Another Microsoft first-party title will launch with locked frame rates. Although this time, only for its multiplayer mode.
Turn 10 Studios recently published a blog giving players more details about Forza Motorsport which is coming to the PC and Xbox Series X/S in October. The studio published the specs needed for PC and gave key details about the gameplay experience for the upcoming racing simulator. One key detail that stood out in the blog post was that only single-player races on PC will feature unlocked framerates.
“In multiplayer, framerates are locked to 60FPS to ensure a consistent and competitive online racing experience for all players across a variety of PC hardware configurations and the Xbox Series X|S consoles,” Turn 10 wrote. Please note that the first time you launch Forza Motorsport on PC, by default the home space and menu navigation will be locked to 30FPS, however, this can be unlocked in the video options menu.
The framerate lock is likely in place to give an even playing field for racers on different platforms, especially those on the lower-tier Xbox Series S which will max out at 60 FPS on any mode. The Series S will reportedly run consistently at 60 FPS albeit at a lower 1080p resolution. So, the benefits of playing on a higher-end gaming PC or Series X console will only be the increased resolution.
Players on the PC Gaming subreddit are livid at Turn 10 and Playground Games for deciding to limit the framerates in multiplayer modes. Some users suspect that the Series S does not even run consistently on 60 FPS thus there is a need to limit the frame rates.
“Forza MP is always a lag and ram-fest,” user Ciri-LOVES-Geralt wrote. “It’s anything but competitive. So are they banning people too that can’t reach 60FPS to “ensure a consistent and competitive online racing experience”?”
Some gamers suspect that the game has issues with the physics engine. The Forza series uses ForzaTech and there have been videos circulating on the internet detailing the inconsistencies of physics in Forza Horizon 5.
The frame rate limit does not bode well for the upcoming title given the recent backlash that both Redfall and Starfield received when it was announced that the titles will be locked at 30 FPS. Many players feel 60 FPS should be the limit in shooters. And speaking of competitive gameplay, we cannot think of any multiplayer arena or battle royale shooters that limit frame rates to give players a level playing field. Racing games like Gran Turismo 7 also do not have frame rate limits on online races but implement matchmaking based on latency which in our opinion affects the game much more in competitive races.
Forza Motorsport will also not be getting split-screen multiplayer mode when it arrives in October. AI racers and spectator mode will also not be coming to the racing simulator. According to the studio, split-screen is difficult to implement which may be similar to the issue that Larian Studios encountered with Baldur’s Gate 3.
Forza Horizon now joins a growing list of games potentially masking performance disparities between the Xbox Series S and X.
Forza Motorsport is coming to PC and Xbox Series X/S on October 10.
