Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5 requires a Microsoft account, as confirmed by the company. This requirement was detailed in a FAQ on the Forza support website, stating, "Yes, in addition to a PSN account, you’ll need to link to a Microsoft account in order to play Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. This process begins the first time you start up the game on your console."
This policy aligns with other Xbox games released on Sony's console, such as Minecraft, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves. However, the need for a Microsoft account has sparked some controversy. The group Does it play?, dedicated to ensuring games and hardware remain accessible, tweeted that this requirement "basically kills preservation for the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5." This raises concerns about the game's future playability, especially if Microsoft discontinues the account linking process or if players lose access to their Microsoft accounts. Additionally, Microsoft's decision to release Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 only digitally, without a physical disc version, adds to these concerns.
The reaction among the PS5 community has been mixed, with many players curious about cross-progression. According to the FAQ, Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 does not support cross-progression, meaning save files from Xbox or PC cannot be carried over. This is consistent with the game's behavior between Xbox and Steam versions, where game files remain separate and unsynchronized.
While user-generated content (UGC) can be published on one platform and downloaded on another, it cannot be edited unless played on the same profile where it was created. However, some online statistics, such as leaderboard scores, are synchronized when logged in with the same Microsoft account.
Forza Horizon 5 is part of Microsoft's broader strategy to bring Xbox games to rival consoles, a trend expected to continue in the coming months.
