Forza Horizon 3

Game review by Paul Semel, Common Sense Media
Forza Horizon 3 Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Fun open-world racer is best driving game of 2016.

Windows, Xbox One 2016
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Parents say

age 7+

Based on 5 reviews

Kids say

age 8+

Based on 22 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this game.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Forza Horizon 3 is an open-world street-racing game. Besides breaking local speed limits, the game also encourages you to drive recklessly. But while there are violent car crashes, the drivers are never hurt, so there's no blood or gore. Some of the music on the radio features risqué lyrics. Communication between players is also unmoderated, which means it might get risqué as well.

Community Reviews

BulgePhillips
BulgePhillips Adult
August 21, 2021
age 10+

Where do I start…

This game had so much potential it’s insane. What they gave was a beautiful looking racing games with cars that can barely even drive straight. The weather is absurd, raining every 10 minutes making it impossible to see or drive with any control. Sharp turns are practically impossible to make clean without skidding off the road. The prices in credits for the cars needed to even come close to winning a street race is ridiculous. Once you get off road you might as well forget about having any control over your car. It reacts like your driving on a damn ice rink. The amount of trees that you can crash into head on is not even realistic. They literally put 10,000 trees in the fucking outback just so you could have something to smash directly into. The pedestrian drivers on the roads are a nightmare. It’s like they’re all elderly people with blind folds on, driving aimlessly making it impossible to not rear end them. I could go on all day, but other than that it’s a cool game.
Banana D.
Banana D. Adult
May 19, 2018
age 2+

I think that it is for every single person 0 to 100

It says for everyone that is what the e is for I think that this is a great game because I bought my children a steering wheel e brake and shifter with pedals including a clutch and gas and brake to teach them good driving and they can now drive stick in a real car because of this amazing game

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
See all 5 parent reviews

What’s It About?

FORZA HORIZON 3 is an open-world racing game that has you driving a wide variety of cars on the streets, beaches, and dirt roads of Australia. By winning races and completing challenges, you not only earn money, which you use to buy more cars, but you also open up the world to new events, making your racing festival that much bigger. Besides all the cars and courses, this game also boasts a number of ways to customize your racing experience, most notably the controls, which can range from realistic to forgiving, and many points in between. You can also change the conditions of the races and even enjoy them with three of your online friends in tow.

Is It Any Good?

Thanks to great controls, twisty tracks, and a wide variety of vehicles and places to drive them, this open-world street-racing game is this year's best virtual Sunday drive. Like previous games in this series, and the Forza Motorsport series it was spun off from, Forza Horizon 3 features adjustable and spot-on controls regardless of whether you're looking for something realistic, something more forgiving and arcade-like, or something in between. By setting the game in Australia, the developers have been able to include tracks that not only have you speeding through suburbs and cities but also on the beaches and through the rainforest as well. Even better, these tracks are nice and curvy, a good challenge to your racing skills. Besides a deep career mode that will have you driving in many kinds of events, this game also has an option to play those events with three of your Forza-loving online friends, including those playing on another system. It also boasts a ton of other events, including some Hollywood-style stunts, as well as a deep customization system that allows you to make your dream car, mechanically and aesthetically. Together, it all makes Forza Horizon 3 the best racing game of 2016.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about driving safety. Why should you never drive in real life like you do in this game? How is crashing in this game different from in real life?

  • Families can talk about online safety. How can you protect yourself from potential bullies and predators when playing online games? What would you do if you were uncomfortable with other players' conversation?

Game Details

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