The Crew Motorfest is the closest all-round alternative to Forza Horizon if you want a broad, colorful map, varied events, a large vehicle collection, and easy access across console and PC. Ubisoft’s current game page describes four Hawaiian islands, mixed terrain, themed Playlists, and more than 800 vehicles. For a slower car-lifestyle experience, choose Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown; for realistic physics and crash experimentation, choose BeamNG.drive; and for police chases and tuner-focused urban driving, choose Need for Speed Unbound.
These games overlap, but they are not interchangeable. The right choice depends on whether your ideal road trip means scenic discovery, social cruising, structured festival events, physics experimentation, or high-pressure street racing.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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The Crew Motorfest - Standard Edition, PlayStation 4 | $27.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Crew Motorfest | $21.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Crew Motorfest | $27.20 | Buy on Amazon |
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The Crew Motorfest for Xbox One | $19.97 | Buy on Amazon |
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Quick answer: which Forza Horizon-style game should you play?
Use this short decision guide before comparing the details:
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- Choose The Crew Motorfest for the most complete package: a Hawaiian open world, four islands, road and off-road variety, themed Playlists, live events, and more than 800 vehicles. It is the strongest fit for a player who wants to alternate between relaxed exploration and organized racing.
- Choose Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown if the journey matters more than the finish line. Its design centers on lifestyle cruising, dealerships, workshops, social hubs, races, deliveries, taxi missions, time trials, off-road events, and weekly activities across 1:1 recreations of Hong Kong Island and Ibiza.
- Choose BeamNG.drive if you want a driving laboratory rather than a conventional festival racer. Its detailed damage model, realistic physics, and modding community make it suited to testing vehicles, building scenarios, and observing how cars behave in crashes.
- Choose Need for Speed Unbound if your road-trip fantasy is urban street racing with police pursuit and extensive tuner customization. It is a more street-focused option than Motorfest and is less concerned with scenic, cross-country touring.
Motorfest is the safest recommendation for most Forza Horizon fans because it combines the broadest mix of environments, activities, and vehicle collecting. The other three become better choices when one specific driving fantasy is more important than variety.
#1 Best Overall
- Explore a vibrant Hawaiian open world. The Crew Motorfest has settled down in one of the most breathtaking places on Earth: the island of O’ahu, Hawaii. Join high-speed street races through the bustling city of Honolulu, test your skills off-road on the ashy slopes of a volcano, or master the perfect curve on the tracks
- Celebrate all the facets of car culture. Enjoy a variety of thrilling driving activities and choose how you want to have fun with your cars! Discover the playlists and dive into thematic campaigns that will immerse you in the most exciting car culture universes, including American muscle, Japanese-style street racing, and legendary machines of the past!
- Collect the most legendary cars. Compete in intense driving races, show off your own style, collect the most iconic cars, and much more! Master every driving challenge and fill your collection with the most legendary vehicles ever created
- Some features may require an internet connection and an online subscription.
How the four games differ
| Game | Exploration setting | Activities described by the cited sources | Collection or vehicle detail | Platform information in the cited source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Crew Motorfest | Four Hawaiian islands, including beaches, cliffs, canyons, and temple areas | Street races, volcanic off-road driving, track events, themed Playlists, and live events | More than 800 vehicles (Ubisoft page accessed 2026) | PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X|S and One, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown | 1:1 recreations of Hong Kong Island and Ibiza | Races, off-road races, time trials, vehicle deliveries, taxi missions, dealerships, workshops, social hubs, and weekly events | More than 120 cars from 30 brands (Steam/Nacon listing, 2024) | Windows PC in the cited Steam listing |
| BeamNG.drive | Vehicular sandbox environments; the cited coverage emphasizes experimentation rather than a named touring map | Physics testing, crash experimentation, and mod-supported scenarios | Not stated by PC Gamer’s cited coverage | Not stated by PC Gamer’s cited coverage |
| Need for Speed Unbound | Urban open-world street-racing setting | Street racing, police chases, tuner customization, and free-roam driving | Not stated in the cited comparison | Not stated in the cited comparison |
The table shows why a single ranking can be misleading. Motorfest leads on breadth, Solar Crown on scale-model cruising, BeamNG.drive on physical simulation, and Unbound on street-racing drama.
