Forza Horizon 4 will be removed from Microsoft and Steam stores in December

The “closing” ax is swinging once again, and this time, Forza Horizon 4 is the latest major video game to be eliminated from digital storefronts. Playground Games for Developers announced on its website that sales of the 2018 open-world racing game will cease due to licensing and partnership agreements, and the game will be removed from the Microsoft and Steam stores on December 15, 2024.

While the days are numbered for people to still be able to purchase the game, the game’s final event will run from July 25th to August 22nd — after which, some achievements tied to the Festival’s seasonal playlists will no longer be unlockable.

To add a little more confusion, Forza Horizon 4The DLC is being removed from the list starting today. And if you played through Xbox Game Pass and have already purchased any DLC, you qualify for a token to download the full game and continue playing after the opt-out date. This game code will be sent to eligible players who have a fully paid Xbox Game Pass subscription in the coming days and must be redeemed by June 25, 2026.

Surprisingly, Playground says in its FAQ that the servers will remain post-delisting, so both offline and online modes will remain playable. Between that and eligible Game Pass subscribers receiving a code to keep the game, it seems like Playground is trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation – which often plagues games like these with real-life cars and music licenses – but as with most exclusions, it still remains a bit confusing and complicated.

Forza Horizon 4 It will be just over six years old when it is removed from digital stores, leaving only what remains of the physical Xbox copies in circulation for stragglers or preservationists to explore. Clear, Forza Horizon 5 was a worthy successor, and the franchise will likely continue as the more bombastic counterpart to Forza Motorsportbut I don’t think that’s going to feel normal or, frankly, good for digital games to seem so ephemeral.