For Forza Horizon 5 on PC, start from the High preset, turn on DLSS, FSR or XeSS if your frame rate is short, and lower Shadow Quality, MSAA, SSR and SSAO before anything else. On Xbox and PS5, pick Performance mode. That is the short version.
I drive for a stable frame rate first and looks second. A frame rate that drops in a fast corner ruins your timing far more than slightly softer shadows ever will.
Checked on 26 October 2026 against Playground's Donut Media update notes on forza.net (November 2022), NVIDIA's DLSS 3 announcement (March 2023), the Steam store page, Playground's PS5 FAQ, and PCGamesN's FH5 settings benchmarks (updated July 2025). For the newer game, see my Forza Horizon 6 best settings.
My FH5 PC settings
These are the settings I would start from on a mid range PC aiming for a steady 60 fps or more. Begin with the High preset, then change these:
| Setting | My pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Anisotropic Filtering | Highest | Sharper road far ahead, almost free |
| Shadow Quality | High | Extreme is the single most expensive option |
| Night Shadows | On | Small cost, helps at night |
| Motion Blur Quality | Off or Low | Taste; I want a clear picture |
| Environment Texture Quality | High | Lower it only if you run out of video memory |
| Environment Geometry Quality | High | |
| MSAA | 2x | 8x costs a lot of frames |
| FXAA | Off | Blurs the image if MSAA or DLAA is on |
| SSAO Quality | High | Drop to Medium if you need frames |
| Reflection Quality | Medium | High costs a lot for little in motion |
| World Car Level of Detail | High | |
| Deformable Terrain Quality | Ultra | Almost free |
| SSR Quality | Medium | Extreme is one of the heaviest options |
| Lens Effects | Your choice | Almost free; I turn them down |
| Shader Quality | High | |
| Particle Effects Quality | High | Extreme costs more for little |
| Ray Tracing | Off for racing | Turn it on for photos if you have the card |
The preset list runs Very Low, Low, Medium, High, Ultra and Extreme. If you have frames to spare after these changes, raise the settings in the "Why" column that say "almost free" first.
Which settings cost the most fps
PCGamesN measured each option on its own. In their tests the heaviest were, in order: Shadow Quality at Extreme, MSAA at 8x, SSR at Extreme, SSAO, and Reflection Quality at High. Ray tracing and World Car Level of Detail came next. Anisotropic Filtering, Deformable Terrain and Lens Effects cost almost nothing.
That is one outlet's test bench, so treat it as an order, not exact numbers for your PC. The order matches what I would expect: shadows, anti aliasing and screen space effects are always the expensive part.
One note if you read their guide: it says ray tracing only works in Forzavista. That was true at launch. Since the Donut Media update in November 2022, ray traced reflections also show on your car in free roam and races, so the option now costs frames while you drive.
DLSS, FSR and XeSS in FH5
FH5 has picked up every major upscaler since launch:
- DLSS Super Resolution, DLAA and FSR 2.2 came with the Donut Media update in November 2022, along with the Ultra and Extreme ray tracing presets.
- DLSS 3 Frame Generation and NVIDIA Reflex arrived on 28 March 2023, for RTX 40 series cards.
- Intel XeSS came with the High Performance Update in April 2023.
What I would use: on an NVIDIA RTX card, DLSS Quality, or DLAA if you already have the frames and want the cleanest image. On AMD, FSR 2.2. On Intel Arc, XeSS. Frame generation adds frames but also a little delay between your hands and the screen, so for racing I would rather lower settings than lean on it, and I would always run Reflex with it.
I found no official note that FSR 3 or DLSS 4 were added to FH5, so do not expect them in the menu.
PC system requirements
From the Steam store page:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 version 18362.0 or newer | Same |
| CPU | Intel i5-4460 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | GTX 970, RX 470 or Arc A380 | GTX 1070, RX 590 or Arc A750 |
| Storage | 110 GB | 110 GB |
My Forza Horizon 5 system requirements page goes into more detail.
Xbox and PS5 graphics modes
- Xbox Series X: Quality mode at 4K and 30 fps, or Performance mode at 60 fps.
- Xbox Series S: 1080p at 30 fps, with a 60 fps Performance mode.
- PS5 and PS5 Pro: Performance mode at 60 fps or Quality mode at 30 fps. On the PS5 Pro, Quality adds ray traced car reflections in races and free roam, and Performance gets improved visuals. The PS5 version came out on 29 April 2025.
Pick Performance. 60 fps makes the car easier to catch when it steps out, and you feel the steering react sooner. Quality is for photo mode and cruising.
Settings that help more than graphics
Your field of view changes how well you judge corners more than any graphics option. My Forza Horizon 5 FOV settings page covers it. If you race on a wheel, the FH5 wheel settings matter more than shadows, and on a pad see my Forza Horizon 5 controller settings.
FAQ
What are the best graphics settings for Forza Horizon 5?
Start from the High preset, set Shadow Quality to High, MSAA to 2x, SSR and Reflection Quality to Medium, and keep Anisotropic Filtering at its highest setting. Add DLSS, FSR or XeSS if you need more frames.
Which FH5 settings affect fps the most?
In PCGamesN's tests: Shadow Quality at Extreme, MSAA at 8x, SSR at Extreme, SSAO and Reflection Quality. Anisotropic Filtering, Deformable Terrain and Lens Effects cost almost nothing.
Does Forza Horizon 5 have DLSS?
Yes. DLSS Super Resolution and DLAA came in November 2022, and DLSS 3 Frame Generation with NVIDIA Reflex in March 2023.
Does Forza Horizon 5 have FSR?
Yes, FSR 2.2, added in November 2022. Intel XeSS was added in April 2023.
Should I use Quality or Performance mode on Xbox or PS5?
Performance, for 60 fps. Quality runs at 30 fps, which looks good in photos but makes the car harder to control.