Choose Need for Speed™ Heat
Choose Need for Speed™ Heat if it's currently about 88% cheaper on the Steam Store. 50,235 Steam reviews back the pick.
Need for Speed™ Heat vs Forza Horizon 5
Need for Speed™ Heat and Forza Horizon 5 both land in Action, Sports, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Sports, Adventure on Steam. Need for Speed™ Heat (2020) is 1 year older than Forza Horizon 5 (2021). Forza Horizon 5 scores higher on Steam reviews (88.6% positive) than Need for Speed™ Heat (85% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Forza Horizon 5
Choose Forza Horizon 5 if you want a Simulation experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 88.6% positive across 90,035 reviews.
Both Need for Speed™ Heat and Forza Horizon 5 sit in Action, Sports, and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Need for Speed™ Heat |  Forza Horizon 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2020 | 2021 |
| Genres | Action, Sports, Adventure, Racing | Action, Sports, Adventure, Simulation, Racing |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 6.99 USD | 59.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 85% positive (50,235 reviews) | 88.6% positive (90,035 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op |
| Developers | Ghost Games | Playground Games |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Sports, Adventure on Steam.
- Need for Speed™ Heat (2020) is 1 year older than Forza Horizon 5 (2021).
- Forza Horizon 5 scores higher on Steam reviews (88.6% positive) than Need for Speed™ Heat (85% positive).
- Need for Speed™ Heat is currently ~88% cheaper on Steam than Forza Horizon 5 (6.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Playable.
Need for Speed™ Heat vs Forza Horizon 5 — FAQ
- Which is better, Need for Speed™ Heat or Forza Horizon 5?
- On Steam reviews Forza Horizon 5 scores higher (88.6% positive) than Need for Speed™ Heat (85% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Forza Horizon 5 is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Need for Speed™ Heat or Forza Horizon 5 first?
- If you want chronology, Need for Speed™ Heat (2020) came out before Forza Horizon 5 (2021). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Need for Speed™ Heat and Forza Horizon 5 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Sports, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Need for Speed™ Heat and Forza Horizon 5 have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Need for Speed™ Heat ships Online Co-op, Co-op; Forza Horizon 5 ships Online Co-op, Co-op.