Playground Games largely led the way in pioneering a new subgenre with its epic open-world racer, Forza Horizon in 2012. Since then, they’ve managed to rev things up, decking out their already dynamic formula with their Xbox One sequels.
By the time they churned out the 4th iteration to this renowned series in 2018, the studio had honed and fleshed out this foundation to near perfection. Thanks to the vast, vibrant environments, tons of diverse content, and near-photorealistic visuals, gamers could experience this thrilling racer in its most enhanced, realistic form ever.
Despite the wealth of exciting gameplay Forza 4 offers though, there’s bound to be a yearning for some similar racers and driving games, of which there isn’t a huge amount. But that’s where we come in!
With this list, we’ll cover some of the best examples of quality driving romps that ring similar to Playground’s exhilarating racer in one form or another. We’ll mainly be stressing games with open-world settings, but also on Horizon 4‘s other appealing traits like earning points for skilled driving.
Updated January 8th, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Playground Games has mastered the art of crafting arcade racers, with the Forza Horizon franchise representing the subgenre at its best on consoles. Set in and around Edinburgh, Forza Horizon 4 features an immaculately designed open-world that expertly mimics reality in its aesthetic but not its driving physics. As realistic as the graphics might be, the game itself is wacky in the best possible way. While still active, Forza Horizon 4 has been out for more than two years, so it might be time to take a short break from Playground’s masterpiece. Fortunately, there are plenty of good arcade racers out there that should be able to scratch a similar itch.
15 Driver: San Francisco
Featuring a comatose protagonist with the ability to possess most drivers in the game’s titular city, Driver: San Francisco uses its absurd central mechanic to craft one of the most insane and freeing racers ever conceived.
While the central plot is nothing to write home about, the “Shift” system is a godsend that turns the game’s open-world into the ultimate sandbox. Driver: San Francisco could have benefitted from having more missions or side content, but this arcade racer can easily match Forza Horizon 4 when it comes to sheer madness.
14 Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Rockstar might be mostly known for its story-driven epics, but the studio used to have a racing franchise in its back pocket. Midnight Club was a staple of the console racing scene for close to a decade, with Los Angeles being its final entry.
A challenging arcade racer with visuals that still look decent in 2021, Midnight Club: Los Angeles gets its handling spot on, with each of its 40+ vehicles feeling unique. Rockstar’s expertise in crafting immersive open-worlds is on full display here, as the game’s Los Angeles is a sight to behold and experience.
13 Grid
With the F1 and Dirt games, Codemasters has cemented itself as perhaps the definitive racing developer of the last few years. The Grid series is not quite as consistent as the studio’s flagship properties, but all four of its entries should be able to find a home with arcade racing fans. Grid (2019) is a decent place to start, while Nintendo Switch owners can do much worse than Grid Autosport. 2008’s Race Driver: Grid is also still fantastic.
The Grid games lack Forza Horizon 4‘s explorative map, as the series utilizes an events-based structure that is split into different categories and disciplines. What Codemaster’s franchise delivers is some of the most thrilling and frantic races of its genre, all framed through an accessible Career mode that covers a respectable range of vehicles.
12 Need for Speed Heat
EA’s Need for Speed spent the eighth console generation treading water, as newer entries struggled to live up to the property’s reputation. Need for Speed Heat is far from the series’ greatest achievement, but it represents a solid step in the right direction.
Palm City, which is inspired by Miami, is the star of the show here. The world reflects the in-your-face nature synonymous with Need for Speed‘s most recent entries, and the game uses a day/night cycle to great effect. The handling is unsurprisingly very responsive, which is to be expected of EA’s license.
11 Test Drive Unlimited 2
Released in 2011, Test Drive Unlimited 2 primarily takes place on the island of Ibiza, a playground that proves to be a splendid setting for an open-world racer. While the game’s servers have long since closed down, Test Drive Unlimited 2 is not devoid of single-player content, making it a worthwhile purchase more than a decade after its release.
Test Drive Unlimited 2 is not quite as satisfying to play as Forza Horizon 4, mainly due to its handling being a touch more frustrating to master. However, this ambitious project can be rewarding for those willing to invest the time.
10 RISE: Race The Future
Similar to open-world racing games, futuristic arcade racers aren’t easy to come by – but this high-intensity romp has you covered.
Like the Horizon series – with perhaps a tinge of F-Zero – this thrilling racer contains a healthy dose of adrenaline-pumping speed and chaos. This title stresses arcade-style sensibilities rather than the tougher, more nuanced mechanics of a racing sim. While it isn’t open-world, the ability to floor it to absurd speeds and pull off feats like speeding through water is reminiscent of Horizon‘s crazy action-hero moments.
9 Just Cause 4
Avalanche Studios’ Just Cause series largely did to the action genre what Playground did for racers – adding depth and offering expansive environments, granting the player greater freedom. This delightful action romp uses a sophisticated system of physics, thanks to the studio’s refined Apex engine, which sets the foundation for a deep experience.
Like Horizon, players can control a wide variety of diverse vehicles and wreak havoc on their surroundings. Unlike that racing-centric title, though, the latest installment of Just Cause blends in tons of other activities and mechanics as well.
