Forza Horizon 5 Horizon Retrowave Adds New Cars, EventLab Props, and Much More

The Apex Allstars series is bowing out in style, with the next series now revealed. Horizon Retrowave brings a whole new range of races to complete, EventLab Props to create with, and cars to unlock.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Horizon Retrowave series coming to Forza Horizon 5.

Forza Horizon 5 Horizon Retrowave

Horizon Retrowave celebrates the best of the 1980s. Mexico has been transformed into a neon-soaked synth world, with palm trees, rocks, and even roadways covered in neon light strips.

The main Mexican highway now features neon light grids located above you as you drive around, with all-new palm trees lining each side of the road. Drones in the sky display a neon moon effect, and even the electricity pylons are in on the action, with each one decked out fully in neon lighting.

As with every new series, Horizon Retrowave brings a range of bug fixes, optimizations, and game improvements. More details on these will be revealed when the patch notes are released.

Horizon Retrowave EventLab

20 all-new EventLab Props are coming to Horizon 5 as part of the Horizon Retrowave series. These range from neon-lined walls and fences to neon-soaked palm trees, pyramids, and cubes.

Each of these enables players to create their own 1980s race track, lining the sides with neon barriers while racers shoot past the palm trees and pyramids. You can even ramp through or over each prop for some neon-rich wreckages.

The creativity from the community is always impressive to see, with these new props guaranteed to see that trend continue with a retro theme.

Festival playlist

As you’d expect, there’s a 1980s vibe when it comes to the Horizon Retrowave reward cars. The Series Reward Cars are the 2022 Hyundai N Vision 74 (80 points) and the DeLorean DMC-12 (160 points).

Despite being modern in design, the N Vision 74 oozes the 1980s style. The hydrogen-powered machine draws inspiration from 1980s classics like KITT from Knight Rider, with its entire aesthetic based on the retro scene.

The Delorean on the other hand needs no introduction. Horizon fans will be attempting to recreate Back to the Future by taking these wheels up to 88 mph.

As usual, four weeks of playlist action make up the Horizon Retrowave series. Week 1, starting May 23, will see both the 2021 Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari 512TR as the reward cars.

Week 2 brings the 1986 BMW M6 and BMW 850CSi into the rewards, while Week 3 brings the stunning 1980 Lotus Esprit and Honda NSX-R GT.

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The final week has the Citreon BX4TC and the GMC Syclone. Overall there are some incredible cars to win, combining the best of the 1980s with some 80s-inspired modern machinery.

After the Horizon Retrowave draws to a close, the Horizon Festival will be returning to current-day racing with the Modern Horizon series. This will bring even more EventLab Props, new events, and a highly-requested car for players to unlock. This will kick off on June 20.

Other content

If that’s not enough, the Horizon Retrowave update brings a new radio station to Horizon 5. Horizon Wave is a synth wave station, bringing the neon-soaked 1980s to the present day.

The motto for this new station is ‘music to drive to’, with the synth beats mixing perfectly with the new neon environment. Your surroundings even react to the music, with every beat represented by a flashing light or neon strip above you.

There’s also the aerial Sun Smash collectible to find in Week 2’s playlist. Smashing this sun out of the sky will reward players with the Synth Horn car horn.

Completing the Photo Challenge in the first week’s playlist will reward players with the Retrowave Outfit clothing item. This race suit is a classic 1980s visual, bringing the best of the era into the modern day.

Away from the retro theme, Forza Horizon 5 is also celebrating the 15th anniversary of Minecraft. Players can pick up the Creeper Helmet and Enderman Helmet between May 23 and the end of 2024. There is plenty of time then to celebrate the blocky world’s landmark year.

Are you looking forward to the Horizon Retrowave series? Let us know in the comments below!

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