The Crew Motorfest: the closest all-round Forza Horizon alternative
A road-trip map built around variety
Ubisoft presents Motorfest as a Hawaiian open world designed for exploration with a crew. The cited description covers four islands and a range of recognizable terrain: the sandy beaches of Oʻahu, the cliffs of Maui, the canyons of Kauaʻi, and temple areas associated with Niʻihau. That geographic spread gives the game a useful rhythm for touring. A beach drive can lead into a mountain route, a canyon run, or an off-road detour without requiring a separate game mode.
The terrain matters because Forza Horizon-style play is often about choosing a direction and seeing what is there, not simply selecting the next event from a menu. Motorfest’s mixed environments support that impulse. If you prefer to make your own route, you can treat races as occasional destinations rather than the sole purpose of the map. If you prefer structure, the same world is organized into themed Playlists and events.
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Motorfest’s activity structure is broader than a single championship ladder. Ubisoft identifies street races, volcanic off-road driving, track events, themed Playlists, and live events. This variety lets you change the driving fantasy without leaving the same overall world.
- Street races suit paved-road competition and quick repeatable runs.
- Volcanic off-road driving provides a rougher alternative when you want terrain and route-finding to matter more than clean racing lines.
- Track events give you a contained, circuit-style activity for times when open-world traffic and scenery are not the priority.
- Themed Playlists provide a curated way to sample different vehicle cultures and event types.
- Live events add a changing layer for players who want reasons to return after completing the initial activities.
This design makes Motorfest the most adaptable recommendation in the group. You can play it as a relaxed sightseeing game, a conventional racer, or a collection-driven activity hub.
Vehicle collecting and platform reach
Ubisoft advertises more than 800 vehicles, the largest published collection figure among the four games covered here. That number is useful for collectors who want a long-term garage project, although it does not by itself indicate how every vehicle is acquired or how much overlap exists between categories.
Motorfest also has the broadest platform coverage in the cited material: PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. That makes it the practical choice for households or groups spread across different current and previous-generation systems. Check the edition and regional availability on the store serving your platform before buying, because live-service content and platform features can change.
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Who should pick Motorfest?
Choose Motorfest when you want one game to handle several moods: scenic free-roam, organized races, off-road excursions, track driving, collection building, and recurring events. It is especially suitable if the phrase “games where I can just drive” means you want freedom without giving up a clear menu of things to do.
Its trade-off is focus. A player seeking a strict simulation, a pure social car-lifestyle game, or an exclusively urban police-chase experience may find the broad design less specialized than the alternatives.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown: best for cruising and car culture
Two 1:1 locations as your playground
Steam’s listing describes Hong Kong Island and Ibiza as 1:1 recreations. That scale-model approach is the central appeal for road-trip players who care about the route itself. Instead of treating the map as a backdrop between races, Solar Crown frames the locations as places to inhabit through driving, social spaces, dealerships, and workshops.
Rank #2
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A 1:1 recreation does not automatically guarantee that every road feels like a real-world trip, but it does establish a different design goal from a fictional festival island. The attraction is recognition, orientation, and the feeling of moving through a coherent place. If your ideal session is a long cruise with occasional stops, Solar Crown is the specialist choice.
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The cited listing includes races, off-road races, time trials, vehicle deliveries, taxi missions, weekly events, dealerships, workshops, and social hubs. Those activities support different levels of commitment:
- Races provide conventional competition when you want a defined start and finish.
- Off-road races add surface variety without abandoning the broader car-lifestyle framework.
- Time trials reward repeated practice on a route and are suited to players who enjoy incremental improvement.
- Vehicle deliveries and taxi missions make driving the task itself rather than merely the transport between events.
- Dealerships, workshops, and social hubs reinforce the ownership and community side of the experience.
- Weekly events provide recurring objectives for players who return regularly.
This is why Solar Crown is a better recommendation for “I want to live with cars” than for someone who only wants the largest event catalog. Its activities are varied, but they remain tied to a lifestyle-oriented structure.
Car count and release context
The Steam/Nacon listing states more than 120 cars from 30 brands. That is a substantial collection, though much smaller than Motorfest’s advertised 800-plus vehicles. The difference suggests two distinct priorities: Motorfest emphasizes breadth at enormous scale, while Solar Crown presents a more curated collection tied to dealerships, workshops, and social play.
The cited listing gives Solar Crown a release date of 12 September 2024. Because online features, events, and platform support can evolve, verify the current edition, server requirements, and availability in your region before purchase. The cited platform information covers Windows PC; it does not establish console availability.
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Who should pick Solar Crown?
