Forza Horizon 5 Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges Guide Series 11 – Winter

Series 11 – Winter kicks off in Forza Horizon 5 with a host of new challenges, PR Stunts, races and more to complete as part of the Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges. And we’ve got all the tips and tricks you’ll need in order to find success. 

Part 1: #Forzathon Weekly Challenge – All-Round Drifter

Just the title makes me feel all warm and fuzzy this week, as I do love a bit of a drift.

The car of the hour this Winter is the world famous “Mona” from Tokyo Drift, the Nissan S15 Silvia Spec-R. This was the highest model number the Silvia went up to, and while I will always have a soft spot for the RPS-13, this is still a pretty little car.

The SR-20DET engine has plenty of poke, and while swapping it for an LS series V8 is a popular mod, I prefer to keep things classic. You will have to stump up the 35,000 Credit asking price if you don’t have the car already. Or play The Eliminator – details right near the bottom of this piece.

Chapter 1 – Drift Machine

Get in your S15 and go for a spin, preferably sideways.

Step one complete!

Chapter 2 – Art Force Silvia

Next, we have to use the Silvia to win a street race.

Not really using the drift potential there, but whatever. Keep it stock and you’ll be fine, just pick an event you enjoy.

Be warned though, the stock brakes suck.

Chapter 3 – Shift Into Action

Finally we get some tyre shredding, sideways action!

We now have to go out and get five Ultimate Drift skills, and so we are going to need a little more power to get those tyres screaming. I made this share code: 111980863. 

It’s a mish mash of different style bits, from Trial and Top Secret, and now has over 600BHP from its original engine. A good way to get this? A Drift Horizon Arcade event!

Chapter 4 – Drift Legend

Finally, we need to earn five stars at Drift Zones to finish off

.I’d select a shortish one, then let ‘er rip. The same tune will see you right. And that’s the end of that.

Although I may just need to keep the sideways action going a teeny bit longer…

Part 2 – Weekly Challenges

Are you up for some challenges? The Trial is here, as are multiple PR Stunts and some Seasonal Championships as Winter of Series 11 hits hard. 

The Trial – Stock Showdown: Volvo 850 R

I do like these Stock events for The Trial, as any faults with the car can’t be laid at my door. 

We need to grab a Volvo 850 R for this event, a very unlikely supercar that actually went racing in the BTCC back in the day, and then we need to grab some like minded racers from the internet and show these Unbeatable driverbots that they aren’t.

Our prize for driving around in basically a mobile box is a Ferrari 575M, so a bit of a step up.

Eventlab – Unworthy Pleb Presents Riviera Maya Super Scramble

Great, it’s back – my very favourite of all the weekly challenges.

This time around, we have to use a Rally Monster car, to a maximum of S1 Class 900 to go and drive around a custom made course by someone who has far too much time on their hands.

This time, the course is a ridiculous four minutes of nonsense, with no competition, so just take your time. I used the Hoonigan Escort, the older one with a share code of: 264985022

Winning this event (or completing it, I suppose) will get you the “So cute” emote. Just what I always wanted.

Speed Zone – Rocky Hills

Another week, another speed test.

We have to complete this speed zone at an average speed of above 70mph, in a car from between 1990 and 2009 tuned to a Maximum of A Class 800.

Now, this is quite a technical course, as well as being off road, and so we need something with poise and handling as well as speed. Inspired by all my time playing Need For Speed Most Wanted, I went with a BMW M3 GTR, and the share code is: 198385025.

Approaching from the west made it a bit easier, and cut the final corner as much as you can.

A Honda S2000 is your reward for keeping your speed up.

Trail Blazer – Barranco

It has been a while since we had to do a Trail Blazer, and this time we need to complete the course with 32 seconds left on the clock, in an A Class 800 car from the same decade as the previous one. 

So, off road, and fast?

How about a Hoonigan Escort Cosworth, the “Cossie V2”? I used mine in stock trim and it worked like a charm.The top tip is to steer left at the top as much as you can as there are some very nasty rocks, then pick your way carefully through the trees at the bottom.

A Super Wheelspin is adequate recompense, I feel.

Forza Horizon 5 S11 Winter escort

Seasonal Championship – Rally Shakedown

The first of the weekly championships this week promises to be a good one – take a Modern Rally Car from the 2000’s, then win either the whole championship or best two out of three races if you are in a convoy.

