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  5. Forza Horizon 2

Forza Horizon 2

Overall Rating: 4.2 • 357 reviews
The Sprint Player The Investment Gamer

Forza Horizon 2 drops you into sunlit southern Europe where road trips, cross-country runs, and street races flow together without much menu friction. It is easy to jump in for a few clean events, but the open map, car list, and festival progression give you plenty to chip away at over time.

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Details

Some of the particulars and information about Forza Horizon 2.
Developer: Sumo Digital
Release Date: September 30, 2014
How Long to Beat: 36 hrs

Great for:

The Sprint Player The Investment Gamer

Ratings

Some of the ratings and scores for Forza Horizon 2.
86 Metacritic
9 IGN
-- Our Score

Genres

Open World
Racing

Systems

Here's where you can find Forza Horizon 2 and play.

ESRB: Everyone 10+

Mild Lyrics
Mild Suggestive Themes
Mild Violence
Overview
Why Play?
How Much Time?
Overview

Forza Horizon 2 sends you across an open festival map chasing short race events, barn finds, and car upgrades while earning wristbands to unlock regions

Why Play?

Forza Horizon 2 makes short sessions feel great, with smooth event flow, scenic road trips, and enough long-term car and festival progress to keep pulling you back

How Much Time?

Forza Horizon 2 breaks progress into quick festival races and open-road detours, with wristband milestones pushing the map forward and extras stretching each session longer

Fast Events, Easy Flow

Forza Horizon 2 is built around momentum. You can drive straight to a race, a speed trap, or a cross-country event without getting buried in setup screens, so it is easy to start playing and feel productive within minutes.

The handling strikes a friendly middle ground between arcade freedom and enough grip to make different cars matter. Road races, dirt routes, and off-road sprints all ask for slightly different approaches, but the game rarely turns that into homework. Swap cars, pick an event, and keep moving.

Open Roads Reward Detours

The map is not just a backdrop between races. Southern Europe is laid out to encourage long drives that naturally turn into side activities, whether you spot a barn find rumor, cut across fields toward a destination, or stumble into a new championship on the way.

That structure gives each session some flexibility. You can focus on a tight run of short races, or spend half an hour roaming and still come away with progress, credits, and a few new goals queued up for later.

Steady Garage Progress

Progression is tied to the Horizon festival, with wristbands unlocking more regions and events as you build your reputation. It gives the game a clear forward push, but it also leaves room to grow your garage at your own pace through winnings, rewards, and discovered cars.

Over time, the satisfaction comes from shaping a collection that fits how you like to drive. You might keep a reliable road racer, a looser dirt option, and a few favorites for pure cruising, which makes even short play sessions feel like part of a larger build.

Easy To Slip Into

Forza Horizon 2 is excellent at turning a spare half hour into something satisfying. You can leave a garage, spot an event nearby, and be racing within moments, which makes the game feel welcoming instead of demanding.

That quick-start rhythm matters because the driving itself stays readable and fun. Cars feel fast without becoming a chore to manage, so switching from a road sprint to a dirt route or a cross-country run gives each session some texture without asking for a big relearning curve.

Road Trip Energy

A big reason to play Forza Horizon 2 is the mood of the world. Southern Europe gives the game a warm, open-road feel that makes even simple drives between events enjoyable, whether you are cutting through vineyards, hugging coastal roads, or heading off the pavement to take a shortcut.

That atmosphere helps the game avoid feeling like a checklist. You are still making progress, but the space between activities has its own appeal, so free driving feels like part of the experience instead of dead time between races.

Progress That Keeps Paying Off

Forza Horizon 2 also works well as a longer-term game because it keeps feeding you meaningful goals without overcomplicating them. New wristbands, fresh regions, better cars, and barn finds all give you a reason to come back, even if you only clear a handful of objectives at a time.

The car list adds another layer of payoff. You can stick with favorites, try something better suited to a new event type, or simply collect for the pleasure of building out a garage, which gives the game staying power long after the first races are done.

Main Story Playtime

A focused run through Forza Horizon 2 usually lands around 15 to 20 hours. Progress is tied to festival expansion, so you move through race events, earn wristbands, unlock new parts of the map, and steadily open up more of southern Europe rather than following one long, rigid campaign path.

That structure works well in short bursts. A 20 to 40 minute session can cover a couple of races, a road trip to a new event, and maybe a quick detour for a speed trap or barn find, while longer play sessions let you chain together whole sets of events without much downtime between them.

Completion and Replay Time

If you want to go far beyond the main festival climb, expect roughly 35 to 50 hours for a thorough playthrough, and well over 100 hours for near-total completion. The extra time comes from hunting barn finds, clearing side activities, building a broader garage, chasing event medals, and working through the many race types spread across the map.

Replay value comes less from story choices and more from the rhythm of returning for another drive, another car, or another cluster of events in a different region. Because the world is so open, it is easy to set your own goal for a session and still feel like you moved something forward.

Trailer

A Quick Look at Forza Horizon 2

Curious what Forza Horizon 2 is all about? The trailer gives you a great first look at the world, the vibe, and the kind of story you're stepping into.

Forza Horizon 2 Trailer
Videos

Related videos for Forza Horizon 2

These videos give some tips and pointers on getting started with Forza Horizon 2

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Screenshots

Screenshots of Forza Horizon 2

Want to see what Forza Horizon 2 actually looks like in-game? These screenshots will hopefully give you a feel for what the world of Forza Horizon 2 is like.

Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2
Forza Horizon 2
Extras

Downloadable Content for Forza Horizon 2

DLC just means more of a good thing. Here are some for Forza Horizon 2

Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious
Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious

Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious

What’s Included

Forza Horizon 2 Presents Fast & Furious is a standalone crossover tied to the film Furious 7 rather than a traditional expansion. It drops you into a short series of events in southern France, where you collect and drive a small set of movie-themed cars, complete street races and showcase-style challenges, and work through light story setup with series-style banter and introductions.

It uses the same open-world driving and festival structure as the main game, but on a smaller scale and with a more scripted, promotional feel.

Is It Worth It

This is optional content, not an essential part of Forza Horizon 2. It is best treated as a brief side trip for anyone who wants a few extra races and likes the Fast & Furious theme. The lower critical response makes sense because it is short and fairly slight.

If you already enjoy the base game, it is a decent novelty. If you want substantial progression, a big map addition, or a long-lasting reason to return, this is probably not the DLC to prioritize.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have Questions About Forza Horizon 2?

Does Forza Horizon 2 have a story, or is it mostly just racing?

It has a light festival setup rather than a deep narrative campaign. You are mainly working through championships, rival drivers, showcase-style events, and side activities, so the focus stays on driving instead of cutscenes.

Can you play Forza Horizon 2 with friends online?

Yes, online play is a big part of the game, with free roaming, races, and casual driving sessions built around shared open-world play. It works best if you want to jump into events together or just cruise around the map between races.

How hard is Forza Horizon 2 if you are not into sim racing?

It is very approachable, with assists like braking help, steering support, and rewind to fix mistakes. You can tune the difficulty up or down, so it is easy to keep races relaxed instead of overly punishing.

Is there much reason to keep playing Forza Horizon 2 after the main festival progress?

Yes, especially if you like collecting cars and slowly filling out side content. There are championships, online events, bucket list challenges, barn finds, and plenty of optional goals that make it easy to keep chipping away over time.

What version of Forza Horizon 2 should you be aware of before buying?

The Xbox One version is the main open-world release most people mean when they talk about the game. There is also an Xbox 360 version, but it is more limited in structure and features, so it is worth checking which one you are getting.

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