Colin McRae's Ford Focus RS kicks up dust as it blasts down a dirt trail in Sierra Nueva, surrounded by rocky terrain covered in greenery.
Horizon brush

Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure Available March 29

23 February 2023- Playground Games
Kick up the dust in Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure, the second expansion coming to Forza Horizon 5 on March 29, 2023.

Are you ready for the ultimate Horizon Rally experience? Today on the Forza Horizon 5 Let’s ¡GO! livestream, our friends at Playground Games introduced the community to the second Forza Horizon 5 expansion that we’re calling Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure, coming on March 29 to Xbox consoles, PC on Windows and Steam, and Cloud Gaming (Beta).

Pack your bags, because we’re driving to an entirely new location: the rugged and biome diverse Sierra Nueva, home to the dustiest and dirtiest races we’ve ever hosted at the Horizon Festival.

Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure is included in the Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-ons Bundle, the Premium Edition and Expansions Bundle. It’s also available for standalone purchase at $19.99.

Kick up the Dust!

Welcome to Horizon Rally! Your first choice? Pick a team. You might notice some familiar faces. Alex is leading the Horizon Raptors to break new limits in Dirt and Offroad events; Ramiro is steering the Grit Reapers to defy nature’s unpredictability in street-style Night Rally; while finally, Alejandra is guiding the Apex Predators to master the technical, high-speed Asphalt Rally.

Colin McRae's Ford Focus RS kicks up the mud alongside the orange Hoonigan Baja Beetle as they race towards the Horizon Festival's drone lighting show under the spotlight of the Horizon Rally Helicopter at night time.

Once the paperwork is signed, you’ll compete in eight races with your team of choice with PR Stunts along the way before taking on the leader in an epic Ambassador Race. Take the lead across all three teams to unlock a special Goliath route.

Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure features the largest number of racing events of any Horizon expansion, and these are spread across dirt, asphalt and challenging night races featuring timed point-to-point Horizon Rally stages and traditional multi-car Horizon Races. Across these events, you’ll hear navigator callouts from your co-driver, who follows the action from the Horizon Rally Helicopter, which features a dynamic night-time spotlight to improve your visibility in rally events taking place after sunset.

Several vehicles drive across an asphalt road as the sky is filled with pink and orange hues to compliment the sunset. The Horizon Rally Helicopter is flying above the vehicles.

When in a Horizon Rally event, you will see a selection of new HUD elements which can be toggled on or off. These include a mini leaderboard showing your position relative to the other drivers who you're competing against, a notification pop-up which appears at each timed split-gate to show whether you have improved, maintained or lost positions, and new icons representing the pace notes called by the co-driver throughout the route. It will also be possible to disable the ‘Driving Line' just for Horizon Rally events, allowing for a more authentic and challenging Rally experience!

Discover Sierra Nueva

Get ready to experience the most extreme off-road adventure ever seen in Forza Horizon.

Several vehicles kick up dust as they drive through rugged terrain with the white and orange Horizon Rally Helicopter spectating the action from above.

Sierra Nueva features miles of our most exciting driving roads, full of unpredictable turns with steep inclines, blind crests and thrilling asphalt jumps, as well as rugged deformable sand roads interwoven with pre-deformed tire tracks. Massive dust trails kicked up by every car in the pack will allow rally drivers to feel the heat while listening to a punk soundtrack, courtesy of our friends at Epitaph Radio.

We know the question on your mind is “what new locations will I be able to discover in this expansion?” Sierra Nueva features a range of biomes to explore including the town of Pueblo Artza, a huge Abandoned Quarry perfect for some Gymkhana action, epic deformable Sand Dunes, the tight and twisting Desert Gorge, rolling Green Hills, and an entirely smashable Palm Forest.

Several cars and buggies drive through the town of Pueblo Artza with orange and white Horizon Festival race flags, as well as orange, yellow and white buildings, rocky terrain in the background, and a helicopter in the sky.

