The Forza Motorsport franchise includes a series of critically acclaimed simulation racing games, helmed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. With the last game, Forza Motorsport 7, starting to show its age (and no longer available on digital storefronts), all eyes are turned toward what’s next for the series. What would a Forza Motorsport 8 deliver to players?
In reality, Turn 10 Studios is dropping the numeric moniker and building a new experience from the ground up with the rebooted Forza Motorsport (2023). This upcoming title will be powered by an overhauled ForzaTech game engine designed to take advantage of the current-gen technologies contained within Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. The next Forza Motorsport game could be a true technical and visual showcase for Xbox, and it’s coming next year.
Here’s everything we know about the eighth Forza Motorsport game, including gameplay details, trailers, release date information, and more.
What is Forza Motorsport?
Forza Motorsport is a franchise of simulation racing games that began with Forza Motorsport (2005) on the original Xbox. Developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios, Forza Motorsport is commonly compared to PlayStation’s Gran Turismo simulation racing franchise, and is known for incredible visuals, varied car rosters, and robust online racing. Each Forza title has been counted among the best Xbox racing games, with Forza Motorsport appealing to fans of realism and simulation.
The last Forza Motorsport title was Forza Motorsport 7, released in 2017, which garnered nearly flawless critical acclaim and consumer praise. The game enjoyed regular injections of fresh content and a consistently expanding community, until FM7 was shelved from digital storefronts in September 2021 due to its various licenses and agreements expiring four years after release.
Now, Turn 10 Studios is developing the next title in the franchise, simply known as Forza Motorsport, which is a reboot of the series built from the ground up for current-gen consoles and PC. The ForzaTech engine that powered previous Forza titles, like Forza Horizon 5, has been completely overhauled for Forza Motorsport (2023) and the upcoming Fable reboot being developed by Playground Games.
Similar to the previous entries in the series, Forza Motorsport (2023) will be a simulation racing game that aims to deliver impeccable realism to players regardless of where or how they play, with intricate physics and handling, cars and tracks taken straight from the real world, and countless overlapping systems and gameplay mechanics that contribute to the overall experience. As a reboot, Forza Motorsport (2023) represents a huge leap forward for the franchise, and more details are revealed all the time. Launching on PC day one means players with the best PC racing wheels will be able to take full advantage of their setups.
When is the release date for Forza Motorsport (2023)?
Forza Motorsport (2023) made a huge appearance during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase in June 2022, showing off a slick cinematic trailer, an extended gameplay demo, and a targeted release window for the game’s arrival on Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms. Turn 10 Studios and Xbox Game Studios are aiming to release the rebooted Forza Motorsport in Spring 2023.
When the next Forza Motorsport finally arrives and is in the hands of players, it’ll be available on Xbox Series X|S and PC platforms. The title isn’t heading to Xbox One, despite earlier leaks and rumors, but it will be a day one addition to Xbox Cloud Gaming, letting players stream the advanced racing title to older hardware and other devices. Of course, Forza Motorsport (2023) is also launching into Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
Forza Motorsport was initially revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase July 2020 with a short teaser, and was labeled as being “early in development.” Turn 10 Studios had spent much of the time since the release of Forza Motorsport 7 supporting the aforementioned title and advancing the capabilities of its ForzaTech game engine. It took nearly two years for us to receive a substantial update on Forza Motorsport (2023), even with Turn 10 Studios drip-feeding information to eager players over the months.
Where can I watch the trailers for Forza Motorsport (2023)?
Forza Motorsport (2023) official trailer
Forza Motorsport (2023) gameplay demo
Forza Monthly June 2022
Forza Motorsport (2023) reveal trailer
What is the development process for Forza Motorsport (2023)?
When Forza Motorsport was announced in June 2020, it was revealed to be in “early development,” meaning Turn 10 Studios still had years of work ahead of it to deliver a finished and polished product. This shirked the prior pattern dictated by all preceding Forza Motorsport titles, which released in two-year intervals, ending with Forza Motorsport 7 in 2017. With the next Forza Motorsport gaming being in early development three years after its predecessor launched, many fans wondered what was going on at Turn 10 Studios.
The absence of Forza Motorsport’s bi-annual return follows long-term support for its predecessor, with regular updates delivered beyond even the launch of Forza Horizon 4. The two series received parallel post-launch support, with Microsoft creative director Dan Greenawalt citing its new approach among reasons for schedule amendments back in 2019.
