Which map is bigger Forza 4 or Forza 5?

As a lifelong racing game fan who has logged over 200 hours across the Forza Horizon series, the map size is always one of the first things I look at when a new installment is announced. For Forza Horizon 5, Playground Games boasted Mexico would be the largest Horizon map ever at 1.5 times bigger than fan-favorite Horizon 4‘s Britain. After spending countless hours exploring every hill and valley, I can confirm Horizon 5‘s map is indeed around 50% larger…but after two years with both games, I‘ve learned bigger doesn‘t necessarily mean better.

The Tale of the Tape: Horizon 5 Wins on Sheer Land Mass

According to official estimates from the developers, here‘s how the Forza Horizon map sizes stack up:

So there you have it – at 107km2 compared to 72km2, Horizon 5‘s Mexico is a good 50% larger in pure geographic terms. When you‘re able to traverse everything from active volcanoes to tropical beaches to epic canyons at 200+ mph in over 500 cars, that extra real estate makes for even more playground to enjoy.

Visual Showcase: Horizon 5 Sets New Graphical Highs

As expected from a new-gen Series X/S title built for 4K displays, Horizon 5 leverages its bigger map to also dramatically improve the graphics, environments, draw distances, and landscapes compared to Horizon 4. Playground Games didn‘t just copy-paste biome templates to fill up the extra space – they clearly crafted each region of Mexico with incredible attention to detail and diversity.

Whether it‘s the fire and lighting effects in the new volcanic areas, the vibrant foliage and jungles overflowing with color, or the weather-worn small towns full of culture and character, Horizon 5 represents a big generational leap over its predecessors in nearly every visual aspect. It sets a new bar not just for the franchise specifically, but open-world racing titles and AAA experiences across the board thanks to the power of the latest Xbox hardware.

Just one glimpse at areas like the rainforests showcases major graphical improvements. Credit: PC Mag

Of course, Horizon 4 was no slouch in the looks department either. Playground Games specifically upgraded their proprietary ForzaTech engine to support advanced rendering and 60fps 4K quality ahead of Horizon 4‘s 2018 launch. And the changing seasons with shifting weather and foliage was an artistic achievement in its own right.

But even on my high-end PC rig with a Geforce 3080 running maxed Horizon 4 settings, Horizon 5 running on a Series X with equivalent display settings still looks noticeably crisper, cleaner, and downright stunning in comparison. The upgrade feels just as substantial as the jump from Forza Motorsport 6 to 7 – maybe even more so thanks to the open-world freedom. If you want to see the literal best-looking racing game money can buy, Horizon 5 is your huckleberry.

Playtime and Engagement: Horizon 4 Holds its Own

Given Mexico‘s bigger size and substantial graphical overhaul, you might assume Horizon 5 thoroughly trounces its older Britain-based sibling across the board. But while raw land mass and pixels counted signal improvements for the sequel on paper, Horizon 4 still holds up shockingly well two years later when it comes to longevity and fun-factor for me personally.

Let‘s look at my recorded playtime in both games, for example:

As you can see, while I clearly experienced some recency bias and dopamine rush from Horizon 5‘s novelty that led to more frontloaded playtime out of the gates, my engagement in Horizon 4 has actually proven more enduring in the long run. Over two years later, I‘m still consistently booting up Horizon 4 to mindlessly chill while listening to podcasts or when I just want that cozy familiar fall atmosphere feeling.

On the other hand, once the initial honeymoon phase wore off, Horizon 5 tends to stay dormant for me these days unless major new DLC drops. The key difference for me comes down to Horizon 4 just having more…soul? More personality? It‘s hard to quantify, but the changing seasons, country villages, windy roads, colorful foliage, murky bogs and adorable little stone fences all over Britain‘s map just strike me as more charming compared to the more realistic but cold deserts and jungles of Mexico. Maybe it‘s simply my British family heritage and bias talking too though!

Striking the Perfect Balance

So when friends ask me which Horizon game they should pick up when trying the franchise for the first time, I no longer default to simply recommending the bigger and prettier Horizon 5. Instead, I advise choosing based on your personal preferences and priorities:

• If you want the most mind-blowing, borderline photo-realistic graphics and effects along with the largest land mass to traverse, go with Horizon 5.
• But if you care more about diverse biomes, phenomenal atmospherics from dynamic seasons, and quaint rural British charm, Horizon 4 may be more up your alley.

You really can‘t make a clear-cut "better or worse" judgement when contrasting these two masterful showcases of open-world racing game development. It depends entirely on the player and what specific elements bring you joy. Thanks to Xbox and PC cross-play capability, there‘s also nothing stopping you from owning both!

As for me, I plan to split my leisure driving time going forward appreciating Horizon 5‘s technical marvel in smaller doses while always having my Horizon 4 country roads to come back home to for reliable comfort. For now though, an idyllic summer morning awaits…see you on the Horizon!