When Is Forza Horizon 5 Coming To Nintendo Switch 2?

We all know Horizon 5 is heading to PlayStation, and now mounting rumors are pointing towards the Nintendo Switch 2 coming next.

TL;DR

• Rumors that Forza Horizon 5 will arrive on Switch 2 after its PlayStation debut
• Leaker, who correctly predicted the PS5 port, hints at a Switch 2 release
• Promo materials from Lexar showed FH5 artwork
• The release could align between the PS5 launch and Horizon 6’s potential reveal
• Panic Button (handling PS5 port) has the expertise to make it work
• Original Switch owners likely out of luck due to hardware limitations

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Just a short while ago, the thought of ever having the opportunity to play Forza Horizon outside of the Microsoft ecosystem would’ve been laughable for Xbox fans – even more so on the Switch!

Then Microsoft dropped the bombshell that they’re bringing Forza Horizon 5 to PlayStation consoles, causing a fair bit of controversy (and rage) in the process. It seems they’re not stopping there, either.

With a new peak of over 40 million Xbox and PC players already shredding tires through FH5’s Mexican roads, the 2021 hit has proven its staying power.

Now that what appears to be the final major premium DLC (Ultimate Car Pack) has rolled out, Microsoft is ready to let PlayStation gamers taste the action while they (likely) switch focus to Forza Horizon 6.

Needless to say, the recent “Nissan Retro Rides” car pack isn’t likely to keep them entertained for long!

Despite being over three years old (yet priced like a brand-new release), Forza Horizon 5 already dominates PlayStation Store charts worldwide. It’s hit the top spot in pre-order rankings across the UK, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, and many more countries.

PlayStation fans were clearly desperate for a quality open-world racer, especially with the likes of TDU: Solar Crown failing to hit the mark for most. Now, growing rumors and hints suggest Nintendo’s Switch 2 is likely to be next to get the Horizon series.

Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has made it clear there are no “red lines” for where Xbox games might appear going forward.

With Xbox revenue down 7% and a 29% decline in hardware sales in the Q2 2025 earnings, it’s clear why they are open to new ideas even if it means “selling out,” as the die-hard Xbox fans would say!

However, as you may have guessed, the portable transition isn’t as straightforward as the PS5 port, as the Switch 2 will likely present hardware challenges and controller limitations.

With all things considered, will we soon have the opportunity to drift through the streets of Mexico on Nintendo’s next handheld? Let’s look at the facts (and rumors) so far.

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Leaks And Hints Add Fuel To The Fire

Leaker eXtas1s (who previously correctly called the PS5 port) dropped a suggestive tweet, and it’s pretty obvious what he’s hinting at. There’s a Switch 2 promo and a caption with a Mexican flag where he states, “next stop”.

Btw… next stop 🇲🇽 https://t.co/yAMNd3OUHT pic.twitter.com/EW7jpKDUJ5

— eXtas1s 🎮 Noticias & Rumores (@eXtas1stv) January 30, 2025

Keen-eyed viewers also noticed this Lexar promo for their new 1TB microSD Express cards, which are clearly aimed at Switch 2 owners with Mario Kart featured prominently:

As pointed out in this post on the Famiboards forum, if you look closely at the corner, you’ll spot the Forza Horizon 5 artwork. We have a feeling someone at Lexar got a stern phone call for this one!

Further rumors suggest Microsoft may be considering additional Switch 2 ports, including Halo: The Master Chief Collection and even Flight Simulator, though no official announcements have been made.

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Forza Horizon 5’s Switch 2 Release Date

Nintendo is hosting a Nintendo Direct showcase on April 2, 2025, for the Switch 2, where there’s a small chance they may unveil Forza Horizon 5 alongside anticipated first-party titles like Mario Kart.

Although it’s not likely that FH5 will be announced at this initial reveal, it might fall at an even better time for Microsoft…

The plan could be to introduce PlayStation players to the Horizon series on April 29, 2025.

Then, announcing Forza Horizon 5 for the Switch 2 a few months later would create a perfect storm of Forza hype across all platforms.

With PlayStation/Switch excitement still at its peak (bringing fresh interest), Microsoft could potentially drop the huge Forza Horizon 6 announcement at Summer Game Fest on June 6-9, 2025, though this remains unconfirmed.

This release window would work perfectly for Microsoft, especially given their struggle against the competition. It would also help keep the Horizon series in the headlines throughout 2025, maximizing visibility before the next entry drops, which may even be this year.

I suspect they’ll once again want to keep Horizon 6 an Xbox exclusive at launch (they’ve got to give Series X/S owners something to brag about again!).

Once the hype dies down, they might decide to eventually roll it out to PlayStation and Switch later on and repeat the process, getting the hype train rolling again!

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Some Technical Aspects To Consider

As you might have guessed, while we feel that Horizon 5 will likely come to the Switch 2, the transition isn’t likely to be as simple as it was for the PlayStation.

Full specs are yet to be unveiled, but the Switch 2 is said to be significantly more powerful than its predecessor. While this is promising, Playground’s open-world racer will still need serious optimization work to work smoothly.

The good news is that Forza Horizon 5 already runs at 1080P/30 FPS on the base Xbox One. Of course, it doesn’t look as pretty there (reduced draw distances, fewer trees, etc.), but it’s perfectly playable. Similar compromises (lowered settings) also make it work to some extent on the Steam Deck (and similar platforms), but it’s not a flawless experience.

Let’s not forget that Panic Button (the team handling the FH5 PS5 port) got Doom Eternal running smoothly on the original Switch. Also, their Rocket League port maintains 60 FPS despite the hardware limitations.

However, there’s another potential problem… The Switch 2 isn’t likely to have trigger buttons.

Fans of racing games (beyond Mario Kart) will know it’s essential to use the full potential of the pressure-sensitive inputs for precise accelerating and braking.

For this reason, the devs would need to consider workarounds for an optimal experience. There are other options, though.

Potential ideas could include using motion controls or remapping acceleration/braking to the analog sticks. However, I’ve tried this in WRC 9 on Switch and didn’t find it as pleasant to use.

Storage is another headache. Right now, Forza Horizon 5 demands up to 160GB on PC. Even with compression, this will likely be a huge chunk of the Switch 2’s storage.

In this case, Lexar’s fancy new 1TB microSD Express cards could be pretty much mandatory if you want multiple impressive games on the Switch 2.

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Why Horizon 5 Would Be A Great Addition For Nintendo Lineup

Despite the likely technical compromises, Nintendo gamers have good reason to be excited at the prospect of an FH5 release.

Let’s face it – the Switch lineup lacks a proper “simcade” racing (and drifting) game.

Sure, Mario Kart is awesome for fun racing, but Horizon’s (somewhat) realistic driving model and open-world exploration is a totally different experience. They’d complement each other rather than compete.

Even with the slight visual downgrades that’ll likely be necessary over the top-end consoles, it’s still pretty enticing. I’d be happy to make a slight sacrifice on the graphics front!

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Will Forza Horizon 5 Get Released For The OG Switch?

Unfortunately, this is very unlikely. We expect the performance gap will be too wide even to consider this since it’s likely to push Switch 2 beyond its limits.

As for the future Horizon 6 game on Switch 2? That’ll likely depend on how well this potential port sells.

If the initial PlayStation numbers are anything to go by, Microsoft might consider future releases, though probably after a timed Xbox exclusivity period.

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