong chance the first FH5 expansion will be teased in the next Forza Monthly before a full reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase.
Fortune Island was released around a month after the reveal, while Lego Speed Champions released just a few days after the reveal at E3 2019. If FH5 follows a similar release schedule, the FH5 Expansion One will likely release in June or July, followed by Expansion Two later in the year.
Where will the Forza Horizon 5 Expansions be set?
According to the Forza Horizon 5 Expansions Bundle listing Xbox Store listing, each expansion will “introduce a new location, vehicles and gameplay.”
FH4’s Fortune Island expanded the map with a new treacherous island introducing extreme terrain, stormy weather, and a new campaign with Treasure Hunts and Trailblazer PR Stunts.
Fortune Island also added ten new vehicles including the 2019 Lamborghini Urus, 2017 Ram Rebel TRX Concept, and 2018 BMW M5.
The Lego Speed Champions expansion, on the other hand, introduced Lego Valley, a new explorable environment made of Lego bricks. Also included in the expansion were five Lego Speed Champions cars including McLaren Senna, Ferrari F40 Competizione, and 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally, as well as Lego Brick Challenges and hidden Bonus Cubes to collect.
It isn't known where the FH5 expansions will be set, but we expect the first expansion will add a new region to the Mexico map with new types of terrain and challenges, plus a raft of new vehicles to explore it with.
Playground Games has partnered with Hot Wheels and Lego in the previous FH3 and FH4 expansions, so we won’t be surprised if FH5 Expansion Two features another crossover with an established franchise.
Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious was released as a standalone game in 2015, so another Fast & Furious collaboration for FH5 is a possibility ahead of Fast X’s release next year.
We would also love to see an expansion pack with a stunt track and famous cars from movies and TV like the Batmobile and Back to the Future’s DeLorean, as seen in Hot Wheels Unleashed.
Hopefully, we’ll find out more about Playground Games’ FH5 expansion plans next month.