Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5 is not just a polite little side release. According to an update from Virtuos Games, the studio that helped Playground Games bring the racer to Sony’s console, the PS5 version has now sold more than 5 million copies.
That number is spicy because Forza Horizon 5 arrived on PS5 in 2025, almost four years after its original launch on Xbox and PC. For a game that many players already associated strongly with the Xbox brand, pulling in that kind of audience this late is a pretty loud signal: console exclusives may not be as untouchable as they used to be.
PS5 sales are surprisingly close to PC estimates
TechPowerUp notes that Forza Horizon 5’s PS5 sales are now not far behind estimated Steam numbers. Depending on the analytics source, the PC Steam release is believed to be somewhere around 7.24 million to 8.36 million copies.
Of course, Steam estimates are not the same thing as official figures, so don’t treat this as a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. But still, over 5 million on PS5 alone is massive, especially for a port that came years after launch.
For Malaysian and SEA players, this matters because platform loyalty here is often very practical. Not everyone is buying every console. Some players stick to PS5 because that is what their friends own. Others are on PC because of Steam sales, esports, or cybercafe habits. When big games move across platforms, more people get to join the conversation without needing to buy a whole new machine.
The exclusive game is changing
This news lands right in the middle of a bigger industry debate. Microsoft has already talked about “reevaluating” platform exclusives as part of its Xbox Gaming strategy. Meanwhile, there have also been rumours around Sony possibly reducing some of its PC port activity.
Forza Horizon 5 is a useful case study because it shows the upside of widening the net. A game can launch first on one ecosystem, build its identity there, and still find a serious second life somewhere else later. That timed-exclusive style is something Sony has used with many first-party titles heading to PC after a delay. Microsoft, meanwhile, has been moving more aggressively toward putting selected Xbox games on rival platforms.
And honestly, from a player point of view, this is hard to hate. If a game is good, more people playing it usually means a longer tail, more online activity, and more relevance years after release. Forza Horizon 5 is not a niche experiment either; it is one of Xbox’s most recognisable modern franchises.
What this means for Forza Horizon 6
The timing is also interesting because Forza Horizon 6 is reportedly launching on May 19, with a PS5 version planned for later in 2026.
If Forza Horizon 5 can move more than 5 million copies after such a long wait, Microsoft will definitely be looking closely at how fast it should bring future entries to PlayStation. A shorter delay could mean bigger momentum, especially in markets like Malaysia where PS5 ownership is strong and racing games remain easy party picks for casual and hardcore players alike.
The big takeaway: cross-platform releases are no longer just bonus cash grabs. Done properly, they can become a serious part of a game’s long-term strategy.
Source: TechPowerUp