The best 8 race tracks in Forza
Forza as a racing franchise is normally hailed for its sandbox maps and incredible car lists. But over the years its titles have offered some spectacular track-based locations to enjoy as well, from the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold, to ribbons of asphalt in the Japanese mountains and many superb tracks in between. These are the best circuits on Forza games.
Tsukuba (Forza Motorsport 2)
Sorely missed from the Forza franchise for some time now is the stunning Japanese circuit Tsukuba. For those of us that grew up with these games and grew up watching Best Motoring, Tsukuba offered gamers a prime balanced spot to benchmark Forza Motorsport 2’s impressive line-up of road cars, be that for lap times or a Three Lap Battle!
Test Track King Cobra (Forza Motorsport 2)
Then there was this monster. Available in a range of layouts, the imaginatively-named Test Track was best in King Cobra specification. It’s one of those tracks that’s so tight and technical in places, that you could take the latest greatest supercar (at the time of release on Motorsport 2, probably the Ferrari 599?) and absolutely leave it for dead in something like a Mitsubishi Evo. Of course, King Cobra featured a couple of decent sized straights, so the 599 had the chance to fully deploy its 620PS (456kW) V12. Countless unlikely pairings and weirdly close races make for good memories on Test Track.
Mugello (Forza Motorsport 2)
Some tracks, like Tsukuba we mentioned before, just suit the Forza physics feel, and Mugello was another. Most famous for its bike racing, Mugello was an unexpectedly epic track on which to race and set fast laps. A nice mix of fast sweepers, tight switchbacks, undulations and dodgy cambers, Mugello was a great venue to feel Forza’s advanced physics model in both the latest greatest performance cars and the racing machinery that populated Motorsport 2’s car list.
Fujimi Kaido (Forza Motorsport 3)
Another titan from Forza’s history of fictional locations is Fujimi Kaido. Basically the realisation of every Initial D fan’s gaming fantasy, Forza Motorsport 3 offered a snow-topped Japanese mountain with the most spectacular snaking touge route, ideal for grip hillclimb racing and, indeed, all-out smoke-spewing drift runs. It was also about as large as the Forza Horizon maps that followed tended to feel, so it was also good for cruising around on as if you were in an open world game. A firm fan favourite, for very good reason.
Road Atlanta (Forza Motorsport 2)
We very much enjoy how Forza is to American tracks what Gran Turismo has tended to be for Japanese tracks: a representative of the home team. So many great American circuits have featured on Forza games, when on others they are often forgotten. A great example is Road Atlanta, whose incredibly challenging rises, falls, undulations and deep braking zones proved a spectacular challenge for gamers.
Top Gear test track (Forza Motorsport 4)
How could we not mention the famous Dunsfold Top Gear test track? Forza Motorsport 4 went all in on the Top Gear association, even roping in Jeremy Clarkson to voice his opinions on every single machine on the expansive car list. Interesting as that is, we didn’t listen to him for long, did we? We got on with the fun of pretending we were him, sliding incredible cars around a ropey old airfield in Surrey. A great move from Turn 10 that one, even though we suspect the IP and Clarkson’s services came at a hefty cost…
Sebring (Forza Motorsport 4)
Another favourite American circuit of ours – particularly considering its long history – is Sebring, one of the US’s great endurance venues. One of the great tests of a sportscar’s sturdiness is the famous paving of this converted airfield and the pain and instability of those bumps really comes through in the Forza games. Judging your line and your speed as you round that final left-hand 180-degree bend on the run to the start-finish is a fine art. We love living out our IMSA racer fantasies on this circuit, especially driving the winning Porsche RS Spyder.
Rally di Positano (Forza Motorsport 3)
The best until last? Possibly. It’s certainly one of the most impressive stretches of tarmac yet conceived for a videogame. Available in a full ten configurations, Rally di Positano is a sprawling piece of sunny European road, with tarmac as well as cobbled surfaces to be found, as you navigate the hills and seaside settlements. Like Fujimi Kaido, you could call this monster a Horizon map all of its own. It’s suitably challenging too, being as tight and technical as it is, and in fact served as one of the venues for the Forza Motorsport 3 reveal trailer.
List
Forza
Mugello
Road Atlanta
Sebring
Modern
The seven best circuits in America
Modern
8 cars we want to see in Forza
Historic
Video: Racing a 911 around Road Atlanta against Brian Johnson might be heaven