Another former Xbox-exclusive is headed to PS5, and console loyalists are pissed

In accordance with Xbox’s renewed stance on cross-platform availability, Forza Horizon 5 is making its move to the PlayStation 5. This is yet another major first-party Microsoft title that is being ported to Sony’s console, and warranted or not, it’s making console warriors incredibly angry.

Xbox confirmed this port in a Jan. 30 post on X announcing that Forza Horizon 5 would arrive on the PS5 this spring. The 2021 racing title will be the first in the franchise to ever release on PlayStation. Forza Horizon 5 is also one of the best-selling Xbox titles in history, with over 30 million players total. This launch is not that surprising, however, as Xbox chief Phil Spencer recently said that multi-platform releases are the way to go for the company, and that console exclusivity, even with first-party titles, is not the path Xbox wants to follow.

Of course, hardcore Xbox fanboys have responded negatively to these news, doubting the value of their consoles that are continuously “bleeding” exclusives and taking them to other platforms. “What is the point of being an Xbox owner anymore,” wrote one user in response to the announcement. “This is probably the end of Xbox as we know it,” said another. Others generally shared in wonder, as despite Xbox’s statements to the contrary, not many players believed that Forza, of all franchises, would be making a move to a competing platform.

And with a franchise of this size now finally leaving Xbox exclusivity, that question of the point in owning an Xbox is gaining traction. On Jan. 29, a financial report from Microsoft showed that sales of the Series X and S consoles dropped significantly in the final quarter of 2024, while Game Pass saw a massive surge compared to any previous quarter. It seems that Microsoft has read the writing on the wall and is slowly but surely moving away from hardware into software sales, prioritizing selling games and the Game Pass service rather than pushing for more market share in the console and hardware department.

Phil Spencer’s recent comments also alluded to the possibility of Starfield and other massive titles getting ported to the PlayStation 5, and if Microsoft is ready to part ways with a flagship title such as Forza, we can safely bet that the company will likely port all of its games to other services eventually—no matter how big or small they are.