“So, as of right now, Motorsport itself is actually in concept; it’s just something we’re currently building. And this is after supporting Forza Motorsport 7 for longer than we ever have before,” Greenawalt told IGN (opens in new tab) in late 2019.
Simply put, the Forza experts have been focusing on the underlying systems and foundations that support the Forza franchise, namely the ForzaTech engine. This engine powers Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon, and the upcoming Fable reboot, and is being upgraded with ray-tracing support, improved AI and physics, more realistic simulation elements, and much more.
Turn 10 Studios is also developing a suite of tools that allows it to implement changes and new content much faster than before, enabling it to add new cars, tracks, and more to Forza Motorsport with ease. The team is also using a new photogrammetry technique to achieve even greater levels of detail in Forza Motorsport’s environments, textures, and materials.
Just implementing more complete ray-tracing support laid the groundwork for a host of improvements across various engine technologies, leading to advances with visuals, cars, tracks and environments, character models, and more. Ray tracing first debuted in the Forza franchise with Forza Horizon 5, but did so in a very limited capacity. Ray tracing is far more prominent in Forza Motorsport (2023), and it’ll benefit the entirety of the game even when it’s not enabled.
Forza Motorsport (2023) reimagines the entire franchise and focuses on returning to the series’ roots, while bringing new game concepts and ideas all designed to bring Forza Motorsport into the future. Turn 10 Studios hopes to welcome a brand-new generation of simulation racing game players alongside the existing community. A lot of work is being done to bring racing balancing and strategy to all-new levels. Turn 10 Studios is also considering the esports potential of Forza Motorsport, as well as regulations and rules for competitive racing.
Forza Motorsport will have a unique focus on accessibility and inclusivity as a core pillar of design, and will be built in tandem with the community. Turn 10 Studios is collecting feedback from select community members on creative and competitive aspects of the game to ensure Forza Motorsport delivers the best experience possible. Turn 10 Studios is even hosting playtests, sending surveys, and having discussions directly with the Forza community.
What is the gameplay in Forza Motorsport (2023)?
Gameplay in the Forza Motorsport franchise has remained relatively constant over the years, attracting the same passionate community of simulation racing games fans. However, Turn 10 Studios is intending for Forza Motorsport (2023) to be a greater jump from Forza Motorsport 7 than all the changes combined from Forza Motorsport 4 to 7. The team is working on countless changes and improvements under the hood, along with feedback from the community, to make this Forza Motorsport the most realistic and expansive game Turn 10 Studios have ever made.
We don’t know everything about the upcoming Forza Motorsport reboot, but we know enough to say with confidence that Turn 10 Studios’ latest masterpiece will be a sizeable departure from its predecessor. Hundreds of iconic vehicles, a sizeable handful of locales, and other series signatures are among the returning features, while massive upgrades to the core gameplay, expansions to the fundamentals of its simulation sandbox, and improvements to car handling in moment-to-moment racing are all on the board.
Here’s everything we know about the gameplay and other elements of Forza Motorsport (2023).
Performance & visuals
The first Forza Motorsport trailer provided a glimpse into what’s ahead through the lens of the technology powering the experience. The announcement discussed a “connected and dynamic” world, with added depth enabled by the improved ForzaTech engine. That includes a 4K resolution target at 60 frames per second (FPS) on Xbox Series X, the best Xbox console on the market right now.
Following trailers during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase provided considerably more information on Forza Motorsport (2023), with a full gameplay demo appearing alongside a more traditional cinematic trailer. The new footage, as well as discussions from Turn 10 Studios and accompanying blog releases, verified plenty of rumored information and taught us more about the upcoming simulation racer.
Ray tracing was a huge focus, for example, with the advanced lighting tech looking absolutely stunning in the Forza Motorsport reboot. In 2020, Microsoft gave a few examples of how ray tracing is used in Forza Motorsport (2023) — from “surfaces of cars reflecting off each other, to brilliant red paint bouncing off intensely detailed track surfaces, and the interplay of light and shadow throughout the world.”
The gameplay demo showed how ray traced reflections will be used to accurately render the reflections of cars and environments on a wide array of textures and surfaces, even self-reflections for the cars themselves, all while racing and in-game. The game’s cinematic trailer revealed, alongside follow-up information from Turn 10 Studios, that Forza Motorsport (2023) will be able to use even more advanced rendering and ray-tracing techniques during replay and photo modes, including ray traced global illumination and more accurate reflections.