With the release of Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure, we’ll be expanding our roster of EventLab props with a selection of new objects including branded barriers, flags and civilian vehicles, allowing you to build new races which capture the look and feel of a Horizon Rally event! These will be available for all Forza Horizon 5 players, regardless of whether they own the new expansion.

Build Your Rally Monster

To inspire you to create the rally machine that you’ve always dreamt of, we’re introducing all-new rally parts and an anti-lag system with spectacular flame effects and fire-cracker audio! Launch control has also been added as a new assist for all cars, ensuring you can pull off that perfect rally start.

Group of buggies parked on a dirt trail in the palm tree forest. One buggy features a blue and white livery, another features mostly grey tones. Up ahead the blue Ford Lightning can be seen and the orange Hoonigan Baja Beetle.

Ready to kick up a massive dust storm? Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure introduces 10 incredible new-to-Forza cars, all specialized for the extreme off-road nature of Sierra Nueva where you can push each one to the limit in our most thrilling, fun and authentic race routes yet!

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum

The Ford F-150 Lightning in a lightning inspired blue, red and white livery drives past solar panels kicks up the dust surrounded by vast terrain. The Horizon Rally Helicopter can be seen above it.

Who said an all-electric off-roader couldn’t be fast? Built to overcome the most extreme terrain in a smooth, agile and quiet manner, the all-wheel drive Ford F-150 Lightning is the ideal vehicle to conquer Sierra Nueva. With a 131-kWh lithium-ion battery unleashing 580 horses and 775 lb-ft of torque, this electric truck has the prowess to carry a payload weighing up to 1,656 pounds (about 751.15 kg) and even tow 8,600 pounds (about 3900.89 kg)! It also sports a unique multi-link suspension with coil springs so it can adapt to the most rugged terrain, while from standstill, it can reach 60mph in just four seconds with a top speed of 110mph. What’s more, Ford has embraced the benefits of an EV to improve on the truck’s usability, incorporating well-thought-out design features like several domestic plugs in the frunk and bed, as well as rules and vice mounts. Step into the cabin of the mighty Lightning and once you’re on the throttle, you’ll soon realize there’s nothing else quite like it!

1973 Hoonigan Volkswagen Baja Beetle Class 5/1600 'Scumbug'

A Volkswagen Baja Beetle with a Hoonigan orange striped livery drives in front of a blue buggy on a dirt trail with a clear blue sky in the background.

Located a mere 48 hours from the Baja 1000, back in 2017, the Hoonigan crew purchased the cheapest Baja buggy they could find, a beat-up 1973 Volkswagen Beetle fittingly named the 'Scumbug' that cost them only $2,500! After a complete teardown to replace the worn out and broken parts, the car was significantly overhauled and rebuilt to follow the Baja 1000 from the chase roads. You can witness the journey of restoring this car to its former glory documented in a lighthearted series on the Hoonigan YouTube channel. With grippy tires made to take on the toughest terrain, a large flat drag racing spoiler to keep aerodynamics in check for the off-road action, upgraded fog lights for maximum visibility and a spectacular eye-catching orange gloss finish, the 'Scumbug' is undoubtedly one of Hoonigan’s most unique and respected project vehicles ever.

2001 Ford #4 Ford Focus RS

Colin McRae's Ford Focus RS kicks up dust with smashable palm trees and rocky terrain in the background.

Driven by a renowned icon of rally, the legendary Colin McRae, this Ford Focus RS is an engineering marvel. With Ford considered one of the successful competitors in the World Rally Championship since its 1978 debut, and McRae becoming the name to watch after racking up several victories and podium results, the two would join forces in 1999 and together achieve nine rally victories with 16 podium finishes, all while behind the wheel of the Focus RS. Forza Horizon 5 fans can look forward to the 2001 spec, which led to McRae securing the runner-up position in the highly contested driver’s championship of that year. There were many Focus models built for this season; the car we sourced, F5 FMC, was suddenly retired after the devastating Rally France incident in Corsica, and it would only be restored to its former glory years later following the unfortunate passing of McRae in 2007.

