The numbers are in, and Microsoft’s experimental and…controversial (to say the least) “Project Latitude” – an initiative to bring first-party Xbox games to competing platforms – seems to have found its clear success story.
according to latest update on co-developer Virtuo’s websiteopen world racing game Forza Horizon 5 sold a whopping 5 million copies PlayStation 5.
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A mixed bag of success for Xbox
Virtuosos say to themselves piece of success story that “Forza Horizon 5 was one of the best-selling games on PlayStation 5 in 2025, surpassing 5 million copies sold on the platform and earning widespread acclaim with a Metacritic score of 92.”
While Forza’s numbers are encouraging, Performance of Xbox’s wider catalog PlayStation is still under the microscope, and it’s not all good news. Forza Horizon 5 leads with 5 million sales, followed by Sea of Thieves. It sold around 1.8 million copies on the PS5 with the final score.
On the other hand, Starfield has had a mediocre start on the platform Recent reports estimate that it only sold 140,000 copies in its first week on PS5. Analysts suggest that the delay between the original launch and the port may dampen appetite, but it’s clear from the example here that multiplayer and/or live service games are games, and it makes sense to go to as many platforms as possible.
Gears of War: Reloaded and Indiana Jones seem to sit somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. The first reached 1 million playersand Indiana Jones sold faster on PS5 than on Xbox (but there are Xbox Game Pass to thank for it).
Exclusive or ubiquitous?
Under Asha Sharma’s reign, Xbox has been making some positive changes lately; the Xbox Game Pass price reductionreturn Xbox Fanfest and a heartfelt blow to the unlovedThis is Xbox marketing.’
With this new era comes renewed interest in the conversation around exclusives, as fans interpret some of Sharman’s recent quotes to hint at a return to this for first-party titles: “A plan is a plan until it’s not a plan.”
The community is divided on whether going multi-platform won’t erode the value of Xbox hardware, but at least in the case of Forza Horizon 5, the financial reality is hard to ignore.
The success of Forza shows that the PlayStation audience is willing to pay at least for a proper title, and Microsoft isn’t willing to leave that money on the table. Even if it means continuing to storm a disillusioned fanbase who want some reciprocation from PlayStation (Helldivers 2 alone won’t cut it!)
Forza Horizon 6 As confirmed at the January Xbox Developer Direct, it’s coming to Xbox on May 19, 2026, but PlayStation fans will have to wait a little longer for a port later in the year. Will they appear in their millions again?
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