I’ve been playing the new Forza Motorsport preview these past couple of weeks and, in the wake of our developer interview with Turn 10, I wanted to share my own impressions on the game. After all, Forza 2023 has been in development longer than any prior entry in the Motorsport series and expectations are high. The preview build only includes a limited selection of content but it’s enough to give us a better idea of how it’s shaping up on Xbox Series X and Series S in terms of graphics, gameplay and performance.
The current preview build includes access to three cars and five tracks, and kicks off with an introduction segment in the spirit of Forza Horizon – where you’re dropped right in the middle of a race in progress across two different tracks. It’s nowhere near as seamless at Horizon, mind you, as there is a distinct loading point between the two events, but it’s still a great way to kick things off and really showcases what the engine is capable of.
The first race takes place on series staple Maple Valley, and this is perhaps the best-looking track we’ve seen thus far. The new dynamic lighting system combined with the 3D foliage makes a world of difference creating a sleek, gorgeous track environment to race through. Compared against Forza Motorsport 7, the differences become evident – Forza 7’s lighting is entirely baked and, while it can look amazing, the limitations are easily visible. The car sticks out and isn’t well integrated into the environment, versus the new installment where everything is more grounded.
