Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5 requires players to have a Microsoft account in addition to a PSN account, as confirmed by the game's official FAQ on the Forza support website. This requirement mirrors the approach taken with other Xbox titles released on Sony's console, such as Minecraft, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves.
The necessity of linking a Microsoft account has sparked some controversy. The group "Does it play?", dedicated to ensuring the accessibility and preservation of games and hardware, expressed concerns that this could jeopardize the long-term playability of the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5. They worry that if Microsoft were to discontinue the account linking process in the future without updating the game, players might no longer be able to access their game. Additionally, if a player loses access to their Microsoft account, they could be locked out of Forza Horizon 5. This concern is heightened by the fact that Forza Horizon 5 will be released digitally on PS5, with no physical disc version planned.
The reaction within the PS5 community to this news has been mixed, with many players curious about whether the game supports cross-progression. Unfortunately, the FAQ clarifies that Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 does not support cross-progression; save files from Xbox or PC cannot be transferred. Microsoft noted that this is consistent with the behavior between the Xbox and Steam versions, where game files remain separate and unsynchronized.
However, players can publish user-generated content (UGC) on one platform and download it to play on another, though editing is only possible on the original creation profile. Some online statistics, like leaderboard scores, are synchronized across platforms if players log in with the same Microsoft account.
Forza Horizon 5's release on PS5 is part of Microsoft's broader strategy to bring Xbox games to rival consoles, a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months.
