Forza Horizon Is No Longer the King of Video Game Road Trips
Polygon examines Forza Horizon’s evolution as a virtual tourism experience, noting how the racing series has become renowned not just for gameplay but for its approach to video game tourism. The games are set in real-world destinations including the Mediterranean coast, Scottish highlands, the Australian Outback, and Tokyo, allowing players to explore these locations through scenic drives. The author, who has mapped out guides to the best scenic drives across every Forza Horizon title, acknowledges their appreciation for the road trip experience both in games and in reality.
However, the article highlights a fundamental limitation of Forza Horizon’s approach to virtual tourism: the maps, while visually spectacular and expansive, are condensed theme-park versions of their real-world counterparts. This compression means geographic distances are drastically reduced—a drive from a Cotswolds village to the Scottish highlands, which would take many real-world hours, takes just five minutes in-game. This unreality creates a disconnect in the immersive tourism experience the series attempts to provide. The article’s title suggests that Forza Horizon is no longer the leading title for video game road trips, though the excerpt does not specify which game or experience has replaced it in this regard.