Ray tracing is only a part of the full picture, however. Improved photogrammetry techniques and procedural generation mean textures and environments are far more realistic and dynamic than in previous entries. An improved lighting engine using forward+ and physically based lighting enables true dynamic time of day for every track. Dynamic and improved weather events are also enabled on every track, considerably expanding the possibilities for racing.
Turn 10 Studios’ work on the ForzaTech engine is enabling them to scale Forza Motorsport across a dramatic range of devices, from the current-gen powerhouse Xbox Series X and high-end PCs to the more affordable Xbox Series S and lower-end PCs. Optimization in the new engine means the Xbox Series X still appears to be running at 4K and 60 FPS, even with ray-traced reflections. All in all, Forza Motorsport (2023) is aiming to be the most performant and graphically stunning racing game on the market.
Online & multiplayer
Not a whole lot is known about Forza Motorsport (2023)’s approach to online racing and multiplayer, although we know that it’ll continue to be a crucial part of the experience for Turn 10 Studios. Online multiplayer has become progressively more important with each successive Forza Motorsport and Horizon title, and we expect that work to continue with the rebooted title.
Turn 10 Studios wants Forza Motorsport to put more of a focus on “community” and on enabling all players to have fun and to improve together. What does this mean? We don’t have a lot of details, but we do know Turn 10 Studios is putting a lot of work into improving Forza Motorsport’s esports rules and regulations, and that race events are being presented more as proper “events” rather than quick back-to-back races, with Open Practice and Qualifiers leading up to major weekend-long competitions, known as “Featured Races.” Forza Motorsport (2023) will even present an always-accessible calendar of active and upcoming events players can join.
The next Forza Motorsport will also provide more granular and detailed feedback on where players can improve their driving abilities and lap times. Rather than simple lap times or even section times, Forza Motorsport (2023) will evaluate laps on a corner-by-corner basis, giving players metrics on exactly where they were faster or slower than before, and directions on how to improve. This also ties into Forza Motorsport’s move away from simple leaderboards, encouraging players to improve where they can by competing with one another in real time.
Finally, we know that Forza Motorsport (2023) is investing in endurance racing in a big way. Major improvements to tire compounds, tire wear, fuel consumption, pit management, and other simulation elements, on top of redesigns of the online multiplayer experience, allow Turn 10 Studios to fully embrace endurance racing. With the upcoming racing game, players will be able to practice and qualify for endurance races when it’s convenient for them, and then return for the main event alongside other players.
Physics & driving mechanics
With Forza Motorsport, Turn 10 Studios is aiming for an ultra-realistic driving simulator under the hood that remains approachable for all kinds of players. Cars should behave exactly as they’re expected to behave in the real world, meaning there’s a focus on suspensions, handling dynamics, and more to ensure each car is as close to reality as possible.
Turn 10 Studios indicated progress on gameplay as early as December 2019, with Creative Director Chris Esaki detailing studio-wide playtesting underway for the “new experience” under the Motorsport team. Esaki continued, elaborating on various fundamental features, including new tire and suspension models at play.
Esaki downplayed these additions, stating they “don’t really matter in the larger scheme of things,” though they indicate some major change-ups headed to Motorsport. These contribute to a “vastly different” experience, Esaki claimed, providing insight into the mindset among the team, doubling down on deeper dynamic systems to change up each race.
When evaluated one at a time, the various improvements made to Forza Motorsport’s physics and driving mechanics do appear to be minor, but altogether should translate to significant gains in realism. According to Turn 10 Studios, Forza Motorsport (2023) is “the most technically advanced racing game ever made.” Some of the improvements we do know of in the new Forza Motorsport include:
- New tire compounds, including soft, medium, and hard options, each with its own wear and handling characteristics. More compounds are being considered ahead of release, and players will be able to change tire compounds mid-race while pitting
- Major improvements to tire wear, fuel consumption, and other elements pertaining to endurance racing
- A 48-times increase in fidelity when it comes to tire collision data (how tires interact with the track surface), with one point-of-contact refreshing at 60Hz increasing to eight points-of-contact refreshing at an astounding 360Hz
- Improvements to curbs, making them feel more natural and smoother, with improvements in tires and feedback delivering more information to players
- Improvements in tire and track temperature, and how it relates to tire grip, pressure, and wear, as well as other environmental factors that contribute to differences in handling and driving mechanics
- Major improvements to suspensions, going in-depth to ensure the way cars respond to various inputs and force is as realistic as possible, including anti-dive, anti-roll, force propagation, and much more
All of these improvements are being driven by the support of subject experts employed by Turn 10 Studios and feedback provided by actual Forza Motorsport players. “We’re taking this fan-first, player-first approach where we’re bringing players in, in different capacities to have them help us ideate on what we build next, and prototype new ideas and new thoughts,” Greenawalt told IGN.
