Series 34 is officially called "Horizon Retrowave", and this faux-80s style — sort of an ironic retrofuturism — sets the scene for the activities and looks.
Those of you who loved the neon lights and extended night time of Midnights at Horizon are in for a treat as they're back and with reinforcements that see the main highway partially transformed into its own Max Headroom video setting. A new radio station, "Horizon Wave", completes the vibe.
As usual there's five new cars to race for this series, all either original 80s or retro 80s (okay, mid-70s in one case) to stick to the theme. One is available for 20pt in each of the four weeks, while netting 80pt overall will award you the fifth.
Series 34: Horizon Retrowave
It's considerably more obvious with the former car, which is an all-electric, present-day reinterpretation of that original vehicle. Designed entirely in homage to that car, the N Vision 74 concept has a hydrogen fuel cell providing the juice for a pair of motors good for a combined 671hp — all at the rear wheels.
Rack up even more points and you'll have another chance to earn the DeLorean DMC-12, a car initially revealed in the 1970s, but built in the early 80s and made famous by its appearance in 1985's time traveling classic film Back to the Future.
In many ways, the DeLorean is a case of "what Giugiaro did next", as the Italian design legend penned the car almost immediately after the Pony Coupe — and you don't have to look hard to see similarities.
Series 34 Summer/Wet Season Rewards
20 points scored across Summer will be enough to see you earn this exclusive, limited-run machine which is effectively a Lamborghini Sian underneath its retro-styled body. That means 800hp, from a supercapacitor-powered hybrid V12, and all-wheel drive.
Something a bit more proper old school is up for 40 points, with the Ferrari 512TR. This was the successor to the classic Testarossa (it's the "TR" of the name) with everything just tweaked a little bit to make it a far more comfortable proposition on the public roads.
Summer will run until 1430UTC on Thursday May 30, with Series 34 continuing on for another three weeks until the same time on Thursday June 20.
Series 34 Summer Playlist: Forzathon Events
You'll need to take some care this week, as there's a stage requiring some modifications to the car — but it's not the first one. That means either tackling the challenge to win a Street Race in the car stock or with only mild tweaks.
After that, spend at least 20,000cr on upgrades for the NSX, then head out and earn three stars at Speed Zones to complete the challenge. Do so and you'll earn five Playlist points and 80 Forzathon Points.
Forzathon Weekly Challenge: Type-R
- Car: Honda NSX-R '92
- Chapter 1: Own and drive the Honda NSX-R '92
- Chapter 2: Win a Street Race in the Honda NSX-R '92
- Chapter 3: Spend 20,000cr on upgrades for the Honda NSX-R '92
- Chapter 4: Earn three stars at Speed Zones in the Honda NSX-R '92
- Reward: 5 points, 80FP
You'll need to head Into the Sunset first, by going to the new Retrowave Highway — towards the top end of the main highway.
Be a Circuit Hero next, and win any circuit-based Road Racing Series event in any Retro Sports Car.
Turn up the radio and listen to some Fresh Beats, for at least three minutes of the new Horizon Wave station.
Take any car with pop-up lights and earn three Ultimate Air Skills — leaps that last for a couple of seconds — to Wink at the Sky.
For Monday you'll need to be a Trail Monster, earning a total of three stars at Trailblazers in any Rally Monster.
You'll be Messing Up the Place next, earning a Great Wreckage Skill in Playground Games. Note that this requires an Xbox Core subscription — and a map where there's plenty to smash up.
Finally be a Lambo Master and unlock any Car Mastery in any Lamborghini.
Daily Challenges
- May 23 – Into the Sunset: Visit one of the entrances to the Retrowave Highway
- May 24 – Circuit Hero: Win a Road Race Circuit event in any Retro Sports Car
- May 25 – Fresh Beats: Listen to the Horizon Wave radio station for three minutes
- May 26 – Wink at the Sky: Earn three Ultimate Air Skills in any car with pop-up lights
- May 27 – Trail Monster: Earn a total of three stars at Trailblazers in any Rally Monster
- May 28 – Messing Up the Place: Earn a Great Wreckage Skill in Playground Games
- May 29 – Lambo Master: Unlock a Car Mastery in any Lamborghini
Series 34 Summer Playlist: Season Events
For this latter item you can visit any Horizon Arcade event of any type — Air, Chaos, Drift, Speed, and Wreckage — and clear a full set of three challenges to earn the three points. There's no further bonus rewards, other than the regular Forzathon Points.
