Forza Horizon 5 crosses 1 million players via early access launch

Source: Xbox Game Studios

Forza Horizon 5 is the latest entry to Microsoft’s hit racing franchise and doubles as the series first new entry built for its latest Xbox Series X|S console family. The game was expected to make a name for itself with a new console generation, but initial numbers are already surprising some players ahead of its imminent Nov. 9 release.

Forza Horizon 5 early access opened on Nov. 5, available to anyone with the game’s $100 Premium Edition. Microsoft also offers a $40 Premium Add-ons Bundle DLC available to those with other Forza Horizon 5 editions, or an active Xbox Game Pass subscription, for a more affordable entry point to the game’s top-tier edition. It means that over one million players have paid a truly premium upfront cost to play the game early.

The numbers come from the Forza Horizon 5 leaderboards, available directly in-game and shared online by @Stallion83 on Twitter.

While Microsoft is still to announce official numbers, the number of existing players can be seen in real-time via the game menus. The title has already garnered a dedicated fanbase as one of the biggest Xbox Game Studios titles this year, with more players expected to arrive over the coming days with its broader launch.

Forza Horizon 5 offers new features that take full advantage of the next-generation consoles with seamless load times and near real-to-life visuals, and with a day-one release on Xbox Game Pass, the game can only stand to grow much bigger than these early days.

Forza Horizon 5 will officially race to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on Nov. 9, with a simultaneous release via all Xbox Game Pass memberships. Developer Playground Games has already announced Forza Horizon 5 launch times, with a staggered rollout across the globe through Monday and Tuesday.