I still remember the weeks before Forza Horizon 5 launched. It was late 2021, and I was counting down to November 9 like a kid waiting for summer break. The game was heading to Mexico, and Playground Games promised a massive map packed with distinct biomes, from tropical coastlines to dense jungles, all shifting with the seasons. But what caught my attention as a longtime Forza player was something smaller: loyalty rewards. Veterans who had played previous Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport titles would get free cars, and that felt like a handshake from the developers.
Now, writing in 2026, Forza Horizon 5 is no longer the upcoming title. It has been out for years, and I have put hundreds of hours into its roads. Yet the loyalty reward system remains one of my favorite launch details because it rewarded history without locking anyone out. If I had played a specific Forza game, the corresponding cover car was automatically added to my Forza Horizon 5 garage after I completed the initial drive. No codes, no pre-order hassle, no extra hoops.
The Cars That Showed Up in My Garage 🏁
The lineup was a walk through Forza history. I played most of these titles, so my garage got a serious boost on day one:
| Previous Forza Title | Loyalty Reward Car |
|---|---|
| Forza Horizon | 2013 Dodge Viper SRT GTS |
| Forza Motorsport 5 | 2013 McLaren P1 |
| Forza Horizon 2 | 2014 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 |
| Forza Motorsport 6 | 2017 Ford GT |
| Forza Horizon 3 | 2016 Lamborghini Centenario LP 770-4 |
| Forza Motorsport 7 | 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS |
| Forza Horizon 4 | 2018 McLaren Senna |
I need to be clear about what these cars were and were not. They had no upgrades. They were not exclusive. They were completely identical to the versions I could buy from the Autoshow. That might sound underwhelming on paper, but in practice, it saved me a good deal of money and gave my garage a boost from the very beginning. In a game as huge as Forza Horizon 5, where I wanted to race on tropical coastlines, tear through jungles, and chase seasonal events, having a few high-performance cars ready to go meant I could spend less time grinding credits and more time exploring.
Why the Free Cars Felt Like a Double-Edged Sword ⚖️
Not everyone was thrilled. I remember reading mixed reactions from the community. Some fans were simply looking forward to driving fast cars around lush scenery. Others worried that starting with a McLaren Senna would take away from the game's sense of progression. Several users argued that newer Forza games often feel like the player starts with too much power, which makes it feel less like building a reputation and more like just doing things.
I understood both sides. On one hand, I love Forza Horizon's freedom. It is not a strict RPG where every car must be earned through a ladder of races. It is a festival of car culture, and sometimes I just want to cruise. On the other hand, when I have a Senna in my garage before I have even settled into the first festival site, the early races can feel trivial. The reward is generous, but it can flatten the curve of discovery.
What the Loyalty Rewards Mean to Me in 2026 🚗
Forza Horizon 5 released on November 9, 2021, for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. In 2026, that launch feels like a distant memory, but the design lesson still stands. Loyalty rewards are a smart way to honor veteran players without selling power. They do not create exclusives that divide the community. They do not require pre-orders. They simply say, 'I see you played our games before, so here is a small thank-you.'
If I were giving advice to a new player in 2026, I would tell them not to worry about the loyalty cars. Use them if you have them, but do not let them define your journey. The real magic of Forza Horizon 5 is still the map: the seasons, the biomes, the photo mode, the ridiculous jumps, and the quiet moments when I drive along the coast with no destination. The free cars are just a head start. The rest of Mexico is waiting.
Maybe that is why I still think about those loyalty rewards. They were not game-changing, and they were not meant to be. They were a nod to the past while the series raced into its future. In 2026, with so many live-service games fighting for my time, that simple gesture feels refreshingly old-school. Sometimes a free car is just a free car. But for a longtime Forza fan like me, it was also a reminder that the road behind me still mattered.