Forza Horizon 5 Launch Car List: A 2026 First-Person Look Back

Back in September 2021, I was refreshing every Forza news feed I could find. Xbox Game Studios and Playground Games had just officially revealed a chunk of the car list that would be included in Forza Horizon 5 at launch, and even though it was not the full roster, it was enough to make my garage-planning brain go into overdrive. Now, writing in 2026, I can look back at that moment with both nostalgia and a clearer sense of how much the game has grown. The Mexico map was already being billed as the biggest in franchise history, and the promise of more areas to explore with each new vehicle made the wait for November 9, 2021, feel endless.

At the time, the developers were clear: this was only the beginning. There were 426 vehicles listed on Forza Motorsport's website, and plenty more were coming. For starter cars, players could choose among the Chevrolet C8 Corvette Stingray, the 2021 Ford Bronco, and the Toyota Supra GR. That trio alone told me a lot about the game's direction. You had a mid-engine American supercar, a rugged off-road icon, and a Japanese performance legend. It was a perfect welcome mat for a festival set in Mexico.

The Launch List Was a Statement

Looking at the manufacturer breakdown, I saw a mix of modern monsters and historic heroes. Acura brought the 2001 Integra Type-R, the 2002 RSX Type-S, and the 2017 NSX. Audi delivered a deep roster of RS and Quattro machines, from the 1984 Sport Quattro to the 2016 R8 V10 plus. Dodge leaned hard into American muscle and brute force. Ferrari, meanwhile, offered a dream garage that stretched from the 1957 250 Testa Rossa to the 2019 488 Pista.

Acura

• 2001 Acura Integra Type-R

• 2002 Acura RSX Type-S

• 2017 Acura NSX

Audi

• 2006 Audi RS 4

• 2003 Audi RS 6

• 2009 Audi RS 6

• 2011 Audi RS 5 Coupé

• 2013 Audi RS4 Avant

• 2013 Audi RS 7 Sportback

• 2013 Audi R8 Coupé V10 plus 5.2 FSI quattro

• 2001 Audi RS4 Avant

• 2015 Audi RS6 Avant

• 2010 Audi TT RS Coupé

• 2016 Audi R8 V10 plus

• 1984 Audi Sport Quattro

• 2015 Audi TTS Coupé

• 1995 Audi RS 2 Avant

• 2015 Audi S1

Dodge

• 1969 Dodge Charger R/T

• 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

• 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

• 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona HEMI

• 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

• 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

• 2016 Dodge Viper ACR

• 2018 Dodge Durango SRT

• 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Ferrari

• 1994 Ferrari F355 Berlinetta

• 2003 Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale

• 1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

• 2002 Ferrari Enzo Ferrari

• 1987 Ferrari F40

• 1995 Ferrari F50

• 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO

• 2005 Ferrari FXX

• 1996 Ferrari F50 GT

• 2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia

• 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia

• 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

• 1957 Ferrari 250 California

• 1968 Ferrari 365 GTB/4

• 2012 Ferrari 599XX Evolution

• 2013 Ferrari LaFerrari

• 2013 Ferrari 458 Speciale

• 2014 Ferrari FXX K

• 2015 Ferrari 488 GTB

• 2015 Ferrari F12tdf

• 1967 Ferrari #24 Ferrari Spa 330 P4

• 2017 Ferrari 812 Superfast

• 2017 Ferrari GTC4Lusso

• 2018 Ferrari Portofino

• 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista

What I Think in 2026

Today, in 2026, Forza Horizon 5 has a car roster that dwarfs that original reveal. Seasonal updates, expansions, and community events have added countless machines. But the launch list still feels important. It was the blueprint. It showed that Playground Games wanted variety, not just hypercars. The 2021 Ford Bronco was a signal that off-road culture mattered. The Toyota Supra GR was a nod to tuner fans. The C8 Corvette Stingray was proof that the latest American performance was not an afterthought.

Would I still choose the same starter car? Probably. I picked the Supra GR back then because it felt balanced and iconic. If I were starting fresh in 2026, I might take the Bronco for the Mexico map's dirt trails, or the C8 for highway blasts. That is the beauty of Forza Horizon 5: the car list is not just a spreadsheet. It is a set of invitations.

The Bottom Line

The original launch car list was never meant to be final. It was a promise. And in 2026, I can say that promise was kept. The game launched on November 9, 2021, for Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, and PC on Windows 10 and Steam. It has since become a long-running festival of speed, but I still remember scanning that first list and dreaming about which keys I would grab first. For a car fanatic, that is a special kind of hype.