I might be weird for playing this way, but what I like to do in Forza Horizon 5 is to just drive many different, unmodified cars. I do have some that are upgraded - if I find a car that has a body kit or cosmetic bumper/skirt/spoiler option, I’ll get myself duplicates so I can keep a stock version and a custom version. Especially so with rally cars. However, I’m probably not the best tuner out there, and the cars that I enjoy driving for their handling, sound or looks are rarely the cars that are considered “meta”. I do manage some wins here and there, but very often I place squarely in the middle, despite driving (in my opinion) very well, barring any crashes or getting pushed off the road.
And I was reminiscing recently about the Stock Showdown Trials from previous playlists. I’ve enjoyed those greatly, since with everyone using the same exact car, with no additional tuning, it allows for the playing field to be leveled out and for actual driving ability to shine over any tuning setup, self-made or downloaded from the hub.
Then, an idea popped into my head: what if there was an online mode in which every player is required to use the same, random car for a series of races, either against other players or against drivatars? An extra tab in the Horizon Open submenu for stock-only racing. Maybe to give players some choice, create several “championships” at once, each for a specific car that you can pick from the menu? They would probably need to be also locked to different types of racing, so you’re not forced to race hypercars off-road. Something like all cars for road/street, rally and off-road car types for dirt, and off-road types for cross-country.
I think it’d be pretty cool because it’d push people into at the very least trying different cars from what they might be used to driving, in an equalized environment in which skill would be the deciding factor. Though like I said at the beginning, that might just be the way I like to play.
And if not against other players, it’d be neat to have a coop racing mode that’s more difficult than Horizon Tour, also with an option for stock car racing.