Forza Horizon 5 improves its character customization, changes progression for the better

We're getting ever closer to the launch of PlayGround Games' Forza Horizon 5, and the developer is eager to share more news about the game as we edge towards the highly-anticipated racer's release date.

The ninth installment of the studios’ “Let’s Go!” series for the upcoming game - aired last night - did a deep dive into the hugely updated character customization feature, showing off a more robust avatar creation system than we've seen in the series before.

One of the most notable new updates is the ability to choose prosthetics for your character – an option that better represents players with disabilities, and seems to be in-line with Microsoft's overall initiative to do better by disabled gamers.

There are 33 prosthetics available for both arms and legs, and each can be decorated with murals found throughout the game.

You can also choose the pronoun your character will be referred to by NPCs and the radio host through the game – you can opt to choose your body type and voice independently of each other, too.

When it comes to progression, the new game does away with the percentage-based system we've seen in previous Forza Horizon titles and instead opts for a points-based way of working out player completion. Completing events will reward you with easy-to-understand points which can be used to unlock rewards and move on to new challenges (thanks to you better cars and gear).

Horizon Stories will also be a little more forgiving to players that like to stray from the recommended path, too: PlayGround Games notes that you can now stay off the road for a whole minute during Horizon Stories before having to restart events, meaning you can sniff out your own shortcuts in various race types without being chastised for doing so.

Forza Horizon 5 releases on November 9 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.