Now, when I think Modern Rally, I think Subaru vs Evo, and my money always comes down on Evo, so this week I’m going to choose something different. Actually, that’s a lie, it’s an Evo VIII MR for me. Share code is: 141172186

Our prize for this event? A lovely Volvo 850R. Just right for The Trial, eh?

Seasonal Championship – GT1 Legends

This one again has an intriguing title. GT1? What could this be about? Well, it isn’t as exciting as it sounds, sadly, being restricted to Retro Supercars from the 1990s, to a maximum of A Class 800.

So, there’s really only one choice, and it is a Jaguar XJ220, a car that could famously crack the magic 200mph barrier. Using a Metro 6R4 engine, no less, with turbos the size of your head. The share code is: 123500759, with just a dash of AWD and some racing shocks.

The prize for pedalling this to victory is a Nissan Skyline GT-R from 2002, the R34 body shape, which is still the best looking one, in my opinion. In Bayside Blue? Glorious.

Seasonal Championship – Racing in the 90’s

Another championship, another chance to race in cars from the ‘90s, this time Retro Sportscars to a maximum of B Class 700.

The 90’s weren’t a classic period for sports cars, I don’t think, and the best of the bunch was undoubtedly the Mitsubishi GTO. Tuned up, the share code is: 145659272.

A Ferrari F355 for our trouble seems fair, however.

Part 3 – Other Challenges

After Series 11 – Autumn only offered up one challenge, we’re back to the trilogy of a Photo Challenge, a Treasure Hunt and The Eliminator.

Photo Challenge – #MAKEANENTRANCE

Immediately after winning the last championship, to complete this week’s Photo Challenge we need to take our GTO to Mulege, and photograph it at the arch. 

Seems easy enough, right? Well, that’s because it is!

I shall post my photo and the location below to make it easier for you.

Forza Horizon 5 S11 Winter Photo 1
Forza Horizon 5 S11 Winter Photo 2

Treasure Hunt – Race Against Time

“Race like it’s 1999 with a purrfect finish” reads the clue this week, and the people who make these must have worked overtime on that pun, no?

Purrfect obviously refers to the Ford Puma from 1999, and so I guess we just have to win a race in it, yes?

Well, that is absolutely what we have to do. I sussed the Arch of Mulege race, since I was there taking a photo anyway.

I’ll include the location of the treasure chest below.

Forza Horizon 5 S11 Winter Treasure 1
Forza Horizon 5 S11 Winter Treasure 2

The Eliminator – Battle Royale 

Ah, The Eliminator, my old foe.

We have to go into a match, then somehow survive into the top 30 places.

I tend to hide up a mountain, away from everyone, and let them eliminate each other in order to boost my chances. Now, this isn’t without risk, as you may find yourself in the last 10 in a Beetle, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Do your best!

Grab a Silvia for winning. The one you need for the very first event at the top of this piece.

Part 4 – Hot Wheels Events

There are some Hot Wheels events to take in once more. We love Hot Wheels, just be aware, you’ll need to be at Elite level in the DLC. 

Drift Zone – Rockslide

Drift about in an A Class car from the years between 1990-2009. I’d suggest using the Hoonigan Twerkstallion, better known as a Mazda Rx-7, as it is the right level and has drift tyres fitted as standard. No tuning required!

A Super Wheelspin is yours for sliding in style.

Seasonal Championship – See You Saloon 

Another championship to take part in, and this time it is B Class 700 Retro Saloons.

I went with a Sierra Cosworth, and the share code for the beast is 364526118.

You know the routine by now, win the whole shebang solo or best two out of three if you have a buddy and you can walk away with a lovely prize.

How lovely? How about an Audi RS4 from 2006?


You can also throw in the Monthly Events in the form of the Horizon Story, the Forza EV Los Jardines Circuit and Bahia de Plano Circuit for some clean lap fun. Each of those will give you further rewards points, helping you obtain the free cars for the week – and the series – all that bit quicker. 

Completing the challenges on offer in Series 11 – Winter will see you gather up the Subaru Legacy RS for 20pts and the Jag XJ220 for 40pts. Add in the monthly full series motors of the BMW M4 ‘21 for 80pts and the M-B 300 SLR for 160pts and things are looking good. 

As always, we’d love to know if you like these guides. The comments are below and we’ll no doubt be back as Series 11 draws to a close with Spring next week. 

If you don’t yet have a copy of Forza Horizon 5 then it is playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S or PC via the Xbox Store. It’s on Game Pass too whilst the Hot Wheels expansion costs real money. 

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