There's no doubt about it – Forza Horizon 5 is among the best racing games ever! While this Xbox Series console exclusive is incredibly fun, it can make you frustrated in multiple ways. As there are so many activities to complete, you might lose hours on some of them, as they even feel impossible to complete. Also, while dropping down the difficulty is always an option, it completely eliminates the fun. Yet, instead of focusing on obvious tips and tricks, we'll explore those less known but still essential. Though, this isn't a guide on how to get infinite money or unlock the content ASAP. Instead, we'll tell you how to improve your gameplay experience in Forza Horizon 5, with most of these top ten list tips also handy for previous games in the series - even the first one. It doesn't matter if you are a rookie or a vet - these hints will help you!

10. Use Auctions to Save Money

We have over 500 cars in Forza Horizon 5, not even counting the DLC content! Yet not all of them are available in the store (Autoshow), and those that are can be pretty expensive. Luckily, in the Auction House, you can find even the bonus cars (not counting barn finds) and regular ones for a much lower price! In theory, you can purchase a two million credit vehicle very cheaply if you outbid everyone. However, our advice is to go for a buyout. While this option is potentially more expensive, it's almost always cheaper than buying it in Autoshow.

This way, you'll save your in-game credits and time, as there's nothing delightful when you're outbid or, even worse, when someone else uses the buyout option. However, our advice is to obtain the unmodified vehicle, as upgraded ones can be ridiculously expensive. Of course, even the rarest cars in the game are plentiful in Auction House, making the Autoshow irrelevant. Furthermore, we only use it to check out the list of available vehicles and see how much we can save by buying elsewhere.

9. Disable the Damage Model

Contrary to popular belief, Forza Horizon games are still simulations, as their physics are based on the Forza Motorsport series. So if you want a challenge, disable ABS, stability control, traction control, and everything else! However, even if you strive for realism, we think that you'll be happier by disabling the damage model. Yet, this is not at all about saving the good looks of your cherished vehicle but making the game fairer and less frustrating. Plus, the damage mode is limited anyway, so you'll keep going no matter what.

Disabling the damage while cruising is essential, as if you hit anything, you can't do a quick repair. Instead, the damage disappears only in photo mode or if you enter events or choose another vehicle. Furthermore, even when you perform perfect jumps, your car will suffer heavily. Of course, you can make a compromise and enable damage just for the race, but that also doesn't sound fun. Since the AI is so aggressive and races are short, it's impossible to drive cleanly. The opposing vehicles suffer damage, but they are not affected by it anyway. Plus, they like to cheat, as we'll discuss later!

8. Choosing the Right Difficulty

Yes, you know that you can easily tailor the experience in these titles, making it hard or easy. However, while we all have different skill levels, we can still give you some advice. As we mentioned, disabling the damage model is highly recommended, but you should enable Rewind. In Forza Horizon 5, Rewind will not negatively impact the cash you earn in the race, which is the first in the series. This makes it a no-brainer, as even if it's allowed, the hardcore crowd still doesn't have to use it. Yet, since AI cars can drive so dirty and get you out of the race, it might come in handy!

The things are more complicated with the traction control. The truth is, you can safely disable it for most cars, including something like a Ferrari FXX-K. However, some supercars and hypercars are a nightmare to drive as they slide all over. Hence, enabling traction control will make your experience so much better. Finally, let's mention the breaking lines. Personally, we don't ever use them, but if you do, don't just follow them blindly! When the line turns red, you can still wait for half a second or so before braking. If we're talking about a fast turn, you will get away with releasing the gas paddle. Yet, we encourage you to disable this option, even if it's initially helpful.

7. Build your car to the limit

When checking the list of AI opponents in any race, you'll notice that their performance is almost identical to yours! For example, if the power limit for the class is 800 and your car is only 720, the rest of the field will all be 719, 722, and never much above it. This means that upgrading in single-player doesn't make much sense unless you want to enter the higher class. There are still some exemptions, as some cars are pretty much useless without any upgrades. This is especially the case with the extremely slow models, including Fiat 600 or VW Beetle. 

However, this all changes in multiplayer. Be sure that your human opponents will tweak their favorites to the maximum, so you do it too! Be careful, however, as you should focus on the essential upgrades. It's always better to favor handling and acceleration, as the top speed is a priority in only a few races. This is especially true with offroad competitions, where it doesn't matter at all. Of course, you still need a hypercar capable of 250 mph to beat those drag runs and speed radars. Finally, we hate to say it, but those legendary supercars like Bugatti EB110SS rarely keep up with similar modern hypercars. Despite reaching massive speeds, they are usually harder to control and accelerate slower. 

6. Ignore Seemingly Unreachable Boards

Forza Horizon games encourage you to explore their worlds and smash those XP and Fast Travel boards. There are tons of them, and more often than not, they are near the road. Yet, they can be a source of frustration when on the top of the building. Sometimes, you can reach those easily, but mostly not. Hence, you might lose time by circling around, as you are sure that there's some clever solution. Nonetheless, we have to tell you that isn't the case! This doesn't mean that these boards can't be destroyed, but that you need to be patient.

