What to expect from the Forza Horizon 4 Route Creator update

Forza Horizon 4

Having been revealed in the days leading up to launch, the first big Forza Horizon 4 content drop is almost here. Slated to drop on October 25 but actually arriving two days early, the update will add a much anticipated new feature along with plenty of other things to keep you occupied on the streets of Britain.

There's plenty to get your head around, but here's what we know is coming so far.

The outline of what the update contains.

The outline of what the update contains.

Route Creator

The big new feature is the Route Creator, something Forza Horizon fans have been crying out for. The blueprint tool has been great and will continue to be, but it wasn't quite the same as building your own races throughout the sprawling open world.

That's where Route Creator will come in. The video above outlines what we can expect, but with up to 40 miles available and checkpoints that can be placed pretty much anywhere you can drive, there are sure to be some incredible circuits made by the community.

New Horizon Story - British Racing Green

Forza Horizon 4

The existing four Horizon Stories will be joined by a fifth, and it's dedicated to all things British. We're promised ten new episodes of the "Horizon Festival's motoring TV series" where we'll be jumping behind the wheel of British automotive history.

If you've never heard of a Talbot Sunbeam before, you're in for a treat. British Racing Green will be unlocked once you're at level 50 in the game.

New seasonal content

Forza Horizon 4

The weekly season changes have been bringing fresh activity to the map since launch in the form of barn finds, limited time seasonal championships and PR stunts, and that's not slowing down.

The weekly change will continue and in the next batch of content we'll be getting another 20 new events, including new trials and four new seasonal PR stunts. There's an achievement for completing a seasonal PR stunt, remember, so if you've missed out to this point keep an eye out for those.

Forzathon will be getting some attention, too. We're promised a trio of exclusive new cars, new stocks for the Forzathon shop and a continuation of the regular Forzathon challenge drops.

New Car Pass drops

If you own the Forza Horizon 4 Car Pass, the good news is there are eight more cars coming after the next update. These will continue on a two per week schedule as they have since launch, but other than the number we don't have any indication yet which cars these will be.

The Car Pass has been pretty kind so far, handing out things like the incredible Koenigsegg Agera RS and the BMW i8 Roadster. It'll be interesting to see what comes next.

The Car Pass costs $30 on its own or comes included with the Ultimate Edition or Deluxe Edition of the game. In total the Car Pass will deliver 41 cars over a 21 week period.

Halloween vanity items

Who doesn't love outfits and car horns? If you'd like to give your in-game persona and your ride a little halloween flair, the October 25 update will add plenty to satisfy.

Ten outfit items and five new car horns will be joining the party.

Plenty of fixes

The full patch notes have now been published and it includes plenty of fixes. The full list can be found at the Forza support forums but some of the highlights include:

  • Added quit option in Quickplay Team Adventure after finishing an Adventure.
  • Fix for VIP House reward exploit.
  • Multiple engine audio improvements based on community feedback.
  • Fix for progress loss on Forzathon Challenges.

There are also some PC specific fixes:

  • Fix for video options being lost when tweaking AMD GPU clock speeds.
  • Increased quality of grass and tree procedurals at distance when Procedural Quality setting is set to Extreme.
  • Fix for 'low streaming bandwidth' message on high spec PCs when GPU-limited.
  • Fix for crash when changing audio devices whilst a video is playing.

Lots to look forward to

Playground Games has committed to an ambitious post launch plan for Forza Horizon 4 and this little lot is just the beginning. The first expansion pack is expected in December, but Route Creator alone can probably entertain a lot of players until then. But so far it's been an enjoyable ride and the game is still feeling fresh after many, many hours of play time.

If you haven't jumped in yet, Forza Horizon 4 is available starting at $60 or as part of Xbox Game Pass.

See at Amazon

Updated October 23, 2018: Added information regarding full patch notes, and the update is pushing out today, two days early!

Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine