PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X Racing Game Predictions (Next-Gen Consoles)
Today is the day, the 2010’s have officially come to an end and now begins the 2020’s. But, not only is 2020 the beginning of a brand-new decade, it’s also the year of the brand-new consoles from Sony and Microsoft: PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X.
With so many great racing games that have released during the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One generation, it’s time to think about what’s next, and what better way than to predict what racing games we’ll be seeing in the first year or two of the PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X’s.
With all that said and done, lets dive into what we think is on the (Forza) Horizon. (Please Note: These are speculated rumours/ wild predictions, do not take this post as actual confirmation of any of the titles discussed below!)
Forza Motorsport 8
Developer: Turn 10 Studios
Platform: Xbox Series X/ Windows 10
Release Prediction: Xbox Series X Launch Title
Forza Motorsport 8 is an obvious one, and will no doubt be one of the flagship exclusives the Series X launches with later this year. Turn 10 Studios confirmed in March 2019 that their next Forza project, presumably Forza Motorsport 8, was in the early stages of development and would be skipping 2019.
Creative Director Chris Esaki stated during a December Forza Monthly livestream that the game is currently playable in the studio and is expected to be a vastly different experience to previous games. This could refer to a previous statement from Esaki in August, suggesting all cars in the next Forza game will be unlocked from the start as Turn 10 were exploring the concept of “built, not bought”.
We should expect to here more about the project in 2020 – lining up perfectly for a Holiday 2020 release.
Gran Turismo 7
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Platform: PlayStation 5
Release Prediction: PlayStation 5 Launch Window Title
The next Gran Turismo game is currently in development, confirmed by series creator Kazunori Yamauchi back in July 2019, and is said to be a “complete form of Gran Turismo” with a combination of the past, present and future.
While Gran Turismo Sport continues to receive monthly new cars, tracks and content, its very likely to assume Polyphony are creating this content for Gran Turismo 7 then porting it to GT Sport as a testing ground for all their new models and a way to keep the game constantly updated.
Gran Turismo titles have been notorious for missing their release windows, with Gran Turismo 5 suffering various delays and Gran Turismo Sport being delayed from November 2016 to October 2017, so its hard to nail in a proper release window. If GT7 isn’t a launch title, it will more than likely launch several months after the PS5 release.
Project CARS 3
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: PS5/Xbox SX Launch Window
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed, Project CARS 3 has been in development for a while over at Slightly Mad Studios – with Slightly Mad Studios CEO Ian Bell tweeting in July 2019 how the next Project CARS is going to be a “revolution” and a “game changer”.
Based on his tweets, Project CARS 3 has been playable in some for at least the last 5-6 months and is apparently “200% better” than Project Cars 2. However, while the game is still a sim, they plan on balancing the line between fun and sim, stating that the physics are being kept realistic but there’s been much more of an emphasis on fun.
He also stated an announcement coming “very soon” at the time, however this was almost 6 months ago at this point. Depending how deep into development PCARS 3 is, it could very likely be a launch title for the new consoles or the very least launch window title.
DiRT 5
Developer: Codemasters
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: Early/Mid 2021
While there’s no sign of a new DiRT game currently in development, the franchise remains to be one of Codemasters’ biggest IP’s the publisher has under its belt, and with the recent DiRT Rally 2.0 being nominated for Best Sports/Racing Game of The Year, we’ll no doubt see a new DiRT title in the future.
Ever since the release of DiRT Rally in 2015, the franchise has been seeing new instalments every two years – with DiRT 4 launching in 2017, and DiRT Rally 2.0 launching in 2019. If this release schedule is anything to go by, we’ll more than likely see DiRT 5 launch sometime in 2021.
Forza Horizon 5
Developer: Playground Games
Platform: Xbox Series X/ Windows 10
Release Prediction: September 2021
With the releases of Forza games now staggered after Turn 10 skipped 2019 and a team at Playground Games working on an unannounced RPG project, it’s uncertain just yet if we’ll see Forza development cycles return yearly and have Horizon 5 launch in 2021 or launch in 2022 instead.
Personally, I still see Forza Horizon 5 launching in 2021 as per usual, with this release cycle only affected by Turn 10 and Microsoft wanting to push out a graphically impressive track racer to launch with the new, next gen Xbox.
Forza Horizon 4 felt very similar to its predecessors, but its LEGO Speed Champions expansion was something else and easily the best and most enjoyable Forza experience to date. Hopefully Forza Horizon 5, where ever Playground chooses to base the next map, takes map design and progression from Lego Valley.
Need for Speed 2021
Developer: Ghost Games
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: November 2021
This is a no-brainer, and while its far to early to start discussing the next Need for Speed game just yet, its safe to assume Ghost Games and EA will be putting out a new Need for Speed game in November 2021 following their current, two-year release schedule.
Where the series will go after Heat is uncertain, as the series is finally in the perfect place it needs to be right now. Heat’s story ended on a slight cliffhanger, so NFS 2021 will most likely continue with characters from Heat as opposed to retconning them like Payback did. However, as Heat has yet to receive its first content update, we may get more story over its lifespan and have an entirely new story with 2021.
