It's a scenario that sounded like a bad joke just a few years ago: Microsoft is bringing "Forza Horizon 5"And while PS5 owners are jubilantly speeding off into the virtual Mexican sunset, Sony is left at the side of the road - empty-handed and with a quizzical look in the rear-view mirror. The most successful open-world racer of the last decade lands on the rival platform of all things - and shows Sony in no uncertain terms what modern arcade racers look like. What was once considered a genre game has long since become a prestige project - only without Sony.
Microsoft overtakes Sony - in Sony's garage
"Forza Horizon 5" is no small side project that just happens to be parked on the PS5. It is a genre leader, celebrated by critics, loved by fans - and now also available to a Sony audience that until now has only been able to choose between stiff Gran Turismo-racing or long-forgotten arcade highlights such as "MotorStorm". The highlight: Microsoft is not delivering a tired port, but a polished package with full features. Comprehensive, technically top-notch, playfully convincing.
And that is well received. With a metascore of 92 and Praise from international magazines Forza Horizon 5" will also become the reference for arcade racers on the PS5. The message is clear: Sony has been left behind in this segment - by a direct rival of all things.
The arcade racer as a Sony construction site
Sony has consistently ignored the arcade racer genre in recent years - or worse: systematically abandoned it. "Destruction AllStars"? An uninspired disaster course that fizzled out like a bad stunt despite elaborate marketing. "ModNation Racers"? Once an ambitious Mario Kart killer with a track editor, now forgotten. And "Gran Turismo 7"? A technical simulation with no heart for spontaneous fun - certainly interesting for purists, but far removed from the feeling of a "Forza Horizon", which makes you want to embark on the next adventure right from the menu screen.
And then there is "DriveClub". Sony's last serious arcade racer hope, which developed into a popular title with an active community despite initial problems - only to be ingloriously scrapped later on. No reboot, no successor, not even a worthy farewell. Instead of building on its potential, Sony simply let the project rust away. A mistake that is felt more clearly than ever today.
The Crew Motorfest & Forza: Two wake-up calls, one silence
And Microsoft is by no means doing its laps alone. With "The Crew Motorfest", Ubisoft has impressively proventhat the arcade racer genre is alive and well - technically strong, playfully clever, with a clear target group in mind. "Forza Horizon 5" now goes one better: bigger, louder, better. Two current genre hits, neither from Sony. Instead of entering the race itself, Sony is letting the competition pass its own standards undisturbed. And this from a company that likes to present itself as the industry's innovation driver - a contradiction that is becoming embarrassing.
Sony certainly has the means, the talent and the network to get involved in this genre. But apparently the will is lacking. No project in sight, no studio that is passionately dedicated to this topic. And meanwhile, Microsoft, Ubisoft & Co. occupy a niche that never was. It is an established level of the racing game market: open world, maximum driving fun, low-threshold entry - combined with striking presentation.
Sony, step on the gas!
It doesn't need another "Gran Turismo", a graphically polished simulation monster that is only fun with a steering wheel. It needs a title that focuses on driving fun - with personality, with humor, with speed. "Forza Horizon 5" is a gift for PS5 gamers, but a kick in Sony's shins. When even Microsoft starts releasing its best titles on the PS5, it's not a concession - it's a show of force.
Sony can still turn things around. But to do so, you have to remember projects like "DriveClub" or "MotorStorm" - not to indulge in nostalgia, but to recognize what you had and gave up carelessly. What's missing is not the talent - but the courage to try again. And to do it properly.
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