Beginner’s Guide#

Before You Start#

Choosing Your Control Method#

Recommended controller settings

• Vibration: On (better road feedback)
• Trigger Vibration: On (simulates ABS/TCS engagement)
• Inner Deadzone: 0 to 10 (adjust to your controller’s wear)
• Outer Deadzone: 100 (keep the default)
• Steering Sensitivity: 15 to 25 (higher = sharper steering)
• Acceleration/Brake Curve: Standard (beginners should keep the default)

Wheel recommendations

• Fanatec DD Pro — high-end direct drive

Graphics Settings#

• Dynamic Optimization: On (auto-adjusts render resolution)
• Texture Quality: Extreme (low performance cost)
• Shadow Quality: High to Extreme (go high if you have VRAM headroom)
• Global Illumination: Medium (expensive to run)
• Reflections: Medium (environmental reflection quality)
• Ray Tracing: Off (only for ForzaVista scenes)
• MSAA: FXAA (best value)
• FOV: 80 to 100 (personal preference)

Your First Drive#

The Opening Storm#

• Keep your speed above 80 km/h or you’ll fall behind the lead car
• Use A or X to enable the racing line
• The storm cuts visibility dramatically, but the route guide line points the way clearly
• Once you reach the first Festival, the opening ends and the free-roam world opens up

Choosing Your First Car#

After the opening missions, the game offers your first car choice. You pick one of three entry-level cars, each representing a different driving style:

Beginner recommendation: the Toyota GR Supra is the safest pick — neutral handling, perfect for practicing fundamentals. The Corvette C8 is the fastest but harder to control, better suited to players with racing game experience.

Festival Sites#

Site System Overview#

Mainland Mexico hosts four major Festival Sites, each tied to an event discipline. Unlocking and upgrading these sites is the core way to advance:

Each site upgrade requires specific events and challenges; upgrading unlocks more events, new stunt challenges, and fast travel points.

Driving Assists#

Assist Systems Explained#

Horizon 5 offers rich driving assists and is extremely friendly to newcomers. Sensible assist settings dramatically improve stability at little speed cost.

Braking assist

• Off: you control braking entirely
• Straight Only: auto-brakes only on straights
• Full: auto-brakes into corners
• Recommendation: “Straight Only” for beginners, off once comfortable

Steering assist

• Off: fully manual steering
• Standard: light steering help
• Full: auto-follows the racing line
• Recommendation: off or standard

Traction control

• On: prevents wheelspin on launch and acceleration
• Off: faster acceleration but demands finer throttle control
• Recommendation: on for beginners, off once comfortable

Stability control

• Prevents slides and loss of control
• Significantly reduces cornering speed
• Recommendation: on for beginners, try turning it off as soon as you can

ABS

• Prevents wheel lock under braking
• Turning ABS off requires learning threshold braking
• Recommendation: on

Shifting

• Automatic: the game shifts for you
• Manual: the player controls clutch and shifting
• Manual with Clutch: the most precise control
• Recommendation: automatic for beginners, transitioning gradually to manual

Recommended assist setup

Making Money#

1. Events and Accolades#

Every completed event pays out credits and experience. The Accolade system provides generous one-time rewards. Prioritize Horizon Stories — their first-clear rewards are substantial.

2. Wheelspins#

Wheelspins are the best source of rare cars and big credit payouts. You earn a regular Wheelspin each level-up and a Super Wheelspin every five levels. Don’t open early Wheelspins right away — stockpile them and open in batches.

3. Seasonal Rewards#

The Festival Playlist that refreshes every Thursday evening offers huge rewards. Seasonal championships usually reward rare cars (sometimes the only way to get them). Even with modest skill, setting the difficulty to “Average” lets you finish most seasonal tasks.

5. Cash Out Skill Points#

Accumulate skill points in a car’s Mastery tree and redeem them for credits or rare cars. One of the most reliable passive income streams in the late game.

Early Car Recommendations#

Best Value Picks#

These cars are affordable (within early-game reach) and, suitably upgraded, competitive in most A-class and S1-class events:

There are plenty of completely free ways to acquire cars — no credits needed. These are the free cars worth watching:

Free Car Sources#

There are plenty of completely free ways to acquire cars — no credits needed. These are the free cars worth watching:

• 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra: complete every chapter of the Horizon Story “Legend of the Wanderer”
• 2020 Koenigsegg Jesko: complete every chapter of the Horizon Story “Highly Acclaimed”
• 2019 Toyota #1 T100 Baja Truck: complete the Horizon Story “Mayan Temple Expedition”
• 2018 Mercedes-AMG Project ONE: complete the Horizon Story “Born Fast”
• 2021 Bronco Badlands: granted at the very start

Upgrade Strategy#

Early funds are limited — upgrade these parts first for the biggest performance gains:

1. Tires: racing tires massively improve cornering grip
2. Drivetrain: AWD conversion improves acceleration and handling, especially off-road
3. Engine: turbo or supercharger gives the biggest horsepower jump
4. Suspension: racing suspension lowers the car and improves cornering stance
5. Brakes: racing brakes shorten stopping distance
6. Weight Reduction: less weight indirectly improves acceleration, braking, and handling

Note: before upgrading, confirm your target class. If you’re entering an A 800 event, make sure the upgraded PI lands near 800 without exceeding it. Over-upgrading pushes you into a higher class and makes races harder.

Early Progression Route#

A new player’s growth rhythm splits into three stages, each with clear priorities. Following the order avoids the classic early traps: being broke, carless, or wasting time.

Stage One: Opening Up#

The goal is finishing the main chapters tied to the main Festival, unlocking every event type and region. Priorities:

• Upgrade your starter car to its limits and enter low-class events for practice
• Complete the Horizon Stories — their reward cars are the strongest free source early on
• Don’t open Wheelspins as they come; save five to eight and open them in one batch
• Smash the fast travel boards along the way — travel costs drop sharply later

Stage Two: Expansion#

This stage is about income and unlocking more Festival Sites. Join the Thursday Festival Playlist every week — even clearing only the basic tasks accumulates an exclusive car within two weeks.

Stage Three: Growth#

Once you reach the Hall of Fame conversation, the focus shifts to seasonal play and online racing. Set up one primary tune for your main class, chase high rankings in weekly championships, and start trying Horizon Tour and Open Racing.

Common Beginner Mistakes#

Most new players make the same opening mistakes — dodging them saves enormous time and credits.