Pick Solar Crown when your favorite part of a driving game is setting out with no urgent objective, visiting car-focused spaces, completing deliveries, or joining a social event. It is the strongest alternative for players who find festival-style progression too busy and want the map and car ownership fantasy to take center stage.
BeamNG.drive: the physics sandbox for experimental drivers
Why it feels different from a traditional racer
PC Gamer characterizes BeamNG.drive as “less of a traditional racing game and more of a vehicular sandbox.” That distinction is essential. You should not approach it expecting the same campaign rhythm as Forza Horizon, where a festival framework organizes races, collectibles, and progression.
BeamNG.drive’s appeal is the behavior of the vehicles themselves. The cited coverage highlights realistic physics, a detailed damage model, and a modding community. Together, those features make the game valuable for players who want to ask questions such as: What happens if I change the route, impact angle, speed, or vehicle? How does a damaged car behave afterward? Can a community-made scenario turn a simple drive into a specific experiment?
Crash testing and mod-supported scenarios
The damage model changes the meaning of failure. In an arcade-oriented racer, a crash is usually a brief interruption before a reset. In BeamNG.drive, damage and deformation are part of the attraction. That makes it a natural choice for controlled crash tests, mechanical experimentation, and unusual driving challenges.
Mod support broadens the sandbox beyond the content supplied by the developer. The quality and maintenance of individual mods can vary, so treat community additions as optional layers rather than guaranteed features. Keep backups of important configurations and expect that updates may affect compatibility.
Rank #3
- Welcome to Motorfest - the ultimate driving experience! Explore the versatile open game world in O'ahu Island in Hawaii and experience fast races, themed events and more!
- With hundreds of legendary vehicles for your collection you have plenty of opportunity to prove your skills and whizz through the streets of Honolulu
- The Motor Party is a constant favorite of automotive culture festivals, where you can test over 600 vehicles alone or with your crew and explore the new gaming world in Hawaii
- Discover the playlists and drive in theme-based promotions that take you to the most fascinating worlds of car culture, such as American muscle cars or Japanese street racing
- Compete in exciting competitions, develop your own style, participate in themed events, collect the most iconic cars, master all the challenges and expand your collection with the legendary vehicles
Who should pick BeamNG.drive?
Choose BeamNG.drive if “road trip” means exploring vehicle behavior, building your own scenario, or driving without a traditional race-campaign structure. It is a poor substitute if you specifically want a polished festival progression system, a huge official car-collection target, or a live-event calendar. Its strength is depth of simulation and experimentation, not breadth of themed activities.
Need for Speed Unbound: the street-racing alternative
Urban driving, police pressure, and tuner style
Need for Speed Unbound is the focused option for players who want an urban open world built around street racing. The cited comparison emphasizes police chases, tuner customization, and free-roam driving, while placing it as more street-focused than Motorfest.
That focus changes how exploration feels. Instead of crossing beaches, volcanic terrain, cliffs, and canyons, you are primarily moving through a city-oriented environment where the tension comes from traffic, pursuit, and the risk of drawing police attention. A casual drive can become an escape sequence, which is exactly the appeal for some players and a drawback for others.
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- Choose it when police pursuit is a core part of the fantasy rather than an occasional distraction.
- Choose it when tuner customization and street-racing identity matter more than off-road or scenic variety.
- Choose it when you prefer a concentrated urban setting to a multi-island touring map.
Unbound is not the first recommendation for a quiet, scenic road trip. It is the better choice when your version of free roam includes finding a route through the city, tuning a street car, and deciding when to risk another race before returning to safety.
Choose by the kind of road trip you want
| Your priority | Best fit | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| One game with the widest range of environments and activities | The Crew Motorfest | Four Hawaiian islands, mixed terrain, Playlists, live events, and more than 800 vehicles |
| Relaxed cruising and a car-lifestyle setting | Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown | 1:1 Hong Kong Island and Ibiza, social hubs, dealerships, workshops, deliveries, and taxi missions |
| Realistic vehicle behavior and crash experimentation | BeamNG.drive | Detailed damage, physics-focused play, and mod-supported sandbox scenarios |
| Police chases and tuner-centered urban racing | Need for Speed Unbound | Street-focused free roam with pursuit pressure and customization |
How to turn any of these games into a road-trip experience
The games offer different structures, but you can get more satisfying exploration from each by choosing a deliberate play style.
- Decide whether the destination or the route is the point. If you want scenery and discovery, resist fast-travel habits and drive between activities. If you want efficient progression, use events as your destinations and treat free roam as the connective tissue.
