Forza Horizon 4 Review: A Street Racer's Dream with a Few Cracks in the Pavement

Setting the Stage

I grew up in the trenches of racing games, the kind where a missed braking point meant a ruined lap and where you practically needed a degree in telemetry to get the most out of your setup. I'm talking about the old legends: F1 1998, GTR, GTR2, GT Legends, and the gritty joys of Colin McRae Rally. Later came the more modern sims—Project Cars, Assetto Corsa—the kind of titles where your steering wheel was practically part of your soul. But as much as I lived and breathed that simulation life, I also had a not-so-secret love affair with arcade racers. Need for Speed II, Porsche Unleashed, and Most Wanted all had a place in my heart. Porsche Unleashed, especially, still feels like a warm memory I keep going back to.

I gradually became more easygoing. From the third installment onward, Forza Motorsport became my casual driving game on the weekends. I appreciated the enthusiasm it showed for cars, despite not living up to its name on the motorsport side. Gran Turismo was always for the purists, and yes, it was the first Gran Turismo that got me hooked on the hobby in the first place. But Forza had heart; it had style, and it was more accessible. I still remember playing Forza Motorsport 4 with the Top Gear content and enjoying it to the fullest. I fondly remember the time I had to ask myself, "What if Forza took street racing and went all in for it?" With Forza Horizon, my dream came true. I adored Horizon 1. It was everything I needed: a game that felt good to play, had the realism I needed, and was fun to play with the spectacle of an open festival.

This brings me to the fourth installment.

Identity and Purpose

Forza Horizon 4 knows just what it is. It doesn't even try to be rFactor or iRacing, and it definitely isn't Gran Turismo. Forza Horizon 4 doesn't try to be a simulation, and that makes all the difference. While the game offers a small portion of off-road and dirt track racing, it unapologetically provides the user with a massive range of cars and tracks primarily for street racing. It's a primary street racer. With Forza Horizon 4, the joy is not centered on racing, but on the driving itself.

The freedom the series provides is showcased even more with the endless British countryside in which Forza Horizon 4 is set. Beautifully designed highway roads flow smoothly for miles and miles, and then the roads suddenly jump and weave through a muddy forest. Eventually, the roads open to a farmland full of sheep that watch the player in bewilderment as the racing car zooms by. It's chaotic, it's varied, and it's simply fun. Forza Horizon 4 doesn't hide behind any pretense. It's not about racing for lap time; it's about the joy of feeling the car.

A Wealth of Content

One area where the game does not disappoint is the amount of content it offers. The car selection is impressive, featuring not only classics but every kind of absurdity. Looking for buggies and trophy trucks for those muddy hill climbs? Got it. Looking for hypercars to storm the Edinburgh highways? You've got it. In Forza Horizon 4, you'll never leave the content buffet hungry. And let's not forget the variety of races! You've got circuits, point-to-point sprints, endurance challenges, and the whole silly showcase events where you're literally racing a hovercraft or a jet. Even when the game leans into the silly, there's a festival vibe in the identity that touches everything. One moment, you're drifting around a set of autumn leaves, the next, you're sliding across an icy road in winter. And I can assure you, it is very easy to spend a whole day just exploring the map.

Driving Feel

It really hits that sweet spot that I always look for: it is quick and responsive and feels accessible, and yet there is enough weight so that you can't just smash the stick and expect to win. Bad lines and hard landings can throw you off, but if you buy PS4 racing games, this is it. It's the best kind of arcade-y: one where the fundamentals of driving still absolutely matter.

You might prefer to use a wheel, but the game feels like it is designed for the use of a game controller. Weight transfer, grip loss, and the moments where a player can feel the car squirm are some of the best aspects of a controller. It really isn't rFactor, but it doesn't need to be. It is such a good feeling to just drive. Having to carve a path like it is a mountain pass to the point that it feels like a roller coaster is such a good feeling.

Audiovisual Presentation

When we discuss Forza Horizon 4, we can start with the superficials. Everything looks great, the graphics are beautiful, the cars are meticulously crafted, the environment is rich with greenery, and the changing seasons are breathtaking. Compared with the recent re-releases and ports, Forza Horizon 4 feels neglected. Games such as Bayonetta and Okami received updates, adding features that made the games feel more modern, and Horizon 4's updates feel stuck in time.

The level of detail in Forza Horizon 4 is undermined because of pop-in. While I typically avoid detail in the graphics, I can't ignore it in this case. It's not the subtle kind of pop-in when you barely notice it; you will notice it when an entire forest appears in front of you, and the game lacks the production value to justify such poor graphics. I can't ignore the pop-in effect. It's that bad.

Sound design needs a little work. The cars sound fine, but compared to the work done on the visuals, the audio feels subdued and even a little sorrowful. The engines should roar and the crashes should have a sense of impact, but over time, the soundscape feels so thin and underwhelming.

Nostalgia and Emotion

Where Forza Horizon 4 shines brightest, on all of the sentimental value beyond the technical quibbles, is in its emotional connection to the racing genre as a whole. ​ Paying tribute is surprisingly respectful, even touching. I never thought a racing game could make someone nostalgic and pull on emotional strings, but Forza Horizon 4 did it. It wraps 2000s charm and PS2 nostalgia in a modern package.

Forza Horizon 4 is the top choice for anyone who buys cheap PS4 games because it doesn't just offer cars to drive, but memories to relive.

Final Thoughts

Forza Horizon 4 is not without flaws. The pop-in is extremely frustrating, the audio is mediocre, and the level of refinement doesn't align with the polish of some other re-releases. However, underlying these imperfections is one of the most enjoyable, confident, and downright entertaining racing experiences available. It absolutely knows what it is, and it passionately and energetically executes that vision.

Look elsewhere if you're interested in a hardcore simulator. However, if you want a street racing game that captures the joy of driving, makes the cars feel alive through the controller, and gives you an infinite content playground, this is it. Forza Horizon 4 is a bit rough around the edges, true, but it is also one of the greatest arcade-style racers ever created. If, like me, you have loved this genre from the beginning, you will also find a lot in this game that will keep you smiling lap after lap.