Forza Horizon 3 Goes Gold and Welcomes Halo Warthog

The worldwide release of Forza Horizon 3 is coming up on Sept. 27 (and four days earlier on Sept. 23 for Forza Horizon 3 Ultimate Edition owners), and today we crossed the latest milestone ahead of launch: Forza Horizon 3 has officially gone gold! With the game off for final pressings of retail discs and setup for digital release, we’re celebrating the good news with some additional updates, including Windows 10 PC specs, the full Xbox Live achievements list, and a very special addition to the Forza Horizon 3 vehicle roster.

Welcome the Warthog
Over the past six weeks, in our Forza Garage series, we’ve introduced all of the 350+ vehicles that will be arriving for Forza Horizon 3 at launch. Well, almost all of them. Today, we’re unveiling a unique addition to the Forza Horizon 3 lineup, a vehicle that has long been requested by both the Forza and Halo communities. For the first time in any Forza game, you can now drive the most famous ground vehicle in the Halo universe – the Warthog!

The 2554 AMG Transport Dynamics M12S Warthog CST is a civilian transport alternative to its militaristic cousin, the M12 Force Application Vehicle. What it may lack in brute force – you won’t find a turret on this version – it more than makes up for with its 720 bhp twin turbo V8, making it significantly faster than its FAV counterpart. The Warthog CST in Forza Horizon 3 is also ideally suited for the rough and tumble landscape of Australia. With the most advanced suspension in Forza Horizon 3 (with more than 70 cm of suspension travel), plus advanced dampening, you won’t find the combination of power and stability like this anywhere else in the Horizon Festival.

The M12S Warthog CST will be available at launch for Forza Horizon 3, and will be sent as a free download to everyone who has played either Halo 5: Guardians or Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One. Eligible players will receive codes to download the Warthog via an Xbox Live Message, and codes will begin to be sent out during the week of Sept. 5. In addition, players who have not played an Xbox One Halo game will still have the chance to earn the Warthog via a special #Forzathon event coming to Forza Horizon 3 in October.

We’re celebrating the unveiling of the M12S Warthog CST with an upcoming in-depth look at the making of the vehicle in a very special edition of Heavy Metal Affliction. We’ll be chatting with the Halo masterminds at 343 Industries, as well as the team at Playground Games, on what it took to bring this iconic vehicle into the world of Forza Horizon 3. Look for that feature coming up soon on ForzaMotorsport.net.

Xbox Live Achievements
One thing is for sure: there’s a ton to do in Forza Horizon 3. From brand new features like Campaign co-op play for up to four players, cross-play capability between Xbox One and Windows 10 platforms, to the reintroduction of Auction House and Storefronts, and new events to try out (or customize yourself, using the new Horizon Blueprint feature), it’s clear that Forza Horizon 3 will be a joy to explore for casual and hardcore players alike. For those of you who want to start scoping their gameplay around boosting your Xbox Live gamerscore, we’ve got the full list of Xbox Live achievements here for your perusing and planning.

Recommended PC Specs
We know lots of players are preparing to enjoy Forza Horizon 3 on Windows 10 PCs and today we’re revealing the recommended specifications. Naturally, Forza Horizon 3 will require DirectX 12-enabled machines and Windows 10. Check out details on these recommended specs at ForzaMotorsport.net.

Forza Horizon 3 players will have a tremendous amount of adjustment options when playing on Windows 10. From basic options like full screen, vertical sync and resolution, to more advanced adjustments like quality settings for motion blur, mirrors, reflection, static and dynamic geometry, we’re giving Windows 10 players the power to play the way they want. Whether playing on the recommended specs or pushing the hardware limits to deliver the ultimate 4K racing experience, Forza Horizon 3 players will have lots of options for making the most of their experience.

One additional note, we know there are a lot of PC players who want to know more about using wheels. Look for an update on wheel support in Forza Horizon 3 on Windows 10 in an upcoming story in the future.

Language Support
Finally, we’re also excited to share today that Forza Horizon 3 will be fully localized (voice and text) for English, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German and Spanish (Mexican), and includes language support (text) for Italian, Polish, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Spanish (Iberian), Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.