- Pick a vehicle role before you start. A road-trip session works better when you decide whether you are touring, racing, going off-road, testing damage, or escaping police. Switching goals every few minutes can make any open world feel unfocused.
- Use the game’s activity structure intentionally. In Motorfest, select a Playlist that matches your mood. In Solar Crown, alternate races with deliveries, taxi missions, or social hubs. In BeamNG.drive, define a test or scenario before experimenting. In Unbound, decide how much pursuit risk you are willing to accept.
- Plan a loop rather than a single waypoint. A loop gives a session a beginning, middle, and return point without forcing a formal campaign. It also makes scenic driving feel like a trip instead of aimless wandering.
- Separate collection goals from exploration goals. Motorfest’s 800-plus vehicle figure can encourage garage completion, while Solar Crown’s 120-plus cars from 30 brands invite a more curated approach. Do not let collecting crowd out the driving style that attracted you.
- Check platform and live-service details before committing. Platform coverage differs substantially, and event schedules or online requirements may change after the cited publication dates.
Common mistakes when choosing a Forza Horizon-like game
Assuming every open world is a scenic tour
Open-world design only tells you that the map can be explored freely. It does not tell you whether the game prioritizes scenery, simulation, social spaces, police pressure, or event progression. Solar Crown and Motorfest are the strongest scenic-tour candidates in this group; BeamNG.drive and Unbound pursue different goals.
Using vehicle count as the only quality measure
More vehicles can improve collecting, but the published figures are not directly comparable measures of handling depth, customization, or map variety. Motorfest advertises more than 800 vehicles; Solar Crown lists more than 120 cars from 30 brands. Those numbers describe collection scale, not which game will make every drive more satisfying.
Ignoring the platform question
Motorfest’s cited support spans PlayStation 5 and 4, Xbox Series X|S and One, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Solar Crown’s cited listing is for Windows PC. The available evidence does not establish platform details for BeamNG.drive or Unbound in this comparison, so verify the store page for your device rather than assuming parity.
Expecting BeamNG.drive to provide a festival campaign
BeamNG.drive is intentionally different. Its sandbox, physics, damage, and modding strengths are reasons to buy it, not missing features to overlook. If you want a guided progression path with themed events, Motorfest is a better match.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest game to Forza Horizon for free-roam variety?
The Crew Motorfest is the closest overall match in the supplied comparison. It combines a large open world across four Hawaiian islands with street races, off-road driving, track events, Playlists, live events, and more than 800 vehicles.
Rank #4
- EXPLORE A VIBRANT HAWAIIAN OPEN WORLD The Crew Motorfest has settled down in one of the most breathtaking places on Earth: the island of O’ahu, Hawaii. Join high-speed street races through the bustling city of Honolulu, test your skills off-road on the ashy slopes of a volcano, or master the perfect curve on the tracks.
Which game is best for scenic cruising without constant racing?
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is the specialist choice because its 1:1 Hong Kong Island and Ibiza settings are paired with deliveries, taxi missions, workshops, dealerships, and social hubs, not only races.
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Motorfest has the largest published figure here, with more than 800 vehicles according to Ubisoft’s page accessed in 2026. Solar Crown’s Steam/Nacon listing states more than 120 cars from 30 brands.
Is BeamNG.drive a normal racing game?
Not primarily. PC Gamer describes it as less a traditional racing game and more a vehicular sandbox, emphasizing realistic physics, detailed damage, crash testing, and modding.
Which option is best for police chases?
Need for Speed Unbound is the street-racing choice because the cited comparison highlights police chases, tuner customization, and urban free roam.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the closest game to Forza Horizon for free-roam variety?
The Crew Motorfest combines four Hawaiian islands with street races, off-road driving, track events, Playlists, live events, and more than 800 vehicles.
Which game is best for scenic cruising without constant racing?
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown focuses on 1:1 Hong Kong Island and Ibiza, plus deliveries, taxi missions, workshops, dealerships, and social hubs.
Which game has the most vehicles?
Motorfest has the largest published figure, with more than 800 vehicles. Solar Crown lists more than 120 cars from 30 brands.
Is BeamNG.drive a normal racing game?
It is primarily a physics-focused vehicular sandbox with detailed damage, crash experimentation, and mod support.
Which option is best for police chases?
Need for Speed Unbound is the street-racing choice centered on police chases, tuner customization, and urban free roam.
Quick Recap
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