"Restored Online Features for Delisted Open-World Racing Game"

Summary

• Forza Horizon 3's online services continue despite the game being delisted in 2020.
• A community manager confirmed the servers were rebooted after players reported certain unavailable features, reaffirming Playground Games' commitment to maintaining online services.
• Forza Horizon 5 recently set a new milestone, accumulating over 40 million players since its launch in 2021.

Forza Horizon 3's online services have been revitalized recently, much to the delight of fans, even though the game was delisted in 2020. Playground Games has shown a strong commitment to keeping these features alive, unlike the original Forza Horizon and Forza Horizon 2, whose online services were permanently shut down after being delisted. A community manager from Playground Games stepped in as a savior, reassuring fans that Forza Horizon 3's online features are still operational.

The Forza franchise kicked off in 2005 with Forza Motorsport, followed by the first Forza Horizon in 2012. The latest installment, Forza Horizon 5, stirred some controversy when it was omitted from the Best Ongoing Game category at The Game Awards 2024. Despite this, Forza Horizon 5 has delivered more post-launch content than any other game in the series, including exciting updates like the Hide and Seek multiplayer mode.

A Reddit user, JoaoPaulo3k, shared a screenshot of a post on the Forza subreddit asking, "Is this the end of Forza 3?" The player couldn't access certain features, sparking fears that the online services might be terminated. Fortunately, Playground's senior community manager was hailed as a "saint" for addressing these concerns and confirming that the servers had been rebooted. Forza Horizon 3 reached its "End of Life" status in 2020, meaning the base game and its DLC were no longer available for purchase on the Microsoft Store.

Forza Horizon 3's Online Services Endure Despite Game Being Delisted

Last year, Forza fans faced another setback when Forza Horizon 4 was delisted in December 2024, despite its success and over 24 million players since its 2018 launch. However, it's heartening to see Playground Games quickly address online issues and general concerns about Forza Horizon 3. The community manager also noted a positive increase in traffic following the server reboot.

Three years after its launch, Forza Horizon 5 achieved a significant milestone by attracting over 40 million players since 2021. This open-world racer has become one of Xbox's most successful titles, and fans are eagerly anticipating the next installment, likely to be Forza Horizon 6. Many players have expressed a desire for a Japan setting, and it's possible that Playground Games is quietly developing this successor while also working on the much-anticipated Fable title.