Forza Horizon 5 to Feature Ray Tracing Even in Audio!

Ray tracing is all the rage now, with gamers hoping that it comes in one form or another to every title.

Of course, we all know by now that Forza Horizon 5 will feature ray tracing on the next-gen consoles and PC, but it seems that won’t be limited to just the visuals.

A recent video that shows off the audio innovations of the game has stated that ray tracing was used for the audio as well.

Forza developer Playground Games recently went in-depth on how ray tracing will enhance Forza Horizon 5’s audio.

The latest episode of their Let’s ¡Go! stream was dedicated to the audio innovations of Forza Horizon 5 and stated that using ray tracing would make for better immersion in the driving experience.

Mike Brown, Creative Director, and Fraser Strachan, Lead Audio Designer, had quite a long and detailed discussion on how the principles of ray tracing were being used for audio design in the upcoming Forza Horizon 5.

They said that the game constantly detects objects in the game world and uses that feedback to deliver realistic audio, which sounds as if it’s bouncing off objects at the appropriate distance and delivers the right amount of crispness.

Forza Horizon 5: Let’s ¡Go! – Episode 3

Ray tracing also helps when it comes to the difference in types of environments. For example, foliage tends to muffle the sound while urban environments such as a city will reflect and bounce the sound much more.

So, with the implementation of ray tracing, we can expect to hear a distinct sound for every type of environment we drive through.

If this sounds complicated, it’s because it is, and we can’t imagine the hours of work that went into programming all this. But, we do get to enjoy it once the game releases.

It should be noted that visual ray tracing will only be coming to Forzavista, the long-running car viewer that has made an appearance in the Forza series ever since Forza Motorsport 5.

Forza Horizon 5 will also feature 60fps modes on the Xbox Series X|S consoles, ensuring that the game will look as best as it possibly can on Microsoft’s consoles.

Forza is all set for a very busy year, as we now know that the registrations have opened to take part in the closed beta for Forza 8. So, it’s a very exciting time to be a racing fan!

About Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 is the latest installment in the Forza series of racing simulator games. It is the fifth Forza Horizon title and the twelfth main installment in the Forza series. The game has been developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft for the Xbox consoles and PC. 

Forza Horizon 5 is set in a fictional representation of Mexico. Players will race through various kinds of biomes in the game, and will have access to a number of professional racing cars. Several game modes allow players to play online against others, and “The Eliminator” battle royale mode has also made a return from Forza Horizon 4.