We expect Forza Motorsport to fully support a wide range of steering wheels and pedals similar to previous titles, but it’s unclear whether Turn 10 Studios is investing effort into improving this support and making the experience even better for players choosing to set down the controller or mouse and keyboard in favor of a more realistic accessory. We also don’t know which steering wheels and accessories will be compatible with Forza Motorsport, although we expect Turn 10 Studios to release a list before the title launches.
Progression & story
Forza Motorsport’s progression and story elements are mired in mystery more than any other element of the game. It’s unclear whether Forza Motorsport (2023) will have a legitimate singleplayer campaign through which players can progress, or if players will be “moving up the ranks” as they complete races and expand their car collection and skillset.
It’s rumored that Forza Motorsport (2023) may feature a “My garage” hub through which players can view their favorite cars, access performance and visual upgrades, join races and other events, and view settings and other information all from the same interconnected area. We haven’t seen anything of this hub, but it may provide a singular area that players can “live in” while playing Forza Motorsport, which many players have been requesting from the series for years.
We’ll be sure to update this space as soon as we learn more about the story or progression systems in Forza Motorsport (2023), but, for now, we’re mostly left in the dark.
Cars & tracks
The cars you’ll drive and the tracks on which you’ll drive them is a vital part of any racing game, and Turn 10 Studios isn’t holding back with Forza Motorsport (2023). We don’t have the full car list or track list, yet, but we do know the direction Turn 10 Studios is going, and what we can expect moving forward.
Starting with cars, Turn 10 Studios has already shown nearly 40 cars in Forza Motorsport (2023), and each one benefits from the same improvements to performance, visuals, physics, and handling. With the new Forza Motorsport, Turn 10 Studios is placing a focus on newer, motorsport-centric cars. The full car list isn’t available (it’ll arrive closer to the game’s launch), but the Forza Motorsport team has hinted that the limited selection we have seen is largely indicative of the trend they’re heading in with Forza Motorsport (2023)’s car roster.
When it comes to tracks, only five have been seen in Forza Motorsport (2023)’s limited footage, but many more will be included in the main game. Turn 10 Studios has claimed that every single track in the Forza Motorsport reboot, including returning fan favorites, have been built from the ground-up to take full advantage of the game’s updated systems. This means every single track will feature dynamic time of day and weather, as well as drastically enhanced graphical fidelity and environmental detail.
We’ll continue to update this section as we learn more about the cars and tracks in Forza Motorsport (2023).
Which platforms will support Forza Motorsport (2023)?
Forza Motorsport represents a new generation of simulation racing, and as such is fully supporting a new generation of gaming hardware and technologies. Forza Motorsport is officially coming to Microsoft’s Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PCs, but will it arrive anywhere else, and in what form will it appear on these platforms?
Xbox Series X|S
The Xbox Series X and Series S represent the latest generation of Xbox consoles, combining significantly more powerful hardware and architecture with incredibly fast SSDs and a host of other improvements. Forza Motorsport (2023) will take full advantage of these console advancements, although exact performance targets haven’t been revealed.
It’s believed that the game will run at 4K resolution and 60 FPS on Xbox Series X, possibly even with ray traced reflections enabled, but Microsoft’s more affordable current-gen console is a mystery. Turn 10 Studios has explicitly mentioned Xbox Series S when discussing Forza Motorsport (2023)’s ray tracing features and visual fidelity, but it’s not clear what compromises will be present on the smaller system.
We’ll continue to update this section as we learn more about how the Forza Motorsport reboot will run and look on Xbox Series X|S.
