‘Forza Horizon 4’ Sets Launch Sales Record For Series

Over the years, Microsoft has been cranking out some quality games in the Forza Motorsport series, between main entries released by Turn 10 Studios and alternative racing adventures with Forza Horizon, produced by Playground Games. And with the latest game in the series, it looks like it’s truly turned a corner when it comes to dominating the racing circuit.

Based on some new numbers for September provided by the NPD Group, Forza Horizon 4 managed to shatter launch sales records for the series — and that’s with the fact that only the Ultimate Edition became available at the end of the month. (The general game didn’t release until early October.)

According to the report, “Forza Horizon 4 achieved the highest launch month dollar sales in Forza franchise history, and is the biggest launch for a racing game on any Xbox platform in history.” The game managed to reach seventh place on the best-selling list for September, which isn’t a bad feat at all considering only Ultimate was on hand.

That means big things for Microsoft this holiday season, as Forza serves as its flagship series to push the Xbox One X, alongside third party releases like Fallout 76 and Battlefield V, both of which arrive next month. And now that the game is in full release, with new content being added periodically, it’s sure to leave quite the dent in October’s sales numbers as well.

We’re pretty sure that the Xbox Game Pass saw a huge catapult in users as well, since Forza Horizon 4 became a big part of that service earlier this month. Microsoft made big shifts to the program earlier this year when it offered its exclusive first-party releases for the on-demand service, including Sea of Thieves and State of Decay 2. So that audience is likely enjoying the game just as much as those that bought the complete version.

Not only that, but a special Forza Horizon 4 bundle has no doubt been adding to the company’s growing userbase of Xbox One X owners. Going for $499, the bundle, which is available now, includes the system and controller, a 1TB hard drive, full versions of both Forza Horizon 4 and the previously released Forza Motorsport 7, a month-long trial for Xbox Game Pass and a 14-day Xbox Live trial. There’s a good chance it could also go on sale during Black Friday weekend, so we’ll keep you informed.

So if racing games are your thing, don’t miss out on this ride. Forza Horizon 4 is available now for Xbox One, Xbox One X and Windows PC.