Forza Horizon 5 rewinds the clock with some 90s classics and new ways to earn old reward cars

Image of Forza Horizon 5 'Back to the 90s'.
Four cars are being pulled straight from the 90s and added to Forza Horizon 5. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • Playground Games has revealed the 'Back to the 90s' update for Forza Horizon 5.
  • This update features four classics from the 90s, but also a new feature for car collectors.
  • Horizon Backstage is returning, allowing you to add previous exclusive Festival Playlist reward cars to your garage.
  • There are also plenty of fixes and some new achievements for the Hide and Seek game mode.

Playground Games has announced the plan for 2024's spooky season, and it's sadly not a horror-themed update for Forza Horizon 5 (maybe we'll see it at the end of the month). Still, we do have news on what the next release will be for FHD, and it's dubbed 'Back to the 90s.' Yup, it's another nostalgia-filled update, but how exciting this release is will depend on who you ask.

Forza Horizon 5: Let's ¡GO! - Back to the 90's - YouTube Forza Horizon 5: Let's ¡GO! - Back to the 90's - YouTube
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The update news comes courtesy of the latest Forza Let's Go! stream from Playground Games, and lets us know that a variety of fixes and improvements, four new 90s-era cars, and a returning feature that car collectors will love are all heading to Forza Horizon 5 across Xbox and PC in the near future.

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A way to catch up on what you missed

If you really want, this 90s-themed outfit will definitely make you stand out. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the meat of today's announcement. Here's what's coming in the Forza Horizon 5 'Back to the 90s' update.

  • Four new reward cars. As always, four new cars are joining the Forza Horizon 5 car list, and they all share a common theme. Can you guess what it is?
    • 1990 Aston Martin Lagonda
    • 1996 Subaru SVX
    • 1997 Toyota Soarer 2.5 GT-T
    • 1998 Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R
  • Horizon Backstage. A fan-favorite feature is also returning with Horizon Backstage coming to Forza Horizon 5. This feature will allow players to claim previous Festival Playlist exclusive reward cars they missed and add them to their collection.
    • The Horizon Backstage rotates on a weekly basis, normally showcasing two cars
    • The community will vote on one of two pairs each week to be featured
    • At first, though, six cars will be available through the Horizon Backstage shop
    • Players will need Backstage Passes, a new in-game currency, to purchase these cars
    • One Backstage Pass will be offered as a Seasonal Reward each week, and players can also purchase one other Pass for 1,000 Forzathon Points each week
  • New achievements. Forza Horizon 5 recently got a Hide and Seek mode, and in addition to a bevy of fixes and other changes Playground Games is adding five new achievements (worth a combined 130 Gamerscore) related to the game mode.
  • A new Festival Playlist and more. The Festival Playlist is, of course, getting a makeover with the Back to the 90s update, with a ton of themed challenges, events, and races.
    • Players will also be able to hunt down the new VHS Collectible, unlock the 90s Cosmetic Outfit, and earn up to three new Badges

That's it! The Back to the 90s update joins the more modest releases we've seen for Forza Horizon 5 recently, and there's no new Car Pack DLC to add even more vehicles to the car list. Hopefully, we'll see some more exciting updates for FH5 in the future, but this will still be a great update moving forward for those eager to fill out their collection with all the cars they missed.

It also gives the community some more control over the Festival Playlist Seasonal reward cars, since the one that was normally a "random" car will now be a Backstage Pass for the cars the community votes on. I'm glad there are now achievements for the Hide and Seek mode, too, as it felt odd when none were added alongside the new game mode. In any case, the Forza Horizon 5 'Back to the 90s' update will be dropping soon, and its Festival Playlist will be kicking off soon after.

If you're curious what's coming next, Playground Games teased the 'Horizon Track Day' update coming next month, which will feature new cars, cosmetics, collectibles, and EventLab props.

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.