Honestly, it’s rare for a racing game to feel like a warm blanket, but that is exactly what Forza Horizon 4 Xbox One managed to pull off. Most driving sims are sterile. They’re all about gear ratios and tire temperatures in a way that feels like doing homework. This one? It’s basically a giant summer vacation in the British countryside that never has to end. Even now, with the newer shiny sequel sitting right there, people are still flocking back to the rolling hills of the UK. It’s weird, right? You’d think the newer tech would win out every time, but there is a specific soul in this fourth entry that just hasn't been replicated.
The game launched back in 2018. That feels like a lifetime ago in tech years. Yet, if you fire up an original Xbox One right now, the game still looks absurdly good. It was the first time Playground Games really experimented with the concept of living seasons. One week you’re dodging sheep in a field of daisies, and the next, you’re sliding a multi-million dollar supercar across a frozen lake because it’s suddenly mid-January. It changed the vibe completely. It wasn’t just a map change; it was a total shift in how you had to drive.
What Forza Horizon 4 Xbox One got right that others missed
Most open-world games feel empty once you finish the main "story." You've seen the map, you've done the races, and that’s it. But this game felt more like a social club. The "Forzathon Live" events were a stroke of genius. You’d be minding your own business, maybe trying to drift around a roundabout, and suddenly a giant pink blimp would appear. Everyone on the server would just... congregate. You didn't even need to be in a party or have a mic. You just saw twenty other cars screaming toward a shared goal, like trying to hit a combined speed trap total or jumping off a cliff. It created this sense of community that felt accidental and genuine rather than forced.
The car list is also just stupidly deep. We’re talking over 700 cars if you’ve got the DLC and the expansions. You want to drive a 1960s Reliant Supervan on three wheels? Go for it. You want a Bugatti Chiron that costs more than a small island? Sure. The sheer variety meant you weren't just "racing." You were collecting. It tapped into that lizard brain part of us that just wants to see a digital garage full of shiny things.
The Xbox One performance hurdle
Let’s be real for a second: the base Xbox One was sweating to run this. It’s impressive. On the original VCR-looking Xbox One or the One S, you’re locked at 30 frames per second. For a racing game, that sounds like a dealbreaker on paper. In practice, though, the motion blur and the input response were tuned so well that you barely noticed. If you stepped up to the Xbox One X, you got that glorious 60fps mode or 4K resolution. It was one of the few games that actually made people feel like their mid-gen console upgrade was worth the money.
The loading times on the older hardware are the only real "ugh" factor today. If you’re playing on an old mechanical hard drive, you have enough time to go make a sandwich while the game boots up. But once you’re in? It’s seamless. No loading screens between regions. Just pure, uninterrupted driving from the tip of the Scottish Highlands down to the quaint cottages of Broadway.
The seasonal shift was the real hero
The seasons weren't just a gimmick. They were the engine that kept the game alive. Every Thursday, the world changed.
- Summer: Fast, grippy, and predictable. This is when you set your speed records.
- Autumn: Gorgeous colors, but the roads are greasy. Leaves everywhere. It looks like a postcard but plays like a slip-and-slide.
- Winter: This was the divisive one. Some people hated the snow. I loved it. It forced you to actually use those off-roaders you had rotting in your garage. Plus, the lake froze over, opening up a huge chunk of the map that was usually off-limits.
- Spring: Mud. So much mud. If you liked rally racing, this was your peak.
This rotation meant the game felt fresh every single week. You couldn’t just find one "best car" and use it forever because that rear-wheel-drive monster would be useless the moment the snow started falling. It forced variety.
Why the UK setting worked (even if it felt small)
Some critics at the time said the UK map felt a bit cramped compared to the vast deserts of previous games. They weren't entirely wrong. It is more dense. But that density gave it character. Every stone wall felt like it was placed with purpose. The Edinburgh city center was a nightmare to navigate at high speeds, but it was beautiful.
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There's something inherently "Horizon" about blasting past a red telephone box at 200 mph in a McLaren Senna. It’s that contrast between the old-world charm and the high-tech machinery. It also helped that the sound design was top-tier. The way the exhaust notes echoed off the stone buildings in the villages? Perfection.
The weirdness of the LEGO and Fortune Island expansions
Playground Games got weird with the DLC, and it paid off. Fortune Island gave us the best drifting road in the history of the franchise—Needle Climb. It was a giant, winding mountain path that was basically a playground for anyone who liked going sideways. Then came the LEGO Speed Champions expansion.
People lost their minds when that was announced. "It’s too childish!" they said. Then they played it. Smashing through LEGO trees and driving a full-sized LEGO Ferrari F40 was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a racing game. It didn't take itself seriously, which is exactly what a spin-off should do.
Is it still worth playing in 2026?
Yes. A thousand times, yes. While the servers for older titles eventually go dark, Forza Horizon 4 Xbox One still has a thriving community. It’s often available for pennies in sales or through various subscription services.
There's also the "End of Life" factor to consider. Microsoft eventually delists these games due to licensing issues with car manufacturers and music. We’ve seen it happen with Horizon 1, 2, and 3. If you don't own it digitally or have a physical disc, it eventually becomes a ghost. If you haven't experienced the British countryside yet, you're missing out on a piece of gaming history that still holds up visually and mechanically.
Things to do if you're just starting out
Don't just rush the "campaign." There isn't really a traditional story anyway. It’s more of a vibe check.
- Find the Barn Finds: There are hidden classic cars tucked away in old sheds. Searching for these is way more relaxing than it has any right to be.
- Use the Auction House: You can find some insane deals on rare cars that people are just dumping. It's a game within a game.
- Tune your own cars: Don't just download the "Stage 3" tunes. Experiment with tire pressure and gear ratios. It makes the car feel like yours.
- Turn off the UI: If you want a truly immersive experience, turn off the mini-map and the HUD. Just drive. Follow the road signs. It’s a completely different game when you aren't staring at a little GPS line.
The game is a masterpiece of optimization. It’s a love letter to car culture that doesn't care if you're a "pro" or someone who just wants to smash through some fences. It’s the ultimate "chill" game.
Next Steps for Players:
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Check your digital library to see if you already own the license, or hunt down a physical "Greatest Hits" or "Platinum" disc for the Xbox One. If you’re playing on the original hardware, consider moving the game files to an external SSD via the USB port; it won't fix the CPU bottlenecks, but it will cut those brutal loading times by nearly half. Finally, make sure to finish the "Stunt Driver" and "British Racing Green" story missions first, as they provide some of the best high-value car rewards early on without requiring a massive credit grind.