All three of the PR Stunts require the same vehicle, with the 1987 Pontiac Trans-Am the car in question. You'll need to ensure it's a D Class example (≤500PI), and in fact all three events can be done in the standard car which is just under the limit.
It shouldn't be a struggle to hit all three, with the 112m target for Launch Control probably the easiest, the 101mph goal at Los Arboles not too tricky, and 82mph through La Silica fine if you don't over-estimate the car's braking abilities round the one corner in the zone.
The Temples Rally EventLab is a relatively benign off-road challenge based around Teotihuacan. You'll need a B Class (601-700PI) Retro Rally car for the event, and beat the AI over two laps for three points and a Porsche 911 Turbo '82. Tiny Tangerine is more of a city course race on EventLab Island, again a two-lap affair against AI, for A Class (701-800PI) Retro Supercar. You'll earn three points and a Ford Sierra RS500.
As usual the two Seasonal Championships are three-race events against "Highly Skilled" AI, with five points and the bonus rewards available for topping the points table at the end of the series.
Above and Be Honda is a challenge for A Class (701-800PI) Retro Supercars, awarding you the Honda NSX-R required for the Forzathon Weekly Challenge. Red Sky at Night requires B Class (601-700PI) Retro Sports Cars, with a 1987 Nissan Skyline GTS-R the bonus reward.
Danger Sign: Launch Control
- Car: D Class, Pontiac Trans-Am '87
- Location: Horizon Festival
- Challenge: 112m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Trap: Los Arboles
- Car: D Class, Pontiac Trans-Am '87
- Location: Gran Caldera
- Challenge: 101mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Speed Zone: La Silica
- Car: D Class, Pontiac Trans-Am '87
- Location: Bahia de Plano
- Challenge: 82mph
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
EventLab: Temples Rally
- Car: B Class, Retro Rally
- Location: Teotihuacan
- Challenge: Win the Race
- Reward: 3 points, Porsche 911 Turbo '82
EventLab: The Tiny Tangerine
- Car: A Class, Retro Supercars
- Location: EventLab Island
- Challenge: Win the Race
- Reward: 3 points, Ford Sierra RS500
Horizon Arcade: Mini-Games
- Car: Any
- Location: Horizon Arcade (any)
- Challenge: Complete three rounds of Horizon Arcade
- Reward: 3 points
Seasonal Championship: Above and Be Honda
- Car: A Class, Retro Supercars
- Location: Guanajuato
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Honda NSX-R '92
Seasonal Championship: Red Sky at Night
- Car: B Class, Retro Sports Cars
- Location: Estadio Horizon
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Nissan Skyline GTS-R '87
You and a team of up to six human players will be taking on a squad of six "Unbeatable" AI in a best-of-three race championship. The goal is for your team to outscore the other team, with each player earning 100pt for each opponent they beat — and only opponents; you get none for beating a team-mate.
That means your best option is to help each other out by hindering the AI but not each other. Blocking the AI to assist slower players to pass them will reap the biggest rewards, while sprinting off to a solo win does no-one any good.
It's toward the top-end of most players' capabilities this week, so watch out for wayward team-mates who haven't heard that power is nothing without control. Nonetheless, it's not so tricky to win inside two races, for ten points and a Lamborghini Countach 5000QV.
The Trial: Countach for More
- Car: S1 Class, Retro Supercars
- Location: Cordillera
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 10 points, Lamborghini Countach
Series 34 Summer Playlist: Challenges
Again you'll need Xbox Core for that last one, and the challenge is its usual format. Just finish 30th or better — often a matter of surviving a few minutes into the game — to take two points and a "This is Fine" Forza LINK greeting.
Near Misfortune isn't too hard a nut to crack, with the clue being relatively easy solve. As you can probably guess, it's all about near misses on the highway. In fact you only need to score one, anywhere on the highway to reveal the chest location.
That will take you a small steading just north of the Gran Puente bridge and the chest itself is right out front so not a hard one to find. Smash it to earn three points and 100,000cr — a little down on recent 250k chests.
You'll need a 1994 Nissan Fairlady Z for the Photo Challenge, #MyFairLady. Photograph the car anywhere near Tulum to complete the challenge, for two points and the unique Retrowave Outfit.
