New Forza Motorsport Revealed For A Spring 2023 Launch Date

The long-awaited eighth game in the series featured in the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, with the new Forza Motorsport revealed for a Spring 2023 launch date. The event included a new trailer and some of the standout features of the new title from Turn 10 Studios.

Having had a first reveal back in July 2020, and with Forza Motorsport 7 reaching end of life status in September 2021, Forza fans have had to be patient and make do with Forza Horizon 5. But the wait might pay off, as the new title looks visually amazing. And it seems there’s a lot of work going into the underlying systems and features.

The Forza series has always been graphically impressive since the first title appeared on the original Xbox console back in 2005. And details including real-time ray tracing and lighting were a big part of the announcement around the new trailer.

But perhaps more exciting is that Turn 10 Studios Forza Motorsport GM Dan Greenwalt and Creative Director Chris Esaki also revealed that the lighting changes as part of the new dynamic time of day and weather, which will be available on every circuit in the game. We’ve cued up the Youtube video below to start at the Forza Motorsport 2023 section.

This obviously adds to the immersion, particularly for longer endurance races. But more importantly, the changes in time and wather will actually impact ambient temperatures. And they’ll also be changing the track surface, along with other cars laying down tyre rubber. So you’ll get dynamic changes to the level of grip available.

The duo also revealed that one of the biggest omissions from some previous Forza games is being rectified, with tyre and fuel management being included in the game, along with multiple tyre compounds. These features were dropped in previous titles in the series, causing consternation for many of us who rely on pit strategy to beat faster drivers. Along with more in-depth car building, it suggests that the Motorsport side of the Forza brand may be heading in a slightly more serious, simulation direction once again, which is good news.

There’s a welcome return for the seemingly iconic Maple Valley Speedway, which was used to demonstrate the changes in time and lighting. And also the new damage system, which aims to give a more accurate portrayal of dents and the scratches which will be inevitable in public lobbies.

It seems likely that there will be the usual broad spread of circuits and cars including in the new Forza Motorsport with Maple Valley, Laguna Seca, Spa and more all appearing in the footage. Along with Dodge Charger R/T muscle cars, a Chevrolet Corvette C8 GTE, IMSA prototypes, a Chaparell 2E Can Am racer, early open wheels and more appearing.

Obviously, with almost 12 months left before release, there will be a lot more details coming as Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios seek to build up the excitement for the Xbox Series S|X debut of Forza Motorsport, which will be available via Xbox Games Pass at launch, and for the PC. At the moment, the focus has been on showing the impressive visuals via the in-game engine, rather than gameplay mechanics. But there are certainly hints that the new Forza Motorsport might be worth waiting for, and worthy of dropping the numeral from its name.

As someone who embraced racing online mainly because of Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing on the original Xbox, the prospect of a return to the more simulation aspect of the earlier titles has got me really excited about the series for the first time since Forza Motorsport 4 back in 2011.

Considering Forza Motorsport 3 and 4 were largely responsible for me creating this website 14 years ago, it’s going to be interesting to see whether the 2023 Forza Motorsport can maintain that enthusiasm for when it launches in Spring 2023. In the meantime, you can keep up with all the latest Forza Motorsport news and more, here. Along with the Forza Motorsport car list, and track list as more content is revealed.