Looking for more racing games with a real sense of progression?
We’re with you. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a racing game that truly hooks you in with a rags-to-riches fantasy; starting off with a beaten-up Ford Focus, working your way up through the ranks, and earning the right to drive a Ferrari.
The older Forza games and the Need for Speed series did this well, but in recent years, Racing Games have seemingly lost their way. Racing games like Forza Horizon 5 start players off with high-value cars, which destroys the sense of progression – here’s why.
Forza Horizon 5’s progression system
In Forza Horizon 5, you’re dropped into the Emerald Downs region with a McLaren Senna, Aston Martin Vanquish, and Jaguar F-Type. This, of course, is a problem for those of us looking for a more traditional racing game experience.
The original Forza games had a system where you had to work your way up from lower-tier cars. You could play various types of races with different car classes, so you never felt like you were stuck. Even Forza Horizon, the open-world spin-off, began you off in beginner races with lower-powered cars – but Forza Horizon 5 lacks a clear sense of progression.
Some players are happy to jump right into the best cars. For others, starting off with a supercar can be exciting and hook them into the game. It’s a similar approach that many open-world games take, offering a large selection of cars from the start, and allowing players to drive those cars that simply can’t be used in races.
But, with the recent resurgence of highly realistic games like Assetto Corsa and Automobilista, as well as the continued popularity of PC2, it’s clear that many want a more serious racing game experience.
Many older racing games started you off with lower-end cars, like the Need for Speed series, and Gran Turismo 1-6. Gran Turismo 7 still requires you to grind for hours before you can afford to buy anything, but those first few games offered a unique progression experience that made them popular.
The original Forza 2 is still a favorite of many users thanks to its variety of activities and tuning options. Starting you off in the first Forza game isn’t perfect – you’re stuck on one track, slowly working your way up – but it offered a fun and challenging experience of starting with a lower-tier car and gradually upgrading.
This is also where Forza Horizon comes in, with its open-world nature letting you drive cars that simply can’t compete in races. But Forza Horizon 5’s progression simply isn’t there, and it feels like a step back from Forza Horizon 4.
Many argue that Forza Horizon 5 is an arcade racing game, explaining why it’s so quick to let you jump in to the best cars. However, even arcade racing games can have a Progression System – some Need for Speed games do, and it’s part of the reason they’re so popular.
Ultimately, the main difference between Forza 4 and 5 is the map, so if you haven’t experienced the second Horizon game yet, we highly recommend trying it out on Gamepass. And if you haven’t given the original Forza games a go, they’re well worth your time, with the second one offering a particularly unique progression system for a game from 2004.
If you’re looking for a more structured progression system, Gran Turismo 7 offers that, with different types of cars being unlocked as you work your way through the game. But some users argue that GT7 lacks the rags-to-riches fantasy of older games, instead giving players a more structured experience that isn’t quite as unique.
Ultimately, Forza and Gran Turismo offer distinct experiences, and Forza Horizon is a unique game in its own right – but racing games would benefit from finding a more balanced and satisfying progression system to enhance your playing experience.
