Forza Motorsport - What We Know So Far

When Microsoft announced Forza Motorsport during its July 2020 Xbox show, it confirmed a title many seemed to know was coming. While the name itself might come as a surprise – Forza Motorsport seems to be more of a reboot than a continuation – Forza Motorsport games have always been a big part of the Xbox experience. It was only a matter of time before Microsoft went back to its popular sim racing series.

Forza Motorsport figures to be a headline act for the Xbox Series X. According to Microsoft, it'll feature 4K visuals running at 60 frames-per-second. It'll also make use of the console's ray-tracing capabilities, enabling better lighting and reflections than previous entries. Outside of that, not much is known about what developer Turn 10 is packing into its next-gen racer. But there are a few other details available at the moment.

Here's what we know about Forza Motorsport so far.

If you're looking forward to next-gen simulation racing, you might not get it from Forza Motorsport for quite a while. The game was announced without a release date or even a release window, which means you likely won't see it burning up the asphalt on your Xbox Series X or PC in Holiday 2020.

As the game's page on the Xbox website claims, Forza Motorsport is "Automotive entertainment re-imagined for a new generation." If that implies what it seems — that Forza Motorsport is being refreshed and isn't just building upon the last Forza title — a potential release date could be further out than most imagine. Could it arrive in late 2021 or even sometime in 2022? Microsoft itself reports the title is in "early development." So until the company makes an official announcement, the release date of Forza Motorsport will remain a mystery.

Forza Motorsport did indeed get a trailer during its reveal in July 2020, and as Microsoft was kind enough to note, footage was shown in-engine. Racers can be seen pacing around inside garages. Cars fly by at blazing speeds with a little bit of slow-motion tossed in for good measure. Effects like lighting and smoke are top notch. The game will undoubtedly be a visual showcase for the Xbox Series X. But what exactly does "in-engine" mean?

What viewers saw during the Forza Motorsport reveal was likely a taste of what they can expect in the final game, but may not be exactly what comes. The environments and cars on display were rendered in the game's engine, but the footage may not have been actual gameplay from Forza. It's probably a safe bet this racer will be a good-looking Xbox Series X title (and will also look pretty good on PC). Until you see actual gameplay footage, however, you might want to keep your expectations in check.

When you think Forza Motorsport, you likely think "sim racing." If that's what you're expecting from this latest installment in the series, you probably won't be disappointed. But you shouldn't go into this upcoming Forza game expecting everything to be the same as it's always been. As Microsoft itself says, Forza Motorsport is "a reimagining of the series" that'll "[take] what has made Forza Motorsport great over the past 15 years and [pair] it with new game concepts and new technologies."

It seems there may be a reason this isn't called Forza Motorsport 8. How that'll factor into changes in gameplay, however, remains to be seen.