During the recent Xbox Gamescom Showcase, Forza Horizon 5 was on hand, to show off the games opening moments, what the team are calling the Initial Drive, or if you are an anime fan Initial D also works. If you have not seen the portion of the stream yet, please check it out below, as it is well worth watching.

Xbox were kind enough to invite me and other selected media from around the world to view this demo early, which included commentary from Playground Games Mike Brown, who is the Creative Director on the title. What was shown to us and what was in the video above, is more or less the opening moments of the game, there a little cinematic that players will get to see before the drops begin, but it isn’t a 30-minute epic, it is just a little story moment, that bridges the gap between Horizon 4 and Horizon 5, yes this is a direct sequel.

At the start of the gameplay, you will notice one of the games new cars and one of the title cars for this latest entry, the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands, which if the shape of the car didn’t get it away is perfect for off-road racing. Something that is returning from Horizon 4 is the seasons, meaning that there will be snow in Winter and rain in Spring, but more than that, the map will impact how the weather behaves. In the video you saw the Bronco driving around the edge of the volcano, before barrelling down the side of it, there was no seasonal change there, as Mexico is a dryer climate than Britain, Snow will land in the mountains and not blanket the lowlands, leading to what the video shows off.

But this is Forza Horizon, so there is now slowing down, the next portion of the Initial Drive has you taking control of a 2020 Corvette Stingray, as you racing on the roads amongst the Mexican farmlands, with rolling green-ish hills all around. But you will have noticed on the Horizon, I mean horizon, there is the beginning of a dust storm, these will severely impact your ability to see and race at speeds, so entering one is going to be something you will want to be careful of committing to. It is important to note that dust storms are not fixed, they may pop up in a race, or during a specific event, but they can also happen while you are just driving around the world, attempting to complete various challenges, combined with other weather, they will provide a real challenge to players.

Ever since Forza Horizon 3, which is still the best map in my opinion, trees have been hugely important to the series, as it allows for some bush bashing, but also more technical driving and the Initial Drive will keep that going, as the third portion has you landing in the middle of a Mexican jungle, in a Porsche 911 Desert Flyer. While not the rainy season yet, there are still lots of puddles of water around, which if they are large enough can slow your car down a lot, not something you want in a race of course. The area is also going to be humid, which might impact your visibility, especially if you are someone who loves to race, with the camera in the car.

The final drop has you behind the wheel of the 2021 Mercedes AMG 1, a car that takes F1 tech and puts in on the road, for you to enjoy. The final drive also has you racing along the rocky coast, before you head in-land, towards what is known as the living desert, all the while the DJ hypes up your arrival and once you arrive, the game opens up to let you, do whatever it is you want to do.

The opening drives that Forza Horizon games have had, are always good ways to sample what the world and the cars are going to offer you and while some cars may require a bit of time to unlock, it is always a fun way to learn about what you can work towards.

Forza Horizon 5 is coming on November 9 for Xbox One, PC and Xbox Series X|S and will be included within Xbox Game Pass at launch.