When does Forza Motorsport come out – early access, Xbox Game Pass and file size

04 October 2023 , 10:30

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Forza Motorsport marks a return for the premiere Xbox racing series after a six year hiatus (Image: Xbox)

The latest entry in the Forza Motorsport series has almost arrived, here's when you can start playing.

Forza Motorsport is making a grand return after a six-year absence. While the Forza Horizon series has been killing it during this time by releasing some of the best racing games ever (while also being the only major Xbox series to become more critically acclaimed over the last decade), fans have been clamouring for a return to the classic sim-racing gameplay found in Forza Motorsport.

The Forza Motorsport release time is a bit all over the place as it depends on which version of the game you've bought and and if you're playing via Xbox Series X|S (or the Xbox PC app) or Steam. Players who have bought the more expensive Forza Motorsport Premium Edition, or the Premium Add-Ons Bundle will have access to the game on Thursday, October 5. While those with the normal version of the game, or those playing on Xbox Game Pass (without the premium bundle) will have to wait until Tuesday, October 10.

Forza Motorsport release time

Xbox app release time

Forza Motorsport early access will begin on Thursday, October 5 at 12:01am BST / 12:01am EDT for the UK and eastern US, and on Wednesday, October 4 at 9:01pm PDT for western US.

Meanwhile, the full release will happen at the exact same time five days later, so that's Tuesday, October 10 at 12:01am BST / 12:01am EDT and on Monday, October 9 at 9:01pm PDT.

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Those of you looking to play Forza Motorsport on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Streaming or on PC via the Xbox app will get access to the game at midnight local time if you live anywhere but the US. Which means that the New Zealand trick will work for Forza Motorsport on these platforms.

Steam release time

Forza Motorsport early access on Steam will begin on Thursday, October 5 at 5:01am BST / 12:01am EDT and on Wednesday, October 4 at 9:01pm PDT.

The full release of Forza Motorsport will unlock on Steam on Tuesday, October 10 at 5:01am BST / 12:01am EDT and on Monday, October 9 at 9:01pm PDT.

The Steam release of Forza Motorsport will unlock at 12:01am EDT globally, meaning everyone on Steam will get access to the game at the same time worldwide. This means that the New Zealand trick will not work for the Steam release.

Forza Motorsport file size

Forza Motorsport's file size differs depending on wether you're playing on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Windows store, or Steam. The download sizes are as follows:

Xbox Series X: 133 GB
Xbox Series S: 100 GB
Windows 10 and 11 PC (Microsoft Store): 119 GB
Steam: 108 GB download, with the game taking up 118GB

Considering how beefy the game is you may want to start pre-loading it now if you want to play the moment the game launches. Pre-loading is available now on all platforms.