Forza Horizon 4 PC Performance Review

Graphical Comparison – Lowest to Maximum – Part 2

Forza Horizon 4’s lowest preset comes with a boatload of compromises, the greatest of which is the game’s lack of shadows, which creates a visually jarring image that sets off every switch in your mind that can say “something doesn’t look right here”. 

Moving to low presents an image that looks significantly better, with shadows added where they are desperately needed while extra vegetation is added in the distance. The game still looks pretty bad at these settings, which is why we recommend that PC gamers aim for Forza’s medium settings or greater

(Lowest VS Low) 
 

At medium settings, we can see a huge decrease in aliasing thanks fo the game’s use of MSAA, making the image appear clearer by removing the jaggies at the edges of vehicles and other details. 

Another notable change is an increase in texture detail for the dials within the Ford Mustang in the images below, a change that will help increase Forza’s immersiveness when using the game’s cockpit view.  

(Low VS Medium) 
 

Moving from Medium to high significantly increases the amount of vegetation in this scene and adds more people to the crowd in the distant stands. Terrain texture detail also sees an increase in quality, something which is extremely noticeable when using the game’s first-person view. 
  

(Medium VS High) 
 

Boosting Forza’s graphical presets from High to Ultra results in a significant increase in terrain texture detail and an increase in vegetation detail, with Ultra presenting a significant increase in the amount of grass shown on screen. We can also see two that additional balloons are added to the scene as well as an extra gazebo on the crowded racing stands.  
 

(High VS Ultra) 
 

When moving from Forza Horizon 4’s Ultra Preset to the game’s Maximum settings, we can see a significant increase in reflection quality on the rearview and wing mirrors. Aliasing is also significantly reduced, something which is noticeable when these screenshots are viewed in their full size, particularly around the car’s windscreen wipers.   

(Ultra VS Maximum)