Xbox One
Microsoft unveiled Forza Motorsport (2023) with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Windows PCs listed among supported platforms. With the ambitious simulation racer now pushing further into the lifecycle of the new consoles, the title severs ties with earlier Xbox One devices. No cross-generation support would avoid limiting the scope of the new title, given the fundamental changes to gameplay enabled by recent ForzaTech advancements.
Purported leaks from a Forza Motorsport playtest in August 2021, originally posted to Reddit, suggested that Forza Motorsport (2023) may be coming to Xbox One after all. The rumored images depicted the rebooted game running on an Xbox One console during a playtest. Turn 10 Studios have confirmed nothing, however. Even if the images are legitimate, it’s probably that Turn 10 Studios chose to test a part of Forza Motorsport (2023) on the unsupported consoles to collect further feedback, but still do not intend to launch the full game on the aging platform.
As such, it seems that Forza Motorsport (2023) will skip the Xbox One generation of consoles in favor of being built around more capable hardware. That being said, Turn 10 Studios and Xbox Game Studios are bringing the updated racing game to Xbox Cloud Gaming on day one, which would allow players to stream Forza Motorsport (2023) to their Xbox One console through the cloud. Like this, the game would play at 1080p and 60 FPS, and would be powered by Xbox Series X hardware.
PC
Forza Motorsport (2023) will absolutely continue Xbox Game Studios’ commitment to supporting PC as well as Xbox, and will release simultaneously on both platforms. It’s not clear what performance targets Forza Motorsport will target on PC or how expansive its options and settings will be, but we expect it to be a capable and well-rounded port with plenty of configuration for players to explore.
Turn 10 Studios has also discussed the new game’s ability to scale on PC, so it’s possible players may be surprised by their PC’s ability to play Forza Motorsport. PC and system requirements haven’t been revealed, however, so we’ll have to wait longer to see how well Forza Motorsport actually scales across PC hardware.
One feature that has been long requested by players is VR support, but there has been no indication so far that Forza Motorsport (2023) will support the feature on PC. VR support is demanding on even the most powerful hardware, and it’s unclear how much work would be required to enable the ForzaTech engine to support it. Hopefully, we’ll hear one way or the other before Forza Motorsport fully releases.
As for platforms, we fully expect Forza Motorsport (2023) to be offered both through the Microsoft Store (possibly with Xbox Play Anywhere support with Xbox consoles) and through Steam, similar to many other Xbox Game Studios titles. We also know Forza Motorsport (2023) will launch day and date on PC Game Pass, giving subscribers instant access to the title on Windows PCs. You’ll also be able to stream the game to PCs through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
PlayStation
Forza Motorsport has long been exclusive to Xbox consoles, and later began releasing on Windows PCs as well. A Forza Motorsport title has never appeared on PlayStation consoles, with that platform being catered to by Gran Turismo, and that’s not going to change with the next Forza Motorsport. Should the impossible happen, we’ll be sure to update this space, but do not expect Forza Motorsport to ever be playable on PlayStation consoles, unless Sony and Microsoft enable Xbox Cloud Gaming support and allow players to stream Forza Motorsport (2023) and other Xbox Game Studios titles on PlayStation.
How can I join the playtest or beta for Forza Motorsport?
While Forza Motorsport (2023) remains in the works, developer Turn 10 has expressed interest in community playtests to collect feedback before the game releases. These tests provide an opportunity to go hands-on with small “parts” of the new Motorsport, with a focus on secrecy among participants.
The first playtest for Forza Motorsport occurred on May 8, 2021, with Turn 10 Studios reportedly collecting a ton of valuable feedback from community members. The playtests have focused on various physics and driving mechanics improvements, as well as Forza Motorsport’s new approach to online racing. The studio is apparently planning more playtests for the future, with details to be revealed later down the road.
If you’re interested in potentially participating in a Forza Motorsport playtest, you can sign up (when available) on the Forza Motorsport Forza Panel page. There’s absolutely no guarantee you’ll be invited to participate in a playtest, but Turn 10 Studios has claimed each playtest will allow more and more players. It’s not known when the next Forza Motorsport playtest will appear, with Turn 10 Studios announcing at the end of 2021 that it was narrowing down which parts of the game for which it needs additional feedback.
We’ll update this section when details for the next Forza Motorsport have been revealed, giving you an opportunity to sign up and potentially be invited.
Update, June 25, 2022: Updated with a ton of additional information on Forza Motorsport (2023), including all the new details revealed during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, and Forza Monthly June 2022.
