Throughout the Forza franchise, or any racing franchise for that matter, there have always been drivers who stand a cut above the rest. The racers who can truly be crowned as the best of their craft, and Horizon 5, despite being the more arcadey entry in the franchise, is no exception.
Join us, as we go through and explore the top Horizon players, judged through a mix of competitive performance, raw pace and more that we’ll be sure to delve into.
Keep in mind, Forza esports players are notoriously bad at keeping a digital footprint, so player photos are hard to come by. We invite anyone listed here to contact @Sappytron with a picture.
10. XNDR
XNDR is more known for their Rivals prowess, as in that field they are near-unrivalled. Constantly topping the leaderboards around Mexico, they seem to have a knack for finding speed and carrying it through places few drivers would dare to. That’s not to say they’re only a time trial merchant either – The Honda Fan Cup proved as such, being pitted against the best drivers in the US and making a charge from 10th to finish first up the volcano.
9. K1Z Hikari
Hikari is another entry in this list who tested their mettle in the Honda Fan Cup and put in a solid performance, taking a podium finish in the second Honda Cup Finale and rising against some impossible odds at times to score much-needed points. Their consistency shone through most of all, never putting a foot wrong throughout their races.
8. LogikJ
Logik is a driver who can be best described as playing to Horizon’s most unique selling point – the variation of the landscape and terrain. Logik is one of Horizon’s best drivers on dirt, making navigation of the unpredictability and undulation of the loose surface look effortless and making quick work of their fellow opponents in the Honda showdown.
7. K1Z Bard
Bard is a fairly quiet, reserved driver, but they never disappoint when it comes to races. Whether it’s stomping the competition with more mid-tier teams or going toe to toe over hour-long race events against Horizon’s finest, their ruthless speed and consistency knows very few matches on the track. Though they like to stick to Team Wars, they are definitely revered as a top class driver.
6. DragonK37
A known name and face in the Horizon racing scene, Dragon is a proven force within the competitive Horizon community. Nothing proved that more than the Honda Fan Cup, where they won BOTH Finale rounds against Horizon’s best US-based drivers and took home around $5,000 in prize money, setting a high bar for any driver to overcome.
5. ESV Barcode / ESV Eclipse
The first two of three drivers in this list to don the ESV Motorsport tag – renowned for being one of, if not the fastest team in Forza competitive racing – Barcode and Eclipse are so close they cannot be separated for being such strong and consistent contenders. Being double merchants for both Horizon and Motorsport, the unforgiving simulation side of the franchise clearly paid dividends in honing their racecraft and pace, being a great example of playing the ‘longer game’ to great effect and strategising over multiple laps, where many only look ahead by a few corners.
4. K1Z Howzer
Howzer is a special entry in this list as a driver who, despite all odds, manages time and time again to rival the world’s best… on keyboard. Where so much time is gained and lost by smooth inputs, throttle control and managing braking, it’s amazing for someone to find such pace with purely binary inputs and feathering of keys to great effect.
3. TPR Bowkett
While they have made their home in the Forza Motorsport scene, that never stopped Bowkett from taking a brief tour of the streets of Mexico – and showing out while doing it. While their stint in Horizon was short, making appearances in a Team Wars race or two before ‘heading home’, they quickly asserted just why they are one of the fastest drivers around, immediately keeping the pace with some of the game’s fastest while being in unfamiliar territory.
2. K1Z Suimin
Another fast, but fleeting face in the Horizon sphere, Suimin is known well across the competitive landscape. Whether it’s showing up and showing out, like taking the crown of the recent WipEout challenge by Don Joewon Song (A gruelling, perfectionist trial where the winner took home over £1,000 of cash and Elgato gear), or having an affinity for circuits with bridges, Suimin knows how to impress come race day.
1. ESV Mars
Regarded by many as Horizon’s most accomplished and easily touted as one of the franchise’s best racers, Mars is no stranger to the top, whether it’s his membership to ESV Motorsport or dominating competitions and leaderboards across the Horizon landscape, to the point where the game’s new leaderboard anti-cheat even kneecapped him. Team Wars, 1 Hour of Racing and Street Wars to name a few all know and revere the world-class driver.
Be sure to tell us if we missed anyone – the Horizon landscape is constantly evolving, with new challengers rising to the fore almost daily. With plenty of chances to prove themselves coming, like 1 Hour of Racing’s much-anticipated third season or the rumored ‘ForzaTracky’ event from Team Wars, there’s never a better time to join the Horizon scene.