The truth is, these targets are only accessible when you unlock certain stunt activities. The game will then add ramps or something else you need to finally reach the desired object. This is the case with all Forza Horizon games, but many people either don't know it or keep forgetting (like us!). So if you spot a board high above, take a second to check it out. However, if it seems impossible to grasp, that's probably the case! As every board is present on your map, you won't forget about it later!

5. Race In Slower Cars

The car selection in Forza Horizon games is so vast that there's something for everyone. While you have all those classic supercars and modern hypercars, more affordable, everyday vehicles are also available. Heck, you'll find some true classics that maybe your parents or grandparents had back in time. Yet, there are practical reasons to drive these vehicles, even if you don't have specific memories attached. This is because racing in lower classes is often way more fun and fair! In the top categories, speeds are so high that a single error may lead to your doom. Plus, the AI always seems to find additional speed somehow, making the races frustrating. 

Yet, when you jump into something like a Mitsubishi GT-3000 (GTO) or Audi TT, things improve significantly. Suddenly, the CPU won't pull away, and you'll be able to drive more cleanly. Plus, the slower class means you'll have more time to complete races. The additional benefit is that the game encourages you to drive as many cars as possible, which will affect your progress. Of course, you can still favor the fastest machines, but don't forget about the rest.

4. Winning Ugly With the Right Car

Unless we're talking about street races, you don't need to follow the road in Forza Horizon 5 and its predecessors. While you still have to pass all checkpoints (only touching them is fine!), the game doesn't care how you reach them. This means that there's plenty of opportunities to shave seconds and improve your winning chances. Yet, this usually means you'll go offroad, which isn't beneficial if you're driving a supercar. That's why these races work the best in the car that handles all surfaces.

Luckily, there are plenty of these in all Forza Horizon games, but we suggest the Japanese rally cars. Any Mitsubishi Lancer or Subaru Impreza is a great choice, and it helps that they are so much fun to drive. These vehicles feel amazing, and they are ready for massive upgrades if needed. If you ever played the Gran Turismo series, you probably know why they are so highly rated. Of course, you'll be OK with almost any rally car unless the race is all about high speed.

3. AI Always Cheats

As we mentioned, the CPU isn't playing fair in any Forza Horizon game. One thing they always use is a catch-up logic, so the races feel artificially tight. This means that even if you drive to perfection, the AI will still not be far behind, and a single error may cost you a lot. On the other hand, they may slow down if you are struggling, but not much. While we find the Highly Skilled difficulty the best, you might settle for the higher or lower one. However, as you move the difficulty up, the AI cars begin to cheat massively. For example, they will always be faster on straight, no matter what you drive. 

Nevertheless, the AI is pretty slow in corners, even on the highest difficulty level, so you must use this opportunity. If you manage to go ahead, you'll have to block them. Luckily, that's not too hard, as they won't try some super aggressive maneuvers. We told you that AI likes to drive dirty, but that's less of a problem when you take them one on one. Yet, the highest difficulty level is no fun in our opinion, as you know that game is trying to cheat you. 

2. The Art of Fast Travelling

Forza Horizon 5 has the most extensive map so far, and even earlier games have pretty big open worlds. In the beginning, that's not a problem as you discover all the routes and enjoy the environment. However, it becomes boring to drive from one end of the map to another. Luckily, that's why we have the fast travel option in every Forza Horizon. Yet, you might be confused that everyone is talking about it, and you have no idea how to use it. Nonetheless, you need to enable this option by buying the Buenas Vistas house for two million credits. Once you do, you can teleport anywhere on the map, although that will cost you some money.

However, if you keep smashing those Fast Travel boards, the price will continue to fall down. Still, the sum you are paying is minimal, as you'll earn much more in races and other activities. Fast Travelling will save you so much time that you'll complete tons of events and significantly improve your progress speed. Of course, until you unlock fast traveling, you can use Horizon outposts and your home to save some time. 

1. Don't Force Anything

While the internet is overwhelmed with guides on making quick money and cheating/glitching your way to victory, that's no fun. If you already paid for the game, which won't get a sequel until 2023, why would you want to experience everything in a couple of days? There's simply no wrong way to enjoy any Forza Horizon game (although you can't buy some of them anymore). You can spend days exploring or doing stunts while completely ignoring the main story. Alternatively, you may focus on multiplayer with your friends and strangers as there are endless challenges available. The truth is that the game will reward you for everything you do, which even becomes overwhelming.

Forza Horizon games will take every opportunity to give you Wheelspins and Super Wheelspins, showering you with cash and cars. We mentioned Ferrari FXX-K earlier for a reason, as we got it on regular Wheelspin, only in our second or third gameplay hour! We would even argue that slow progress is better, as it gives you more time to enjoy every car. When you play Forza Horizon, you are going on a long and unforgettable road trip!

While your Forza Horizon gameplay philosophy might be different than ours, we still hope that some of these top ten advice will help you improve your experience with the series. The Playground Games gave us every tool to customize our experience, but it might be hard to do it properly if you don't know how the game works. Yet, once it happens, exploring the regions around the world becomes one of the best things you'll do in video games!

Which Forza Horizon games have you played so far? Can your share some of the tips from your personal experience in our comments section?

Cover photo: Personal archive