Refurbished by its original team members and later purchased by DirtFish owner Steve Rimmer, this truly special rally machine features a highly customized engine based on those found in the roadgoing Focus cars, a turbocharged 2.0-liter, inline 4 cylinder, 16 valve Duratec. The numbers it achieves are astonishing; 300 horsepower, 406 lb-ft of torque, 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds and it weighs only 2,700 pounds (about 1225 kg). This Focus RS utilizes a suspension system from Reiger Rally, which remains a popular choice for rally cars even to this day, and when paired with an advanced active all-wheel drive system, it just rips, especially around the untamed spaces of Sierra Nueva. In the real world, the car resides at the DirtFish showroom, but thanks to Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure, you too can experience all the incredible capabilities of this Focus RS and share an appreciation for its everlasting heritage.

2022 Alumicraft #6165 Trick Truck

The Alumicraft Trick Truck drives through a town side by side with a blue Fastball Racing truck. Orange and red brick buildings can be seen behind them.

If you’re a race team in the market for a new off-road truck, look no further than Alumicraft. Their engineers have built a singular truck chassis with a custom engine fine-tuned to suit the needs of the team placing the order. While power output will vary based on the spec required, this truck class can drive 525 horsepower with 24 inches of front travel and a massive 30 inches in the rear. Make no doubt, this specialized trophy truck gives the word unlimited an entirely new meaning and is the perfect choice for driving up massive clouds of dust out in the wilds of Sierra Nueva.

2021 Polaris RZR Pro XP Factory Racing Limited Edition

A black and red Polaris RZR Pro XP Factory Racing buggy drives towards some abandoned warehouses in the quarry.

Fully equipped to take on the legendary 5000-mile Dakar event, considered by many as the harshest, most-demanding race in the world, the RZR Pro XP is a proven success story for Polaris after winning the Baja 1000, Baja 500 and the UTV World Championships. Built using durable and performant parts like the turbocharged twin cylinder Pro Star engine, this highly adaptable buggy reaches over 80mph with a custom ECU by Motec that ensures optional performance while the rear-mounted radiator with its custom roof scoop maximizes airflow even in the most challenging conditions. Jimco Racing provided the custom homologated chassis, while the 96-inch wheelbase, custom suspension system and four-corner hydraulic disc brakes allow this RZR Pro XP to perform at its best on even the most extreme terrain.

2020 Jimco #179 Hammerhead Class 1

A red and black Jimco Hammerhead buggy pulls a wheelie on a dirt trail.

The Hammerhead. Quite possibly the best name for a vehicle, ever. It adapts the most profound features of the modern-day trophy truck into the chassis of a Class 1 racecar with increased front-wheel travel, a steering box with a higher turning radius, and improved suspension so there’s no off-road trail too challenging. In the years prior to the Hammerhead, Jimco had already dominated Class 1 racing, however in the world of motorsports – including off-road championships – there’s no opportunity to slow down, especially when the dirt, dust, sand and rocks are as fearsome as your competitors. What’s new in the Hammerhead? With a mid-engine redesign from Dougan’s Racing to adjust the vehicle’s weight for improved handling and cornering, new carbon fiber race seats, upgraded electronics and 850 horses on standby, the Hammerhead makes all the noise its name would suggest with the performance to rival all its competitors.

2019 Jimco #240 Fastball Racing Spec Trophy Truck

A Jimco truck sporting a blue Fastball Racing livery kicks up dust and leaves behind tire tracks in the deformable sand dunes.

In 2019, Bobby Patton, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and lover of everything off-road racing, signed a deal with Jimco to build a highly outfitted Trophy Truck inspired by his favorite baseball team. With a Score Spec LS3 Motor by Danzio Performance under the hood and a 3 Speed Turbo 400 by Gearworks, the Fastball Spec Trophy Truck attacks its terrain with ease and drives up all the dirt and dust you’d expect from such an acquainted off-road machine. With the body of a Ford Raptor, customized by Jimco, and massive 40-inch tires with 26-inches of wheel travel on the front and 32-inches on the rear, the Fastball features all the flexibility essential for taking on the deadliest of environmental conditions. All while repping an instantly recognizable “Dodger Blue” livery. Buckle up, because in Sierra Nueva, this one is guaranteed to be wild and a whole lot of fun!