Seeing as Need for Speed 2015, Payback and Heat’s maps have been recreation’s of famous American cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami, I’d love to see Need for Speed 2021’s map be a recreation of San Francisco.
Unannounced Slightly Mad Studios Game (?)
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: Late 2021/2022
Recently Slightly Mad Studios revealed Fast & Furious Crossroads as one of their new titles coming May 2020, however it’s very possible the studio is working on something else besides F&F.
Back in 2018, Slightly Mad hired former Evolution Studios director Paul Rustchynsky to work as Game Director on a new title. While initially assuming he’s developing the F&F Crossroads game, Rustchynsky has not made any comments indicating he’s working on this project.
This is purely speculation and could indicate another, potentially arcade-style, racing game is in development at the studio. That, or Paul is working with the team on Project CARS 3.
Test Drive Unlimited 3
Developer: Kylotonn Racing
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: 2021/2022
Back in October 2018, we reported that developer Kylotonn Racing (WRC Series, V-Rally, TT Isle of Man) were acquired by BigBen Interactive, who are the current owners of the Test Drive series license. The press release of the acquisition made mention that "Test Drive Unlimited" are one of the brands the developer is working on, confirming a new title in development.
Since then news on Kylotonn’s Test Drive game has been silent, however back in October 2019 Kylotonn updated their careers page with three new job listings relating to Test Drive – Character Artist, Environment Artist and World Builder Artist. The job listings describe the game as “a massively multiplayer racing game deriving from the Test Drive licence”.
Depending how far along Kylotonn’s Test Drive game is, it could be quite some time until we see it
New Criterion Games Burnout Game?
Developer: Criterion Games
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: ?
Since the release of Need for Speed Most Wanted in 2012, Criterion Games have taken a backseat in the world of racing games. The developer worked in tandem with Ghost Games to produce Need for Speed Rivals, and originally were developing an extreme sports title for PS4/Xbox One which was then cancelled in 2016 as the studio focused on becoming a support studio on DICE’s Star Wars and Battlefield games.
Most of the staff that worked at Criterion formed Ghost Games UK, with Criterion’s remaining numbers dropping to under 20 employees. However, the studio has staffed up drastically over the last few years.Criterion developed Battlefield V’s Battle Royale mode ‘Firestorm’ which launched early 2019, which was then taken over by DICE’s internal team to support the mode.
With no new DICE game on the horizon any time soon, with the next Battlefield not expected until at earliest April 2021 and no word on future Battlefront games, could the studio be shifting away as a support studio and producing their own games again?
Fans have been begging for a new Burnout game since Paradise launched in 2008, and 2018’s Burnout Paradise Remastered would have made fans hungrier than ever for a new title – could the purpose of that remaster have been to gauge interest in the series again? Unlikely, but we’d love to hope!
The Crew 3
Developer: Ivory Tower
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
Release Prediction: 2022
Throughout the course of the next generation, we’ll no doubt see a new The Crew game from Ivory Tower, though if The Crew 2 is still being supported (and potentially receives a next gen port) then don’t expect it any time soon.
Realistically 2022 sounds like the safest bet for when we may see The Crew 3, however this is based off of the four year gap between The Crew in 2014 and The Crew 2 in 2018. I’d love to see the team at Ivory Tower take their time with The Crew 3, focus more on the cars and develop a new map smaller than America or at least with much more detail and content.
Launch Ports
With the release of new consoles, it’s very likely that games launching in 2020 or previously launched in 2019 will receive re-releases with a slew of new, next-gen improvements.
With Need for Speed Heat having only just released and plans to release DLC car packs and updates throughout 2020, a Need for Speed Heat Complete Edition would make a ton on sense and help to bridge the gap between the wait for Need for Speed 2021 a year later.
This could also apply to GRID and potentially even GT Sport and Forza Horizon 4, with GRID beginning its first season of content back in December and both Forza Horizon 4 and GT Sport still receiving content updates to this day. F1 2021 will no doubt release during the year, which could also see a potential port.
The Crew 2 is another story, and will almost certainly receive a PS5/Xbox SX port as Ubisoft loves to be a supporter of new platforms (Watch Dogs Legion, Rainbow Six Quarantine and Gods & Monsters have already been confirmed next gen titles). But, will the title get a long hoped for paid expansion in 2020 and be resold in similar form to The Crew: Wild Run and The Crew: Calling All Units, or will it simply get a port with a few upgrades?
Realistically, its tough to speculate considering there’s bound to be various racing titles in development from multiple studios, some of which we wouldn’t have a clue about right now, but these titles are (mostly) based off of existing IP which will no doubt see sequels and new entries thoughout the generation.
What games are you looking forward to on PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X, racing game or not? Halo Infinite, Forza Motorsport 8, Hellblade 2, a new Spider-Man/Horizon Zero Dawn/God of War game? Share yours in the comments below, and we look forward to bringing you next-gen news in the not-so-distant future!