ICYMI: This week in racing games – 31 March 2023

Welcome to Rear View Mirror, your weekly racing game news roundup. Shift into reverse and catch up on the biggest racing game news stories that hit the headlines this week.

It’s been a busy week in the world of racing games. This week saw the release of Forza Horizon 5’s long-awaited second expansion, a substantial Gran Turismo 7 update, and the belated announcement of MotoGP 23.

Our latest weekly roundup will get you up to speed on all of this week’s racing game news.

Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure released

This week saw the release of Forza Horizon 5’s second expansion, Rally Adventure. As the name suggests, the expansion focuses on rally driving.

Rally Adventure introduces a new map called Sierra Nueva filled with diverse biomes and some of the best driving roads in Forza Horizon 5 yet, from twisty canyon roads to tight and technical rally stages.

It also includes ten new vehicles, with the standout being Colin McRae’s formidable 2001 Ford Focus RS.

But is Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure worth buying? We’ve played it to bring you our hands-on impressions

Gran Turismo 7 update 1.31 brings new cars and physics changes

The final week of the month usually brings with it a monthly Gran Turismo 7 update, and this week was no exception.

Gran Turismo 7 update 1.31 adds five new cars to the roster including the Porsche 959, Porsche’s answer to the Ferrari F40, plus two new Nurburgring layouts.

That’s not all, as the update also make some notable changes to the suspension physics and even adds 120hz support for a smoother experience for TVs that support it.

MotoGP 23 announced

With the 2023 MotoGP season underway, we were starting to wonder when Milestone was going to announce this year’s annual MotoGP game. MotoGP games are normally released in April, but Milestone has kept stubbornly silent – until now.

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MotoGP 23 was announced this week. Its headline feature is the new career mode, which incorporates a fictional social media where you interact with rivals and a new progression system allowing you to skip the entry-level classes faster. Dynamic weather also debuts, as does cross-play multiplayer.

In other racing game news…

It’s fair to say some of Forza Horizon 5’s have been lacklustre with recycled cars and uninspired challenges. Coinciding with Rally Adventure, the new Midnights at Horizon Series started this week, and it’s easily one of the best updates yet.

Midnights at Horizon brings four new-to-Forza cars including the blisteringly-quick Rimac Nevera electric supercar plus new customisation options and more.

There could be an exciting new racing game IP on the horizon. Playground Games co-founder Gavin Raeburn has set up a new AAA game studio called Lighthouse Games and is working on a new "genre-defining franchise."

In case you missed it…

Ahead of its release in May, we were recently invited to Nacon Milan’s Raceward Studios for a hands-on preview of Isle of Man TT – Ride on the Edge 3.

We came away surprised and impressed with its new Open Roads mode that allows you to freely ride around the Isle of Man Isle. You can find out our impressions in our Isle of Man TT - Ride on the Edge 3 preview and interview with Raceward.

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