What you need to know
- Lego Speed Champions will be available on June 13.
- New world full of Lego-specific challenges.
- New cars include a Lego McLaren Senna and Mini Cooper S.
- Lego cars and regular cars can race together.
The long-awaited second expansion pack for Forza Horizon 4 has finally been revealed for a June 13 launch. Lego Speed Champions is a very different prospect to the first expansion, Fortune Island, thanks in no small part to the licensed tie-up with Lego.
It's not the first time the Forza Horizon series has gone somewhere bizarre, the previous game had a Hot Wheels expansion with a world map that looked like a giant playset.
Here's what we know about it so far.
Everything is awesome
So, what can we expect from what's clearly a pretty sharp departure from the existing game? In some cases, business as usual. Despite the Lego-themed world, Speed Champions will experience the exact same weekly seasonal changes as both the base game and Fortune Island, with weekly challenges to go with them.
It's the world itself where the biggest changes will happen:
In an all-new valley filed with LEGO brick structures, find out how fast you can go around the Falcon Speedway and how far you can jump in the fun-filled Super Mega Awesome Adventure Stunt Park. Experience how seasons change a Lego city, airport, UFO crash site, pirate cove and more.
Given the destructible nature of the Forza Horizon world already, the addition of Lego bricks is sure to make for an interesting experience.
We're also going to have an entirely new set of challenges to play through specific to Lego. The Lego Brick Challenges reward exploration, and as you collect more you can apparently become a master builder and construct a house befitting of one.
There are also new destruction and speed ramp challenges included along the same vein as the current PR stunts. And who doesn't want to visit the Super Mega Awesome Adventure Stunt Park? Sounds wild.
All new, all Lego cars
What expansion would be complete without some new cars to go with it? Lego is no stranger to producing its own versions of famous cars for people to build, and in Speed Champions, we'll be able to drive some of them.
So far we've seen Lego versions of the main game's cover car, the McLaren Senna, the Ferrari F40 Competitizone and the 1967 Mini Cooper S Rally.
What's more is that these cars aren't siloed to the expansion, likewise the game's existing cars don't seem to be locked out of it. The first trailer shows both Lego cars and regular cars racing side by side. So next time you pull up at the drag strip you could well see a Lego McLaren pull up next to you.
Playground Games has also ensured that the Lego cars still feel like they belong in Horizon when you're driving along. Even though they're not real, the Lego cars drive as if they were, so the experience is consistent throughout.
Build a house and explore the world
In the base game you buy houses around the map, but in Lego Speed Champions you have to build one, of course. To build a house requires bricks, and earning bricks means completing the game's Brick Challenges.
The idea isn't foreign to a Forza Horizon 4 player and vary in difficulty and reward. Some are as easy to complete as just visiting set locations on the map, while others are time and objective based.
The more bricks you earn the bigger the house you can build, until the grand goal of becoming a Master Builder.
The map in Lego Speed Champions is also absolutely glorious. It was constructed from scratch using a Lego design tool, and the attention to detail on both it and the cars is insane. Playground Games captured not only the genuine look and feel of the cars and the world, but how Lego pieces fall apart when you crash.
There's also a new radio station in the game, Radio Awesome. And it plays "Everything is Awesome" on repeat, so there's that. Your kids might enjoy it more than you. And definitely more than the radio station DJs, who sound increasingly drained by the constant, never-ending repeat.
Available very soon, a free update for Ultimate Edition
Beyond the reveal, the biggest surprise was that it's available so soon. Lego Speed Champions will be arriving in Forza Horizon 4 on June 13, mere days after its announcement.
It'll cost $19.99 on its own, but will come as a free update to anyone with the Ultimate Edition of the game or the Ultimate Add-ons package. If you already paid for the Expansions Bundle, you too will get it for no additional charge.
If you want to jump in and play on launch day, it's available to pre-load right now.
Is the Forza Horizon 4 Expansions Bundle worth it?
Still the king of open world racers
If you still haven't dropped into Forza Horizon 4 yet, it's never a bad time. With regular updates and fresh challenges, this big open world always has something to entertain.
Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories
Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.
PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)
This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.
ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)
This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.
Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)
Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.
