With Forza Horizon 5 crossing 20 million players, will the anticipated DLC be revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase?

When Forza Horizon 5 came out in the second half of 2021, it was quickly recognized as one of the best games of the year. Catering to both racing and car enthusiasts, the title fared well at The Game Awards 2021, winning three of its four nominations, including Best Sports/Racing Game.

Boasting gorgeous graphics, open world settings, dynamic weather, racing events, countless cars and more, Forza Horizon 5 has been well received by both critics and fans of the series alike. The game has quickly amassed a huge number of players, with a recent report confirming that the number is north of 20 million.

Players have been waiting for the hotly anticipated DLC of the game for some time now. There were plenty of rumors at the beginning of 2022 but nothing has been confirmed yet. One wonders if the expansion will finally be revealed at the Xbox & Bethesda Showcase, which is a part of the Summer Game Fest.

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Fans have been long waiting for news regarding the Forza Horizon 5 Expansions

The expansive open world of Forza Horizon 5 has not been without hiccups, but even then, the Xbox game has been a major success. Over the months, the developers have added more cars, events, and challenges for players to invest in. This has directly contributed to the latest iteration of the series' 20 million+ player count.

Player counter (Image via arsene_P5/ResetEra)

The record was shared as a screenshot of the Hall of Fame leaderboard by arsene_P5 on ResetEra. The game had a player count of over 1.2 million even before the game's release, through early access provided in the premium edition of the game. Post release, it was confirmed to be the largest launch for an Xbox Game Studios title.

The title crossed 10 million players during its first week of release and another five million by January 2022. The availability of Forza Horizon 5 on the Xbox Game Pass, and the option of cross-play played a crucial part in these milestones.

Yet, the two expansions that were promised by the developers and are present on the game's Xbox listing have not been announced. The description for both Expansion One and Expansion Two states:

"This add-on will introduce a new world location, vehicles, and gameplay."

There was a rumor back in early January that the DLC may come out on January 21. Posting on Reddit, u/UUHZACIP pointed to a deleted Amazon listing which mentioned that release date. Later in February, it was leaked that Microsoft was testing the first DLC for the game.

It is much more likely that Playground Games will finally reveal the expansions at the upcoming Xbox & Bethesda Showcase, which is a part of the ongoing Summer Game Fest. The Showcase is set to be held on June 12 at 10.am PDT, 1 PM EST, 6 PM BST, 10.30 PM IST. The event can be watched live on the official Xbox channels on YouTube, Twitch and Facebook.

The publishers are expected to reveal new information and details about a number of titles, with fans expecting a fresh look at games like Starfield, Redfall and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. Fans of the Forza Horizon 5 would eagerly hope that the racing game also makes the cut.