2019 Casey Currie Motorsports #4402 Ultra 4 'Trophy Jeep'

A Casey Currie Motorsports buggy with its headlights turned on is seen parked on top of gravel in an eerie setting with a green tint and orange aura.

What happens when you toss a custom-built LS based Crate GM engine into the chassis of a buggy? Meet the Trophy Jeep, an off roader that can blast through the most rugged environments with 850 horsepower and an impressive 19 inches of spring travel, ensuring even the rockiest and most unexpecting terrain can be approached in confidence. Driven by Cody Currie in the Baja 1000, the Trophy Jeep managed to finish the dirtiest off-road event on the calendar in 19 hours and 43 minutes. With an ultra-compact and fully hydraulic IFS steering system complete with independent suspension on the front and rear axle and a fully adjustable chassis, this truly unique buggy is invited to take on its next challenge: the unpredictable rally raids of Sierra Nueva.

2021 RJ Anderson #37 Polaris RZR Pro 4 Truck

A RJ Anderson truck with a white, blue and red livery races on a dirt trail, closely followed by a blue Jimco truck.

At first glance, these Pro Trucks may look remarkably close to Trophy Trucks, however there are several key differences that make them their own class of off-roading beast. First, they are slightly smaller and lighter, set up with a handling model that’s prime for driving steadfast and pushing through large ruts and bumps. They also have less travel and focus on droop travel to keep the wheels steady on the ground, especially over surprising drops. As for the Pro 4 class specifically, these are built for short course closed circuit racing prominently filled with jumps, bumps, woops and berms. The “4” refers to the all-wheel drive system, which makes these the fastest short course trucks. While the power output is considered unlimited, in this case we’re pushing 850 brake horsepower, which makes the AWD layout a necessity.

2021 Alumicraft #122 Class 1 Buggy

An Alumicraft buggy with a blue and white livery drives past a grandstand with spectators in the Palm Forest.

With an astonishing 22 inches of front travel and 23 inches in the rear, the Alumicraft #122 Class 1 Buggy is primed for the most extreme off-road adventure. Teams who order this chassis from Alumicraft can choose which engine to fit, so in Forza Horizon 5, we opted for the Chevy LS3 which produces an approximate 500 horsepower to the rear wheels. Considering this buggy weighs in at 3748 pounds (about 1700 kg), that’s more than enough performance to blast through even the tallest of sand dunes with style.

GET READY TO RALLY

Feel the intensity in Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure when the expansion launches on March 29! Now is the time to ensure you have everything you need to conquer the rugged Sierra Nueva.

Birds eye view of two buggies creating tire tracks and kicking up massive dust trails in the smooth sandy desert.

If you already own the Forza Horizon 5 Premium Add-ons Bundle, the Premium Edition, or Expansions Bundle, then you’re already sorted! Don’t have Premium? Upgrade to the Premium Add-ons Bundle and enjoy immediate access to Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels, VIP, Car Pass and Welcome Pack, and you’ll be all set for Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure.

How else can you prepare? Start building your rally cars today so you’re ready to push them to the limit! If you need help choosing a car or installing upgrades, the Forza community has you covered with their approachable and pro-level Tuning Setups shared in-game and informative video guides uploaded on YouTube. Take a moment to search “Forza Horizon 5 best rally cars” to get started!

A buggy with a red, black and white livery attempts to catch up to several other vehicles. It is driving under a Horizon Badlands sign on a dirt track.

Our next Forza Horizon 5 series is the Horizon Wilds Takeover, which starts on Thursday, March 2, and with its off-road and stunt driving focus, this will be a perfect proving ground to experiment with new rally tunes ahead of the expansion release. See you there!