Forza Motorsport looks stunning in gameplay demo

Forza Motorsport SGF 2022
(Image credit: Turn 10)

Microsoft has revealed the new Forza Motorsport and it is utterly gorgeous, making full use of new technologies like raytracing to make one of the most stunning racers around. But the additions are more than skin deep.

As part of its Xbox and Bethesda Showcase, Microsoft revealed the latest entry in its more sim-focused racing series Forza Motorsport. It’s dropped the numbers from its title, reflecting that it’s a new era for the series on Xbox Series X.

As well as a trailer for the racing game, which you can watch below, developer Turn 10 Studios broke down some of the key advances of this entry.

The most obvious changes are the graphical advances. Turn 10 is using raytracing in Forza Motorsport to convey details such as cars reflecting the paintwork of other cars, and photogrammetry and 3D rendering to create hyper-realistic environments and vegetation. 

However, another big advance is the new dynamic time feature. As you race you will see the time of day change, the sun going down and shadows growing longer. This has a visual change, with things like race lights turning on and, in the track we were being shown, which loops around a carnival, the lights of the Ferris wheel turning on. 

But it’s not just a visual change, as the sun goes down, so does the ambient temperature, which means the surface of the track cools, and that has an impact on your car’s grip. It’s a subtle but important change to how you’ll face, especially when you combine it with the dynamic weather and new ability to change your tire composition and fuel mix.

There look to be a lot more in-race decisions you can make from previous games, and that’s a significant change. 

You can see more about it in the gameplay demo:

Microsoft confirmed all the games in its showcase will be playable in the next 12 months so while we didn’t get a release date for Forza Motorsport we won’t have to wait too long.

Julian Benson
Contributor, TechRadar Gaming

Julian's been writing about video games for more than a decade. In that time, he's always been drawn to the strange intersections between gaming and the real world, like when he interviewed a NASA scientist who had become a Space Pope in EVE Online,  or when he traveled to Ukraine to interview game developers involved in the 2014 revolution, or that time he tore his trousers while playing Just Dance with a developer.

Read more
Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5 is heading to PS5 this year with full cross play support, and I couldn’t be happier
Forza Horizon 5 featuring sports cars and a plane
Best racing games 2025: edge of your seat driving experiences
The two protagonists hold up a store
New Xbox Series X games 2025 - the most anticipated Xbox release dates
The Fable 4 protagonist sitting next to a knight, both holding the hilt of a sword
Fable 4 - everything we know about the new Fable game so far
MOZA sim accessories
The cutting-edge controllers that'll make your sim feel incredibly real
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds just got a truckload of new details with a closed network test happening this month
Latest in Xbox
Indiana Jones picks up an ancient relic in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: exhilarating old-school action
An Xbox 360 Rumble Roses XX screenshot.
My Xbox Year in Review 2024 features bangers like Microsoft Flight Simulator and Rumble Roses XX, here's how to see yours
Xbox Series X Digital Edition deal
Stop what you're doing and check out this Xbox Series X Black Friday deal – it probably won't be beaten
The three new Xbox Series console variants on a stand at Gamescom 2024
Where to buy the new Xbox Series X and S consoles - including the gorgeous Galaxy Black 2TB machine
Xbox One and controller
Xbox will 'respect the investments that people have made' and encourage backward compatibility in the future
Microsoft Corp. Xbox Design Lab controllers are displayed during E3
Xbox is already focused on ‘delivering the largest technical leap you will have ever seen in a hardware generation’
Latest in News
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
EA Sports F1 25 promotional image featuring drivers Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
F1 25 has been officially announced, with this year's entry marking a return for Braking Point and a 'significant overhaul' for My Team mode
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game
Robert Downey Jr reveals himself as Doctor Doom to a delighted crowd at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
Marvel is currently revealing the full cast for Avengers: Doomsday, and I think it's going to be a long-winded announcement
Samsung QN90F on yellow background
Samsung announces US prices for its 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, and it’s good and bad news
Nintendo Switch Lite
Forget the Nintendo Switch 2, the original Switch is getting one last hurrah in a surprise Nintendo Direct tomorrow