When news broke in June that Forza Horizon 4 was set to be delisted on the 15th of December, it was met with an expression of resigned inevitability.
This was mainly down to the rather egregious situation surrounding Ubisoft’s The Crew earlier this year, where the developer-publisher delisted the game from digital storefronts and removed it from players’ libraries, rendering it unplayable.
However, FH4’s situation is slightly different. The game will be delisted from digital storefronts and Game Pass but will still be playable for those who purchased it, with online servers remaining active for a period of time afterwards.
This is just as well, as it’s the Traxion team’s favourite Horizon title by a country mile.
Why is Forza Horizon 4 being delisted?
Before we reminisce about why we love Playground Games’ ode to Great Britain, let’s examine why FH4 is being delisted.
An official statement at the time described its delisting as down to “licencing and agreements with our partners”, which likely means that licencing deals for the game’s many car manufacturers and/or its official soundtrack are set to expire.
This isn’t an unusual situation these days, however, with games such as Project CARS, Project CARS 2Need for Speed, DIRT 4 and DiRT Rally all succumbing to licensing lumbago.
The expiry of Studio 397’s license agreement with Silverstone also led to the Britsh track being removed from rFactor 2although anyone who had downloaded it before its delisting can still use it. Most recently, S397 revealed the same fate for its depiction of the Circuit de la Sarthe and GTE and the GT3 incarnations of the Ferrari 488, whose deals expire on the 31st December 2024.
The Forza Horizon series is no stranger to being delisted either, with Horizons 1, 2 and 3 all being killed off similarly, with Forza Horizon 5 likely to be sent away to ‘live on a farm’ in a couple of years.
Why Forza Horizon 4 is brilliant
But it’s FH4 we’ll miss most of all. Perhaps it’s the UK setting: most of the Traxion team are Scottish or English, so it’s understandably close to our hearts.
The first time I drove around Edinburgh in-game, I was struck by how recognisable the city centre’s landmarks and road network were; FH4‘s graphics were superb in 2018 (and still stand up to scrutiny today).
If I fancied visiting Edinburgh Castle in-game, I’d thunder along Princes Street’s tramlines; go past the Scott Monument; turn left to go up The Mound and onto North Bank Street; turn right onto the Royal Mile; speed alongside the Tolbooth Kirk and finish at the castle entrance.
It’s a real-world trip I’ve done many times on foot and feels instinctive to copy it in-game (although this part of Edinburgh isn’t quite as car-friendly as depicted in FH4especially when the Festival Fringe is in town).
Naturally, the city isn’t replicated on a 1:1 scale, and the same applies to many of the game’s other landmarks, but the sense of place is immersive. Being able to freely explore areas you know somehow gives you an endorphin hit of familiarity.
If you’ve ever wanted to jump an Escort Cossie off Arthur’s Seat or skid all over the Uffington White Horse chalk geoglyph, then this is the game for you (please don’t do either of these things in real life).
Cars, cars, cars
FH4 has over 450 cars and over 100 officially licensed manufacturers in its base package, with DLC packs boosting these numbers further. The Fortune Island and LEGO Speed Champions DLC expanded the game’s play area further, while also adding a touch of vibrancy.
The game gives you something to do at almost every turn: Bonus Boards need to be hit, speed cameras have to be, ahem, ‘tested’, beauty spots can be admired and, oh yeah, you can take part in races, too.
But my favourite thing to do in FH4 is hunt for barn finds. These are off-trail locations where dilapidated British cars reside. Finding them will eventually lead to the beautifully restored vehicle ending up in your garage.
My wife, who rarely takes an interest in driving games, was smitten with this mode, with FH4’s Barn Finds offering a neat way to explore the UK countryside while satisfying that ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ mentality. And she was ruddy good at it (I was told to say that).
For an added air of British authenticity, the dry stone walls that lined the game’s highways and byways break apart beautifully and the collisions are realistic enough to give Gerald from Clarkson’s Farm a heart attack.
And no, you can’t run over sheep. Believe me, I’ve tried.
The changeable seasons also work wonders, with Autumn and Winter providing typically British weather. Winter would also see Derwent Water freeze over, opening up the game environment even more.
Sure, the car physics aren’t as tricky to master as rFactor 2’sbut the handling model is believable and, more importantly, fun. Drifting with a gamepad is extremely easy to figure out, while players can also lose hours to the game’s many customisable items; like paint schemes, tunes, avatar clothing, emotes and your trusty old registration plate (please, no rude words).
Wheelspins and Super Wheelspins keep the endorphin hits coming, while the game’s lack of microtransactions ensures you feel like you’re earning your progression fairly.
Highway to Hull
FH4 has so many fun setpieces too, with the game’s Horizon Stories and Showcase events throwing up some hilariously over-the-top action sequences, including smashing up Broadway Village as part of the ‘Stunt Driver’ strand.
Or how about racing the Flying Scotsman in an Ariel Nomad (including a guest appearance by the Gelnfinnan Viaduct)?
And who can forget bolting past Bamburgh Castle in a Warthog, accompanied by Halo’s bombastic soundtrack? Awesome.
There are many reasons to love Forza Horizon 4, but for me, it’s the joy of messing about in cars in places you know and love which makes it the best in the series.
Remember, you’ve got until tomorrow to buy it before it disappears forever!
Will you miss Forza Horizon 4? Tell us about your favourite moment from the game in the comments below.