You can cobble together various vehicles and gadgets, engage in shooting missions, or fly around in your exhilarating wingsuit. Just watch out for the weather conditions, which can turn from sunshine to an ominous storm quite quickly!
8 Forza Motorsport 4
This marks another more traditional racer; one that’s more similar to Forza Horizon in its branding and themes than content.
Still, it would seem fitting for fans to take the original that birthed Horizon for a spin. Not only do you get to drive many familiar cars which have been recycled for the Horizon games, but you also get that same sense of speed and solid mechanics that are both accessible and deep. It also has traces of Horizon 4‘s semi-RPG system of xp, and comes with solid online options.
Turn 10 Studios has cranked out a whopping 7 iterations of this renowned racing sim, but fans tend to gravitate towards this 4th entry, pointing to it as the pinnacle overall. Despite being on the Xbox 360, it also still holds up visually today.
7 Grand Theft Auto V
It’s hard to talk about open-world games without mentioning one of the pioneers in this evolutionary style of software, Rockstar Games. GTA has long served as their iconic, defining franchise, and the 5th iteration of this massive series is at its visual and mechanical best here.
While you’ll be getting into quite a few shenanigans that expand beyond driving, you’ll certainly be spending a lot of time flying down the highways and crashing through crowded streets. Though it’s now several years old, GTAV‘s sleek, cinematic presentation still shines, and the vast, detailed environments to play around in still prove impressive today.
6 Burnout 3: Takedown
The Burnout series can somewhat be described as a more chaotic and destructive version of Horizon. While you’ll similarly be racking up streams of points for pulling off stunts, Burnout 3 encourages more than just flashy driving. Rather than evading cars and obstacles, the premise of this game actually revolves around causing damage (in addition to near misses) and triggering Michael Bay-style explosions.
The series as a whole has been renowned for its thrilling arcade-like gameplay and swift speeds. Yet, this 3rd entry from ’04 is typically looked at as peak Burnout, with its more accessible boost power, a slew of fun modes like Crash, and its satisfying new Takedown feature that rewards you for shunting foes.
5 Project Cars 2
Like Horizon 4, the refined, bombastic Project Cars felt like a revolutionary step in deep, immersive racers. When it comes to epic racers, this late 2017 release is one of the few that can really go toe-to-toe with Playground Games’ latest project from a technical standpoint. Not only this, but the leap in quality from the more flawed Project Cars 1 is significant, to say the least.
Those looking for the deep, expansive gameplay of the open-world Horizon 4 in racing sim form need look no further than Slightly Mad Studios’ project. You’ve got the Horizon-esque array of cars and events, dynamic weather, and tightened driving mechanics.
It looks simply gorgeous on PS4 and Xbox One, yet a high-end gaming PC can really allow this visual marvel to shine.
4 Forza Horizon
What better alternative for Horizon 4 fans to try than the 2012 game that started it all? While the 2nd and 3rd entries in this franchise provide similar thrills and even greater visuals, this more humble originator makes for an enthralling ride through time. Despite being more limited by its 360 hardware, the slick visuals of the colorful Colorado landscapes and smooth animation still dazzle to this day.
Not only does this open-world experience provide you with tons to do flying solo, but it’s been regarded by many fans as having the most enjoyable online modes in the series, with games like Cat and Mouse.
3 The Crew
We’ve established that there’s quite a bit to sink your tire treads into when playing FH4 solo. Yet, what captivates a great number of fans is the game’s constant stream of thrilling new online content. Those who enjoy this aspect of the game would do well to give this huge online-only racer a spin.
One of the most impressive aspects in The Crew is that its environments expand the length of the US, being split into 5 distinct regions of the country. Much like FH4, you can traverse the array of colorful areas and tackle events (with both AI and human opponents) at your discretion. You’ve also got some light, but rewarding RPG elements throughout, feeding you cash prizes and upgrades.
2 Need For Speed Underground 2
We’re taking our time-traveling DeLorean way back for this one, at least compared to the other flashier, more modern racers on our list. Released in 2004, this arcade racer from EA Black Box was a great leap compared to its predecessor and for the genre as a whole. It was among the first driving-centric games to implement a more free-flowing sandbox environment, and it pulls it off quite well.
Need for Speed Underground 2 is chock full of depth and exciting action. It features a myriad of game modes including Circuit Races, Outrun, Drift Races, and the new “Street X.” Though the blockier visuals and cheap physics haven’t aged too well, Horizon 4 fans should enjoy the similarly thrilling, diverse gameplay.
1 Burnout Paradise
Similar to Forza Motorsport, the Burnout series was also given its own more grandiose, expansive spinoff. Impressively, Burnout Paradise predates the flashier Forza Horizon 4 by over a decade – but you wouldn’t know it from its in-depth gameplay and massive environments. The game is largely a more punishing take on the formula, as you won’t be able to “rewind” when inevitably veering off-course, and you’ll have to hang on to damages your car sustains up to a certain point.
Still, it’s these more realistic elements that make BP more thrilling; a fact which fans were reminded of following the remaster released by Stellar Entertainment in 2018. With a smooth 60FPS and crisp 4k visual enhancements, this classic can be enjoyed in its best form yet.
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