Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels is the first paid expansion for FH5, released on July 19, 2022 and built around a floating Hot Wheels park in the clouds high above Mexico. This page rounds up every confirmed fact about the expansion - track length, biomes, the 10 new cars, the five-tier Horizon Hot Wheels Academy progression and price - as of 2026-05-14, with Forza Horizon 6 launching just five days later on 2026-05-19.
Key Facts
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Release date | 2022-07-19 |
| Announced | Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, June 12, 2022 |
| Price (USD, standalone) | $19.99 |
| Track length | 212 km (131 miles) |
| New cars | 10 |
| Biomes | 4 (Giant’s Canyon, Ice Cauldron, Forest Falls, Horizon Nexus) |
| Track surface types | Ice, Water Flumes, Rumble, Magnet, Air Tracks |
| EventLab pieces | 80+ |
| Academy ranks | 5 (Rookie, Pro, Expert, Elite, Legend) |
| OpenCritic average | 84 |
Release date and price
Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels launched on July 19, 2022, roughly eight months after the base game shipped on November 9, 2021. It was announced at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12, 2022 and is the first of FH5’s two paid expansions (Rally Adventure followed in March 2023).
| Edition / bundle | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hot Wheels standalone expansion | $19.99 | Requires base FH5 |
| FH5 Premium Add-Ons Bundle | bundled | Includes Hot Wheels + Rally Adventure |
| FH5 Premium Edition | bundled | Base game + both expansions |
| FH5 Expansions Bundle | bundled | Hot Wheels + Rally Adventure |
It is also available via Xbox Game Pass for subscribers who own or are playing FH5 through Game Pass.
The Horizon Hot Wheels Park: 212 km of sky tracks across four biomes
The expansion adds a brand-new map - the Horizon Hot Wheels Park - that floats in the clouds high above Mexico. Xbox Wire’s launch post puts the figure at “212 kilometers (131 miles) of Hot Wheels tracks”, while the original reveal blog rounded it to “more than 200 kilometres … of twisting, looping iconic orange track.”
The park is divided into four distinct biomes:
| Biome | Theme |
|---|---|
| Giant’s Canyon | Hot, red-rock desert canyons |
| Ice Cauldron | Snow and ice |
| Forest Falls | Lush forest with waterfalls |
| Horizon Nexus | Central futuristic hub |
Track surfaces are the headline feature - you race on “snowy Ice track, … hydroplaning on Water Flumes, … the bumps of Rumble, and even defying gravity on the futuristic Magnet tracks,” plus high-speed Air Tracks that maintain constant velocity. Reviewers highlighted “the impressive verticality to be seen, and a truly breathtaking turn of speed” as a defining trait of the expansion.
The 10 new cars added with Hot Wheels
The expansion adds 10 cars unlocked through the Horizon Hot Wheels Academy progression. The headliners are the 2021 Hennessey Venom F5 and the iconic 2000 Hot Wheels Deora II, with the 2018 Chevrolet Hot Wheels COPO Camaro also confirmed in the official reveal.
The broader Hot Wheels-themed roster published on forza.net includes:
- 2013 Hot Wheels Baja Bone Shaker
- 1957 Hot Wheels Nash Metropolitan Custom
- 2000 Hot Wheels Deora II
- 1949 Hot Wheels Ford F-5 Dually Custom Hot Rod
- 2012 Hot Wheels Rip Rod
- 1993 Schuppan 962CR
- 2018 Chevrolet Hot Wheels COPO Camaro
- 2018 Hot Wheels 2JetZ
- 2005 Hot Wheels Ford Mustang
- 2018 Subaru WRX STI ARX Supercar
- 2021 Hennessey Venom F5
The exact mapping of which 10 cars count as “expansion-exclusive” versus Festival Playlist drops tied to the Hot Wheels season is partially unconfirmed as of May 2026; Xbox Wire confirms the “10 new cars in Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels” figure but does not publish the canonical 10-car list in the launch blog.
Horizon Hot Wheels Academy: five-rank progression
Progression in the expansion is gated through the Horizon Hot Wheels Academy, which Xbox Wire describes as “divided into five tiers with rewards, events and Missions associated to each.” Each rank unlocks the next performance class of cars you can race in the park, starting at B-class and ending at the X-class Legend tier.
| Rank | Car class unlocked | Medals required |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie | B class | Unlocked at start |
| Pro | A class | 175 medals |
| Expert | S1 class | 575 medals |
| Elite | S2 class | 1,375 medals |
| Legend | X class | 2,425 medals |
After reaching each medal threshold, players must also clear that rank’s Pro Qualifier event before advancing. Reviewers responded positively to the structure; TheXboxHub noted they had “really enjoyed this newfound sense of structure” versus FH5’s normally open-ended career.
The expansion also ships with a five-part Horizon Story that frames the Academy as the journey to becoming a Hot Wheels Legend.
EventLab: build your own Hot Wheels tracks
Hot Wheels brings a major upgrade to the EventLab creator with “over 80 new track and stunt pieces that instantly snap together thanks to new improvements to the EventLab toolset.” Pieces include orange track segments, loops, jumps, magnet sections, rumble strips and boost pads, and they can be placed anywhere in the wider FH5 world - not just in the sky park.
This effectively turned EventLab into a Hot Wheels track-building toy on top of FH5’s existing map. The ‘snap together’ improvement was specifically called out because earlier EventLab piece placement required manual alignment - the Hot Wheels parts auto-connect on contact.
Community-built Hot Wheels creations remain among the most-downloaded EventLab blueprints on FH5 as of 2026 and are a recurring source of Festival Playlist EventLab challenges.
FAQ
When did the FH5 Hot Wheels expansion come out? July 19, 2022. It was announced at the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12, 2022.
How much does Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels cost? $19.99 USD standalone. It is also included free in the FH5 Premium Edition, Premium Add-Ons Bundle and Expansions Bundle.
How many cars are in the FH5 Hot Wheels expansion? 10 new cars, headlined by the 2021 Hennessey Venom F5 and the 2000 Hot Wheels Deora II.
How long are the Hot Wheels tracks in FH5? 212 kilometres (131 miles) of orange track spread across four floating biomes above Mexico.
What are the Horizon Hot Wheels Academy ranks? Five ranks: Rookie (B), Pro (A, 175 medals), Expert (S1, 575), Elite (S2, 1,375) and Legend (X, 2,425).
What biomes are in the Hot Wheels expansion? Four: Giant’s Canyon, Ice Cauldron, Forest Falls and the central Horizon Nexus hub.
Is the Hot Wheels expansion worth it? Critic consensus is yes - OpenCritic averages 84/100 across 25 reviews, with TheXboxHub awarding it 4.5/5 and calling the verticality and progression structure highlights.