According to the most recent numbers in 2020, Mexico City has an estimated population of 9.2 million. Although Forza Horizon 5's launch numbers don't reach those figures, roughly around 4.5 million did play Playground Games' latest racing sim just a few days ago on November 9, when the game was released for the PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and the Xbox Game Pass.

Forza Horizon 5 races past all previous Xbox Game Studios titles

Heading into the game's launch, Forza Horizon 5 had already attracted 1 million players with some having already had access to the game by way of purchasing the Premium Edition of the title. However, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Forza Horizon 5's player count had reached 4.5 million on launch day. This means that Forza Horizon 5 is officially the biggest Xbox Game Studios launch ever - and it's not even close.

We've invested for years in Xbox so more people can play. With 4.5+ million players so far across PC, cloud & console, Forza Horizon 5 shows that promise coming to life. Largest launch day for XGS game, peak concurrent 3x FH4 high. Thank you players & congrats to @WeArePlayground

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) November 10, 2021

Forza Horizon 5's popularity is hardly surprising for anyone who's followed the game's development closely. After several leaks and speculations earlier this year, Microsoft finally confirmed Forza Horizon 5 back in June. Even then, you knew that Playground Games had something special going on. It didn't hurt that future showcases and trailers wowed audiences and made Forza Horizon 5 a must-play even for those who are already content with Forza Horizon 4.

Of course, one of the biggest factors for Forza Horizon 5's player count is its availability on the Xbox Game Pass. Forza Horizon 5 was one of several games confirmed at E3 2021 that would be available on Microsoft's monthly video game subscription service at launch.

On top of all of this, early reviews of Forza Horizon 5 had nothing but positive things to say about the latest Forza title.

All things considered, Forza Horizon 5 is the best racing game that's out right now. It will be interesting to see how Polyphony Digital responds to make sure that Gran Turismo 7 can keep up by the time it launches on March 4, 2022.