Xbox's take over of PlayStation continues with Forza Horizon 5's Microsoft account requirement — but why?

File this under S for "Shocking," but it turns out that Forza Horizon 5 has a Microsoft Account requirement on PlayStation 5.

A few weeks ago, we revealed that Forza Horizon 5 was set to be the next Xbox exclusive making the jump to PlayStation, joining Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Age of Empires, Sea of Thieves, and various others. I've detailed how going forward, Xbox console exclusives will be the exception rather than the rule, with even games like Halo and Gears of War set for a PS5 version in the future.

Xbox fans continue to debate what this means for Xbox console hardware (and I should have something on that next week ...), but how can Xbox sustain its hardware and its audience footprint for developers without its own exclusive games? Xbox lead Phil Spencer says he wants Xbox hardware to win on differentiation, with unique features, such as things like Xbox Game Pass and, doubtless, some form of Xbox AI integration next gen. Whether or not that strategy wins out remains to be seen, but one strategy that doubtless will win out is how Xbox is handling games like Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5.

As of writing, Forza Horizon 5 is one of the most pre-ordered games on PS5, as Sony fans line up to take the world's most popular and iconic racing franchise to the next level. Beyond the sheer masses of cash PlayStation fans are about to send to Microsoft, a potentially more intriguing long-term strategy is coalescing for Xbox here.

The Microsoft Account trojan horse

As spotted by our friends (except Nick) at XboxEra, Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 has an Xbox / Microsoft Account requirement. Microsoft's north star with its gaming operation is engagement above all right now, following Tencent's free-to-play heavy model. Forza Horizon 5 is, of course, not the first Xbox game on PlayStation to require a Microsoft Account. Sea of Thieves was one, and other titles like Minecraft Dungeons also lit up additional features by linking an Xbox account.

The thought process here is that, by simple virtue of having a Microsoft account, it should produce a halo effect over Microsoft's engagement goals. Simply having an account functions as a "foot in the door" to other Microsoft services, including Xbox and PC Game Pass, but even over to things like Microsoft Rewards, Bing, Edge, OneDrive, and more. You can expect Microsoft to wield its account requirement as a "trojan horse" of sorts in a bid to truly transform PlayStation into an Xbox with blue branding. The vast majority of users probably already have a Microsoft account anyway, given that Windows 10 and 11 don't exactly make it easy to use without having one.

"Do I need a Microsoft account to play Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5?" the official Forza Horizon 5 FAQ reads, "Yes," it answers. "In addition to a PSN account you’ll need to link to a Microsoft account in order to play Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. This process begins the first time you start up the game on your console." However, despite linking accounts, it seems you won't be able to access your save files from PC or Xbox on PlayStation. The goal here is new users, in essence, rather than simply giving existing users an additional place to play. Although it's plenty likely that Forza Horizon 6 could launch on PS5, Xbox, and Windows PC out of the gate complete with cross-progression.

What's also probably likely is how Microsoft expands its account profiling system across properties it purchased with Activision-Blizzard. It's not a stretch to imagine that, eventually, Battle.net accounts for WoW and Diablo, and Activision accounts for Call of Duty, will eventually merge into Microsoft accounts. Microsoft did the same with Minecraft a few years ago, merging Minecraft accounts more closely into the Microsoft ecosystem.

More accounts under one umbrella creates more opportunities to convert those players into users of other Microsoft services — which underpins Microsoft's high level strategy. Where all of this leaves Xbox's existing hardware platform, though, remains to be seen.

Forza Horizon 5 launches on PlayStation 5 on April 25, 2025 for $70. You can create a Microsoft account for free here, although existing Outlook.com accounts, Onedrive accounts, Office accounts, Windows accounts, or indeed, Xbox accounts, all count as a "Microsoft account" you can use for Forza.