| Forza Horizon 3 | |
|---|---|
 Standard Edition cover art featuring a Lamborghini Centenario and an airborne 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Race Truck | |
| Developer(s) | Playground Games[b] |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft Studios |
| Director(s) | Ralph Fulton |
| Producer(s) | Adam Askew |
| Designer(s) | Martin Conner |
| Programmer(s) | Alan Roberts |
| Artist(s) | Benjamin Penrose |
| Series | Forza |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | 27 September 2016[a] |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Forza Horizon 3 is a 2016 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One and Windows. It is the ninth instalment in the Forza series and the third instalment in the Forza Horizon sub-series. The game is set in a fictionalised Australia, where the player is the leader of the titular Horizon car festival and has to expand the festival by completing events to earn fans. Like previous Forza Horizon games, it features an open world environment where players can freely roam the map.
Forza Horizon 3 began development in 2014 after the release of Forza Horizon 2. Turn 10 Studios assisted with the game's development, as they did with other Forza Horizon games. Over the course of development, Playground Games tested different technological concepts for the game, while also trying to improve more features over the previous title. The Australian setting was chosen for its variety of regions, and a team was sent to Australia to conduct research for the game.
Forza Horizon 3 was released in September 2016.[a] At release, critics praised the map design, graphics, and amount of content, while most criticism was directed towards the monotony of races. The game won and was nominated for multiple awards and sold over 2.5 million copies in 2017. Downloadable content had also been released periodically, including two expansion packs. The game was followed by Forza Horizon 4, released in 2018.
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