The Eliminator: Battle Royale
- Cars: Provided
- Location: The Eliminator
- Challenge: Finish 30th or better in The Eliminator
- Reward: 2 points, "This is Fine" Forza LINK
Photo Challenge: #MyFairlady
- Cars: Nissan Fairlady Z '94
- Location: Tulum
- Challenge: Photograph the Nissan Fairlady Z at Tulum
- Reward: 2 points, Retrowave Outfit
Treasure Hunt: Near Misfortune
- Cars: Any
- Location: Highway
- Challenge: Earn a Near Miss Skills on the Highway; find and smash the Treasure Chest
- Reward: 3 points, 100,000cr
Series 34 Summer Playlist: Monthly Events
Although similar to Rivals, you're not required to beat the ghost. Just make sure your run is clean: avoid the Rewind button, hit your checkpoints, and don't hit any solid objects. As there's two sprint races this month, that may be tricky
Forza EV returns this month, with the Hyundai N Vision 74 at Los Jardines Circuit (again) and the Lotus Evija at the Descansar Dorado sprint. You'll also be racing the new Countach LPI800-4 at the Playa Azul Circuit, and the 1980 Lotus Esprit at the Las Laderas sprint.
Forza EV: Descansar Dorado Sprint
- Cars: Lotus Evija (provided)
- Location: Costa Rocosa
- Challenge: Post a Clean Time
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Forza EV: Los Jardines Circuit
- Cars: Hyundai N Vision 74 '22 (provided)
- Location: Los Jardines
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Las Laderas
- Cars: Lotus Esprit '80 (provided)
- Location: Estadio Horizon
- Challenge: Post a Clean Time
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Monthly Rivals: Playa Azul Circuit
- Cars: Lamborghini Countach LPI800-4 (provided)
- Location: Play Azula
- Challenge: Post a Clean Lap
- Reward: 4 points (1 added to each season)
Series 34 Summer Bonus DLC Events
As with the previous Series, each pair of events in each location requires the same car type. For Hot Wheels that's an S1 Class (801-900PI) Classic Racer, for a 340m target at the Forest Leap Danger Sign and the When the Hemi Drops Seasonal. They award a Super Wheelspin and a Plymouth Cuda respectively.
Over in Sierra Nueva you'll need an A Class (701-800PI) Rally Monster, for a 200m jump at the Palm Forest Danger Sign — perhaps requiring a little cross-country run to the north for the speed — and the Fish Out of Water seasonal. You'll earn a Super Wheelspin and an Opel Manta 400 respectively.
Hot Wheels Danger Sign: Forest Leap
- Car: S1 Class, Classic Racers
- Location: Hot Wheels Forest Falls
- Challenge: 340m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Hot Wheels Seasonal Championship: When the Hemi Drops
- Car: S1 Class, Classic Racers
- Location: Hot Wheels Ice Cauldron
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Plymouth Cuda
Rally Adventure Danger Sign: Palm Forest
- Car: A Class, Rally Monsters
- Location: Sierra Nueva Epitaph Radio Tower
- Challenge: 200m
- Reward: 2 points, Super Wheelspin
Rally Adventure Seasonal Championship: Fish Out of Water
- Car: A Class, Rally Monsters
- Location: Sierra Nueva Joya Marron
- Challenge: Win the Championship
- Reward: 5 points, Opel Manta 400
Series 34 Summer Forzathon Shop
The first of those is a homologation model in name alone, as it was never originally intended for race use but happened to overlap with the Group B category — which includes track racing as well as the more famous rally.
In fact that's quite literal, as the Ferrari GTO's name really does just mean "Gran Turismo Omologato". Although it appears in-game as the 288 GTO, this was never officially part of the name — but is an accepted nickname derived from its twin-turbo engine's capacity (rounded down) and cylinder count.
Nissan's R390 GT1 is a very different machine, being pretty much the company's top-tier prototype racer with interior carpets and a pair of natty red seats. There was only ever one example built, under the requirements for homologating the racer.
The GTO is up for 800FP, against an Autoshow price of 3.5m credits. You'll need 500FP for the Nissan, or stump up the usual 1.25m credits in the Autoshow.
This week's other store items are the Extreme E Pink Race Suit, Hot Wheels Sun Dress, and the new Dial Tone Horn. A Wheelspin and a Super Wheelspin are also available at their usual 60FP and 150FP respectively.
Series 34 Summer Forzathon Shop
- Ferrari GTO '84 – 800FP
- Nissan R390 GT1 '98 – 500FP
- Extreme E Pink Race Suit – 75FP
- Hot Wheels Sun Dress – 75FP
- Dial Tone Horn – 75FP
- Wheelspin – 60FP
- Super Wheelspin – 150FP
