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I wanted to use the old favourite line from Game of Thrones in this intro, but sadly in Forza Horizon 5 Winter has already arrived and so I’m a bit late.
Mental note, use it at the end of the Autumn article next series!
Anyway, Winter in Mexico means it is the hot season, and so this also means the now standard weekly challenges in Forza Horizon 5 have arrived. And you know what that means, I have to sit in front of the Xbox and run through the weekly challenges, find the right cars, work out some tunes and recommend them to you, all so you can complete Series 23 Winter with ease.
So, what does Winter bring to the Summer Party series, eh?
Part 1: Weekly Car Challenge – Phoenix Rising
The subject of this week’s weekly challenge is a car that my childhood lead to me thinking was awesome.Yes, it is K.I.T.T. himself, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am GTA.
Sadly it doesn’t come with a scanning red LED on the front, but we can dream, can’t we?
I believe that mullets are optional…
Should you not have this particular car in your garage, a quick trip to the Autoshow will let you swap 25,000 Credits for one.
Chapter 1 – Pride and Joy
Get in your new car, take it for a spin. Step one complete!
Chapter 2 – 5 Years in Style
As the car was in production for five years, from 1987 – 1992, we have to celebrate the fact by driving five miles in the car. Hit the highway to tick this off fast.
Chapter 3 – Thrusters Engaged
Now we need to use the large engine in this beast, with its 315 lb/ft of torque to score six stars on speed zones. Whether that be two three star runs (unlikely) or six 1 star runs (more like it, in stock trim) you just need to go nuts.
Chapter 4 – Wheely Dazzling
Finally now we need to win a street race. Pick your favourite and let rip. I didn’t bother tuning for this step and just did my best to hang on!
And with that, the weekly challenge is complete and we are five points closer to some more reward cars for Series 23. Without sounding like a stuck record, do we actually need more cars in Forza Horizon 5?
Part 2: Weekly Challenges, Championships and PR Stunts
Winter is here, and it is almost unbelievably, still party time. With that are a host of new challenges for Series 23. This week’s collection in the Forza Horizon 5 Festival Playlist is as follows…
The Trial – Rarity on the Roads
The Trial for Series 23 Winter sees us limited to only using cars in the Rare Classics category, and then only tuned to a maximum of B Class 700. I decided to go with a Porsche 911 Carrera RS from 1973. The share code is : 107150611.
Hoping against hope, but maybe you will find people who are interested in racing. Although that is getting increasingly tricky.
Should we manage to win two out of three races, a lovely Ford Escort Cosworth will be yours as a reward.
Eventlab 1 – EDELMAENN Presents Edel-Circuit (Competition)
For this Eventlab, we need to use a Track Toy in S1 Class 900 tune. I went with a Porsche 911 GT2 RS from 2012, and the share code is : 129256081.
The track layout is very good, with a mix of high and low speed corners to keep you on your toes.
The prize for completing this race is a Super Wheelspin.
Eventlab 2 – XRCOSWORTH01 Presents Apex Alligator
For this challenge, we need an S1 Class 900 car, any car, and so I stayed in the same car as the last challenge. Because I – and you – do these in order, right?
This is another well designed course. It’s amazing how far these EventLabs have come over the series.
But hey, a Farid Rueda Bear Jumper will be yours for completing the course. How lucky!
PR Stunt 1 – Danger Sign – Launch Control
We are back to using S2 Class cars for the PR Stunts this week, and so it may be time to let some old faves run amok.
As the runup to this Danger sign is on road, it is time for my Koenigsegg Agera RS to make a comeback, share code : 109282883.
We need to fly more than 500 metres to clear this challenge. Take a long run down the runway and fly! I hit the ramp at 251 mph and cleared it easily.
A Super Wheelspin? It’ll do.
PR Stunt 2 – Drift Zone – Los Campos
More sliding, this week, and S2 Class 998 means that I used a Hoonigan Hoonicorn in stock trim to slide to victory.
We have to score more than 150,000 drift points to win, and while this is challenging, it is doable as long as you never let the rear wheels get in line with the front!
Another Super Wheelspin awaits.
PR Stunt 3 – Trailblazer – Puerta Petrea
Same class of car, but a different challenge this time – let us drive off road!
We need to hit the finish line with over 28 seconds on the clock, and the car of choice is the BMW X5M FE. Share code is : 519084427. Off Road surfaces ? No problem!
The key to this is getting the tunnel right, as any crashes here will make it very hard to do.
Yet another Super Wheelspin to add to the pile.
Seasonal Championship 1 – Modern Spin
In this championship, the challenge is to take a Modern Sports Car, tune it up to A Class 800, and then triumph. I went with a Honda S2000 CR, and the share code is : 294348066.
