Forza Horizon 4 to be delisted and removed from Xbox Game Pass

Developer Playground Games has announced that Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from the Microsoft Store and removed from Xbox Game Pass later this year.

Sean Carey

Published 25 Jun 2024

If you want to unlock the Forza Horizon 4 achievements through Game Pass, you're going to want to get a move on as Playground Games has confirmed it will delist Forza Horizon 4 and remove it from Xbox Game Pass in December due to licensing issues — pour one out for one of the best Xbox racing games.

Forza Horizon 4 to be delisted from Microsoft Store and Game Pass on December 15, 2024

"Due to licensing and agreements with our partners, Forza Horizon 4 will be delisted from digital platforms (Microsoft Store and Steam) on December 15, 2024," a blog post from the Forza team reads. "This means the game and its additional content will no longer be available for purchase through online stores." Naturally, this means the game will be removed from Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on that date.

The Forza team adds, "Players who already own the game and its content will be able to download and play it as normal, including its offline, online, and multiplayer features; physical copies of the game purchased after this date will also work and will be able to use online features."

Interestingly, Playground says that if you played Forza Horizon 4 via Xbox Game Pass and bought any of the DLC packs for it, "you will be eligible to receive a game token" for Forza Horizon 4 if you have an "active, full-paid (not discounted) Xbox Game Pass subscription on 6/25." However, as of today (June 25), Forza Horizon 4's individual DLC packs will be delisted from digital storefronts. The Standard, Deluxe, and Ultimate Editions of Forza Horizon 4 will still be available to purchase up until the December 15 delisting date and will be discounted in an Xbox sale on July 14.

With Forza Horizon 4 entering end-of-life status, Playground is ending the Festival Playlist. The final Festival Playlist, Series 77, starts on July 25 and will run through to August 22. After Series 77 ends, Playground says, "You will no longer be able to access the playlist screen, except to see the festival playlist history. When booting the game, you will be taken to the Festival Site screen rather than the Festival Playlist."

Playground says achievements "tied with the Festival Playlist" will be discontinued once Series 77 comes to an end on August 22 and specifically highlights A Creature of Habit, Stunt Puller, Cashing In, and Perfectionist in its announcement. However, there are, in fact, many more achievements tied to the Festival Playlist, which will also likely be discontinued. Encore, Spring into Racing, A Summer in Pole Position, Autumn-mobiles, Winter is Running, Well Seasoned, Overachiever, and Seasoned to Victory can only be unlocked during a Festival Playlist.

While there won't be a Festival Playlist after Series 77, the Forza Events screen will still be viewable and will include a selection of daily and weekly challenges. Completing these and Forzathon events will earn you Forzathon Points that can be exchanged for Backstage Passes. Playground says it will update the Backstage Pass Cars list with "all the remaining cars that have previously been Festival Playlist Exclusive after Series 77."

Forza Horizon 4 is one of the games included with Xbox Game Pass Core, so it will be interesting to see if it's replaced with Forza Horizon 5 after its delisting date.

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Written by Sean Carey

A big fan of Xbox achievements, Sean has committed to playing as many of the best RPGs, racing games, and first-person shooters on and off Xbox Game Pass as possible. Before joining TrueAchievements, Sean earned a degree in journalism from Solent University.