"Forza Horizon 5" may be one of the biggest games on the planet, especially as it relates to the Xbox, and it is certainly one of the most eagerly awaited

The latest installment in the long-running series arrives next month, and there are many reasons to be excited First, the world will be the largest in "Forza" history in terms of size, allowing you to drive a dizzying array of old and new cars through Mexico's varied landscape

I was lucky enough to play 60-90 minutes of content prior to launch, but I had so much fun I ended up playing for 10 hours, earning 1 million credits and acquiring 12 cars

Below are my thoughts on that and what we should expect from the new game

If there is one thing you should know about Forza Horizon 5, it is that the wheel has not been reinvented As with previous entries in the series, it's all about driving the cars you love (or hate) in picturesque locations

You can go around the map as you please and complete events, but this time the drizzle and rolling fields of England have been replaced by the beaches, jungles, and mountains of Mexico

Yes, the horns of disappointment sounded from Forza fans who missed Japan But they needn't have worried Because the game looks more detailed and lifelike than ever

Birds flit across the roofs of cars as you drive along sandy beaches, butterflies flit across the dense jungles of the South, and 11 biomes offer a variety of ecosystems and weather conditions

In other words, it may be sunny on the beach, but snowing on the tops of many of the highest peaks, including the massive Gran Caldera volcano on the new map

While the limited preview allowed little experience with seasonal changes, it is clear how different each area of the Mexico map is Some spots, like the Ekbaram Mayan ruins and endless sandy beaches, are perfect for driving

Only 10 challenges are playable in the preview, so we don't know how populated Mexico is But fun stuff like the speed camera challenge and danger signs for crazy jumps will definitely be back

We also see a mix of road racing, epic showcases, and cross-country sprints, with a system similar to that in Forza Horizon 4 that allows you to tune your car so you can get an edge in the races if you tune it wisely

The tuning menu has the same options as before, but the cars I tested have at least the possibility of a new engine swap

The demo also gave me a glimpse of some of the Horizon Story events The first of these involves driving through a sandstorm to take pictures (which can happen in two-thirds of the map)

The second, arguably the better challenge, involved trekking through the desolate Mexican terrain to find a barn Inside was a Volkswagen Beetle, which had to be driven back in a large truck

For some reason, the preview of "Forza Horizon 5" that I played did not allow me to use the interior view of this truck as I drove back to where the new pile of metal was being restored, but it was still fun

With that challenge over, I spent some time just driving around the map I raced against the invincible AI and found it suitably crushing, but the lower difficulty levels were less punishing and more fun

The short length of the race made it difficult to check out the rubber banding However, I enjoyed the race no matter which car I drove, whether it was a Mosler, Toyota Supra, Ford Bronco, or Mazda Roadster

Visually, "Forza Horizon 5" maintains its status as the most beautiful racing game, and thanks to its photogrammetry, it is also one of the most realistic This is not to mention the infamous motorcycle helmet view, which is just "Ride 4" in the rain, which is impressive

Depending on the platform, you can enjoy 4K visuals at 30 fps in Quality mode or smooth visuals at 60 fps in Performance mode; both look great on the Xbox Series X, and the frame rate was consistent throughout the game play frame rates remained stable throughout the duration of game play

Admittedly, we did see some pop-in with objects such as leaves on the roadside, but we wish this was limited to the preview Also, there is no raytracing during the race, and it is only used during non-playable moments

Playing through "Forza Horizon 5," the atmosphere of refinement rather than revamp is hard to miss; most of the 526 cars are from the previous title, with no newer year cars in sight However, "Forza Horizon 4" released a number of paid and free car packs long after its release, and we hope to see a similar development this time around

A little more variety in other areas would have been nice, but at least there are improved menus and a more improved and comprehensive character customization menu Oh, and I really enjoyed the epic showcase where you can race with the brave men in cargo planes and wingsuits

Admittedly, I also experienced a few glitches, such as my car getting stuck in the air and a continuous and recurring cloud noise Hopefully this will be fixed before launch

The biggest change in Forza Horizon 5 concerns handling: if you drove the Mosler MT900S in Forza Horizon 4 and then drove its successor, you will see where the expression "arcade-like" comes from, as the former's interpretation is unusually light and quick to change direction You will see where the expression "arcade-like" comes from

Of course, this is not to say that hypercars are incapable of rapid changes of direction, not by a long shot However, whereas in "Forza Horizon 4" the cars had a sense of floating, in "Forza Horizon 5" realism is the order of the day Understeer is more pronounced, and cars are more prone to drifting and wheelspin

But that realism actually makes life easier Drifting between each corner and sliding down long mountain roads feels more natural, and watching the car judder realistically is just as engrossing as the detailed interior camera views

The fact that you can rewind time if you make a mistake (unless you switch it off for a higher reward) complements the intuitive handling nicely Pushing the car to its limits is easy and rewarding at the same time

Further realism comes in the form of changes to the braking and suspension systems For example, brake fade and cooling are more considered Hopefully this depth will extend to the tuning options in the main game

The preview of "Forza Horizon 5" left me wanting more Of course While not as different from the previous version as I had hoped, I did enjoy driving through the beautiful Mexican landscape

And despite the spectacular intro of cars dropping from planes into volcanoes and dense jungles, I have no doubt that much of the best and most exciting content is hidden to avoid surprises [Forza Horizon 5 will be released on November 9, but you can get it a few days earlier on November 5 if you purchase the premium version Either way, it will be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC (Windows, now Steam)