For winning outright solo, or best two out of three in a convoy, we can take home a Acura NSX from 2017, which is pretty tidy.
Seasonal Championship 2 – 3,2,1…
Unlimited Offroad vehicle and A Class 800? There’s only one vehicle that springs to mind, and that is the Jeep Trailcat. The share code for mine is : 118411445.
Big engine and AWD should make winning a breeze.
We can walk away with another car for coming out on top – a HSV Gen-F GTS. Very Australian.
Part 3: Other Challenges
There’s always more to get involved in than just the racing, and that is the case again this week. There’s the Photo Challenge, a Treasure Hunt and a bit of Playground Games too.
Photo Challenge – #Datsunisout
What a great pun! Well, take a Datsun 510 to the Stadium and take a photo at the Summer Party there.
I’ll post the location and my artistic effort below for your admiration. Or maybe ridicule. You decide and let us know what you think of it in the comments. And in the meantime, enjoy my dinosaur costume!
The reward? A new Blue Stripe Casual Shirt. Awesome.
Treasure Hunt – Feline Light
The clue this week reads “The breeze feels Superlight as you fly as far as this car’s name”.
Well, the picture is a Caterham Superlight, and the number in the name is 500 – so I guess we have to fly more than 500 metres from a Danger Sign? I used the one on the runway at the bottom of the map as it has the longest runup. I do have a tune for this car, the share code is : 510271323.
In an interesting twist, I swapped to my Caterham straight after completing the Danger Sign challenge, and it gave me the treasure chest!
I’ll post the location of the treasure chest below, and it contains 100FP.
Seasonal Playground Games – Survivin’ in the 90’s
Take a car from the ‘90s, tune it to S1 Class 900, and then try to survive! What could be simpler? I went with a Toyota Supra RZ and the share code is : 166798807. Quick in a straight line, but somewhat tricky off road.
May as well make it a challenge, yeah?
Win or lose, the prize for taking part is a Chevy Bel Air.
Part 4: Hot Wheels Events
If you have the Hot Wheels expansion and are an Elite Level player, then you get to enjoy a couple of extra events.
Seasonal PR Stunt – Speed Zone – Frozen Rush
S2 Class and speed means it is Koenigsegg time! Agera RS and the share code is 109282883. We need to average 160 mph through this zone, which given some of it is ice, may take some practice.
A Super Wheelspin is your reward.
Seasonal Championship – Hot on your Plate
This week it is the turn of the Hot Hatch to shine, and with a tuning limit of B Class 700, this is a somewhat slower race than usual in the Hot Wheels park. Still, I chose a Renault Clio R.S. 200 EDC, with share code : 262870774.
Winning all the races, or two out of three in a convoy, will get us a new car – a Alpine A110 from 1973. Yep, the same age as me!
Part 5: Rally Adventure Events
The Rally Adventure expansion brings even more events to the roster and provided you are already a Horizon Badlands champion, you’ll get access to…
Seasonal PR Stunt – Speed Zone – Devils Pass
Speed! I am Speed – as Lightning McQueen said, and we’ll need it for this challenge.
We have to average over 95 mph through this zone, and so it is time for the Koenigsegg again from above.
This doesn’t sound fast, but the twists and turns of this course make this a real challenge. Cut as much as you dare to win.
The prize is another Super Wheelspin.
Seasonal Championship – Sandy Dunes
For this series of races, We need a Rally Monster, tuned to S1 Class 900, and the scene is set for the Hoonigan Escort RS1800 again from last week. The share code is : 264985022.
For winning out, we can take away a new bit of clothing, a Raul Urias Cap. Woo.
With Series 23 moving along nicely, there are more cars on offer. 80pts for the month will get you a Ford Mustang DD, while saving up 160 points will see you grab a Dodge Super Bee, exclusive to this contest.You should have these by now if you have been following the guide…
The new monthly Rivals challenges are also live – although really you should have done those last week. Grab some clean laps around Cathedral Circuit (Another week passes and I still hate this track) and the other around Arch of Mulege circuit.
Grab enough points and Series 23 Winter will also see you gifted with the exclusive Toyota GR86 (I saw one of these in real life today, and it was very nice) for 20 points and the somewhat dull Mclaren 650S Spider. Dull by comparison the GR86, obviously, but I wouldn’t turn one down if I was offered!
And what’s to come? Well, stick with us through the final season, Spring, next week, and it is all over. Onto the future…. Series 24 is not far away.
To enjoy these events in the Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges, you’ll need a copy of Forza Horizon 5. It’s available on Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and on the cloud via mobile. The Xbox Store will sort you out with a download.
As always, the comments section is below. We’d love to know if these cars and tunes have helped you out. Perhaps you have a better tune or car? Let us know about it.