Summary
- Forza Motorsport sets a high bar for accessibility in racing games by providing a welcoming and inclusive experience for all players, regardless of their skill level or physical capabilities.
- The game includes a wide range of accessibility features, such as Blind Driving Assists for visually impaired gamers and fully remappable controls for players with limited mobility.
- The multitude of driving assist settings in Forza Motorsport makes the game approachable for players who need assistance, allowing them to enjoy the sim-focused racer regardless of their driving ability.
From on-screen assists that ease new players into the game’s regimented racing format to audio cues that let visually impaired gamers speed their way through even the most challenging course, accessibility is the name of the game in Forza Motorsport. Turn 10 Studios went to great lengths with Forza Motorsport to ensure that the game is enjoyable for all and, in the process, set a high bar for accessibility in racing games. Out of all the new features in Forza Motorsport, it’s the ones focused on inclusivity and enjoyability for all players, regardless of ability, that make it a particularly welcoming addition to the racing genre.
Accessibility in gaming has become a hot topic in recent years, and Forza Motorsport embraces this trend by providing players with one of the most accessible racing experiences yet. Rather than simply providing the expected driving assists and a few token features like menu narration, Turn 10 Studios took the time to ensure every aspect of the game can be enjoyed regardless of players’ skill level or physical capabilities. Whether a player has a physical or sensory impairment or simply lacks the driving prowess required to conquer a particularly challenging course, Forza Motorsport likely has an accessibility option to make their experience more enjoyable.
Forza Motorsport Lets Gamers With Disabilities Feel the Need for Speed
Accessibility features are nothing new for the Forza franchise, with both the Horizon and Motorsport lines including various options over the years meant to make their games appeal to the widest audience possible. Forza Horizon 5 even won a Video Game Accessibility Award in 2021 for its AI system that helped players progress through the open-world racer. Turn 10 Studios has doubled down on accessibility with the release of Forza Motorsport, including features meant to help even those with significant physical or sensory impairments enjoy the game.
No matter which edition of Forza Motorsport gamers choose they’ll be able to take advantage of a suite of powerful accessibility features. Players with visual impairments can enable Blind Driving Assists that use auditory and verbal cues to direct steering, indicate when to accelerate and decelerate, and even call out players’ positions on the track. For gamers with limited mobility, Forza Motorsport’s controls are fully remappable and can be assigned to devices like the Xbox Adaptive Controller. This focus on accessibility isn’t limited to gamers with physical or sensory impairments, though, it also extends to the wide range of driving assist options available in the game.
The Driving Assists in Forza Motorsport Make Racing Accessible to All
For players who don’t have a disability but simply need a bit of assistance making it around the track in a timely manner, Forza Motorsport has them covered too. The multitude of driving assist settings in Forza Motorsport ensures that players can have a good time with the sim-focused racer regardless of their driving ability. This helps make the game’s sometimes daunting and highly structured format approachable even for players who traditionally prefer arcade-style racing titles.
In addition to standard on-screen options for indicators that highlight braking and turning lines, players can take advantage of other driving assists meant to make the game more approachable. These vary from having Forza Motorsport automatically apply the brakes when approaching a turn to a fully assisted steering mode that helps keep players on the most efficient driving line as they make their way around the track. While most players are likely to turn off these assists as their skill increases in order to get a more realistic driving experience, they can prove to be invaluable for players new to the franchise.
Thanks to the wide variety of available accessibility options included in Turn 10 Studios’ latest release, Forza Motorsport is a game that can be enjoyed by players of nearly all levels of skill and physical ability. And even if most players will never find themselves taking advantage of features like Blind Driving Assists, their addition makes Forza Motorsport one of the most inclusive racing games on the market.
Forza Motorsport is available for PC, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Series X|S consoles.