Very Positive(82%)
Beautiful map
Fun driving
Great graphics
Open-world exploration
Japan setting
Car selection
Online racing
Post-launch content
Price value
Recycled content
Limited customization
Shallow progression
PC instability
FOMO grind
Players often praise the beautiful, explorable Japan map and fun, accessible driving, but many feel the recycled content and shallow progression make the game lose its appeal after the campaign. Reactions to the Japan setting and the car roster are divided: newcomers and casual players may enjoy the scenery and cruising, while series veterans often wanted more innovation, street racing, and JDM customization. PC stability problems, FOMO-heavy updates, and controversial livery bans further weaken recommendations, particularly at full price.
Positive Points
The Japan map is frequently praised for its beauty, size, seasonal scenery, varied roads, verticality, and enjoyable places to explore or photograph. Many players find it a substantial improvement over the previous game's setting.Driving is fun and approachable, with many players enjoying the responsive handling and balance between arcade and realistic racing. Some also praise the revised physics and say the game works well with controllers, steering wheels, and sim-racing setups.The game offers a large selection of cars and plenty of activities at launch, including races, challenges, collectibles, stories, and free-roam exploration. Casual players enjoy being able to cruise, drift, take photos, or play at their own pace.Graphics, car detail, and presentation receive frequent praise. Many reviewers describe the game as visually impressive, and some report smooth performance on their PC or handheld.Negative Points
Many returning players see the game as largely the previous Horizon formula with a new map: races, cars, seasonal activities, and other content are often described as recycled, with few substantial new features or meaningful post-launch additions.Progression and long-term play are common complaints. Players say the campaign is short or unrewarding, gives away powerful cars too quickly, and leaves little to do after the main events; weekly playlists can feel repetitive, chore-like, and driven by fear of missing limited-time cars.Car customization is widely considered too limited, especially for a game set in Japan. Reviewers want more body kits, tuning and visual options, and a stronger selection of Japanese cars; many also feel the game does not convey Japanese car culture through its events and world.Players frequently object to the balance of activities: they want more street, road, touge, and Tokyo races, and fewer dirt and cross-country events. Some also say drift zones and mountain routes do not deliver the narrow-road challenge they expected.Technical problems are reported by a notable number of players, particularly PC crashes, loading failures, stuttering, frame drops, and VRAM or memory errors. Other complaints include bugs, lost or reset progress, and inconsistent support for wheels or Linux and Steam Deck.Online play draws criticism for ramming, uneven penalties, dominant meta builds, cheating on leaderboards, and weak social tools. Some players also find the AI frustrating or inconsistent in races and free roam.The price and monetization are considered poor value by many reviewers, who object to expensive editions and DLC, paid or recycled car content, and difficult-to-earn or time-limited vehicles.The handling of community liveries is a major source of frustration: reviewers report bans affecting creators and users of itasha designs, and feel moderation is inconsistent or poorly communicated.Mixed Points
The Japan setting is a major draw and the map is often called the game's strongest feature, but many players feel the city and surrounding world do not capture the expected atmosphere or car culture. Tokyo is admired by some, while others find it underused, sparse, or too small a part of the map.Driving and the car roster provide plenty of fun for casual play, but enthusiasts criticize limited visual customization, missing or recycled models, and car-class or online balance issues that can make favorites uncompetitive.There is substantial content to explore initially, and some players report dozens or hundreds of enjoyable hours. Others say the experience becomes repetitive quickly, especially after completing the campaign or exhausting the weekly playlist.Performance varies considerably by system: some reviewers report polished, smooth play, while others describe severe crashes, stutters, or compatibility problems that make the game difficult or impossible to play.Value depends heavily on a player's expectations and familiarity with the series. Newcomers and casual fans often recommend it, while many returning players consider it too similar to previous games to justify full price.Common Themes
The attractive Japan map, scenery, and open-world driving are the most consistently praised aspects.Many returning fans feel the new entry changes too little beyond its location and visuals, with recycled cars, events, and live-service routines.Reviewers repeatedly ask for more meaningful progression, fresh post-launch content, and less repetitive, FOMO-driven weekly play.The gap between the Japan setting and the limited JDM selection, customization, and street-racing focus is a central source of disappointment.Technical reliability and online fairness vary, with reports of PC instability, poor AI, ramming, and leaderboard cheating.Updated 10/18/2026, 12:02:46 AM UTC
