There’s no doubt that Forza Horizon 4 was one of the best Xbox-first-party games of the eighth console generation, bringing an unmatched racing experience. Not only was it considered one of the best open-world driving games, but Forza Horizon 4 was a massive success as it has garnered over 24 million players since its launch.
Sadly though, developer Playground Games has announced that Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from major digital storefronts on December 15, rendering it impossible to purchase the game. While this has disappointed many in the community, Forza Horizon 4 managed to hit a new milestone on Steam which might make Playground Games rethink its decision.
Forza Horizon 4 Has Managed to Gain Over 71,000 Concurrent Players on Steam
Playground’s team confirmed two years ago that the studio had no intentions of delisting Forza Horizon at the time. Unfortunately, the moment has arrived. Playground confirmed that Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass on December 15 due to expiring licenses.
However, the announcement plus a massive discount on the game has led to a surge of gamers jumping into the title, at least on Steam.
According to SteamDB, Forza Horizon 4 has managed to get over 71,000 concurrent players on Steam at the time of this writing. That’s by far the largest number of players for the game since its release on Valve’s service back in 2021. Currently, it’s the 16th most-played game on Steam.
Forza Horizon 4‘s resurgence is helped by the fact that Microsoft has decided to cut the price of the title by 80% on Steam. This has led to many players hoping Microsoft will also bring the discount to Xbox.
While it’s unfortunate to see such a big game like Forza Horizon 4 reach the end of its life cycle, people who purchased it before December 15 from Steam and Xbox will still be able to re-download it after that date.
Playground has confirmed that the game’s multiplayer servers will still be functional after the deadline, and anyone who has purchased the physical edition will be able to enjoy it for the foreseeable future.
Is PlayGround Working on Forza Horizon 6?
Forza fans were anxiously waiting for news on the next entry in the franchise at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase. Unfortunately, fans were disappointed as Playground didn’t reveal anything about Forza Horizon 6.
Instead, the studio has been working on the new Fable reboot. Seems like the next chapter in the Forza Horizon series will be released in 2025 at the earliest.
Despite Forza Horizon 5‘s questionable launch, Playground has been working hard to turn around the open-world racing title. Gamers can continue to go back week after week to enjoy new challenges, playlists, races, and cars to unlock.
There’s a high chance that Forza Horizon 6 will manage to build up on the trend that began in Forza Horizon 4 and carried over to Forza Horizon 5, with players playing as the same character competing in each festival.
Do you agree with Playground’s decision to let go of Forza Horizon 4? Let us know in the comments!