Summary
WhenForza Horizon 5launches onPlayStation 5onApril 25, it won’t have a physical edition to go with it. Rather, the game,which had its release date revealed earlier this week, will bea digital-only title, with its three editions (Premium, Deluxe and Standard) all existing solely on the PlayStation Store.
Its developer revealed on Twitter that there is “nothing planned for a physical disc release,” which may bewhy the game has already begun charting on the U.S. Canada and UK PlayStation Stores. On its own, the lack of a physical edition shouldn’t be too big of a deal. Thefirst four games to jump ship from Xbox (Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, Hi-Fi Rush and Grounded)were all digital-only titles.
However,given that Forza games eventually do get delisted after several years, largely due to licensing, the lack of a physical edition could mean that gamers will only have a finite amount of time to get the game.
How Long Will Forza Horizon 5 Last?
Currently, FH5, which was released in November 2021, is in Year 4 of its support window. When it launches on PlayStation, the Horizon Realms update will also go live, providing new content to all players.
Previously,Forza Horizon 4, which launched in 2018, lasted six years, having been delisted at the end of 2024. ToMicrosoftand Playground Games' credit,the DLC was made available for free on Steam, whilesome who had purchased DLC on Xbox were given the full game for free outright.
Before that,FH3, a 2016 title, was taken off digital storefronts in 2020, a period of only four years.FH2 faced a similar end result, only lasting four years between 2014 and 2018, as didthe original Forza Horizon, with its timeframe of 2012-2016. In other words, the games have been available for purchase for between four and six years.
Now, it’s entirely possible that with the impending release on PlayStation, FH5 has had its licenses extended for several more years, thus putting to bed any concern over a short window. However, it wouldn’t be all too surprising to see the game last only a few years beyond its April launch. In any instance, whether it’s a few years or several years,a physical edition is crucial when it comes to game preservation, though it seems like that won’t be the case altogether.
