Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 causes uproar as Xbox upsets PlayStation fans

Xbox’s multiformat ports continue to have some annoying wrinkles, as Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 raises concerns about game preservation.

Forza Horizon 5 is the latest Xbox game to make its way to PlayStation 5 as part of Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy and while that is great news for anyone who doesn’t own an Xbox, some of the ports have come with a few problems.

One bugbear is the lack of physical versions for several of these Xbox ports, with Hi-Fi Rush, Sea Of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 5 all being digital-only on PlayStation 5. The others, like Grounded and Pentiment, got physical versions but only through specialist retailer Limited Run.

Another annoyance is the inconsistent need for a Microsoft account to play, which applies to Sea Of Thieves and will also be mandatory for Forza Horizon 5.

An FAQ on the game’s website reads: ‘In addition to a PSN account you’ll need to link a Microsoft account in order to play Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5. This process begins the first time you start up the game on your console.’

It adds: ‘On launch of the game, you will be asked to sign-in with your Microsoft account – sometimes referred to as the Xbox Live services that are a part of your Microsoft account – and link it to the PlayStation Network account you are currently logged into the PlayStation 5 console.’

It goes on to describe linking a Microsoft account to a PSN account as being on a ‘title-by-title basis and permanent’, so if you’ve already done it in Sea Of Thieves, you’ll have to do it again in Forza Horizon 5.

‘Players have the ability to unlink the Microsoft account to that PSN account for Forza Horizon 5, but will be constrained to relinking to only that specific and originally linked Microsoft account,’ it concludes.

As with Sea Of Thieves, the reason behind this Microsoft account link is to enable crossplay (although this doesn’t include cross-saves across platforms). This is the same with some PlayStation games on PC, although Sony has since removed the requirement across several of its titles, including Helldivers 2 and God of War Ragnarök, following backlash.

While the act of making a Microsoft account is relatively hassle free, the fact you’re required to have one to play the game (whether online or offline) has raised some concerns around game preservation.

Not that we had high hopes for the future, but this from the official FAQ basically kills preservation for the PS5 version of #ForzaHorizon5. Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) March 8, 2025

According to X account Does It Play?, which tracks the long-term functionality of games, this requirement ‘basically kills preservation’ for the PlayStation 5 version of Forza Horizon 5, presumably because it might no longer be accessible if this account linking feature is switched off in the future.

There’s a chance Microsoft could address this down the line to make it future proof, but it’s still another hanging concern when you’re dishing out £54.99 at least for a game that’s four years old at this point.

It’s particularly unfortunate for Forza Horizon as, like most driving games with licensed cars and music, it’s likely to be withdrawn from sale once those licences expire in the near future – as happened with 2018’s Forza Horizon 4 last year.

If Forza Horizon 5 has a similar six year run then it could disappear from online stores as early as 2027. If you’ve already bought a copy by then you’ll still be able to use it, but no one will be able to buy it new – which means it will essentially cease to exist for anyone that doesn’t already own it on PlayStation 5, since there’s no physical edition.

It remains to be seen if the account requirement will apply to Microsoft’s other games which are set to come out on PlayStation 5 in the coming months, including Indiana Jones And The Great Circle and Doom: The Dark Ages. Forza Horizon 5 is set to launch on the console on April 29.

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