Since Forza Horizon 5 launched, the Gifting feature has been a regular part of my gameplay. Every week, as I dive into the Horizon Festival, I make it a point to engage with car gifting. Typically, in each session, I send out around 5 to 6 cars that I’ve accumulated from Wheelspins and no longer need. I enjoy the idea of contributing to the community through gifting. The game even acknowledges this generosity, awarding me over 300 Kudos points for my gifting efforts.
However, my experience with receiving gifted cars in return paints a less rosy picture. While I actively participate in gifting, the reciprocity feels significantly skewed. To put it in numbers, I estimate that only about 15% to 20% of my gifts are reciprocated. Out of the 300+ cars I’ve gifted to other players, I’ve only received around 60 to 70 cars in return through the Forza Horizon 5 gifting system. This imbalance raises questions about the fairness and intended dynamics of car gifting within the game.
This isn’t about needing more cars; I’ve already amassed a complete car collection in Forza Horizon 5, along with a healthy amount of in-game currency. The issue is rooted in the principle of gifting and the expectation of a somewhat balanced exchange within the community. The current system feels heavily weighted towards the receiver, with givers like myself not experiencing a comparable level of return in the car gifting dynamic.
During my typical 4-hour weekly sessions, dedicated to completing the playlist and engaging with the game, the “You’ve been gifted a car” notification is surprisingly rare. When it does appear, it often happens at the very beginning of my session, immediately after leaving my in-game home. This infrequent receiving of gifted cars, especially considering my consistent gifting activity, highlights a potential flaw in the Forza Horizon 5 gifting ecosystem.
At a minimum, a closer ratio of gifted cars received to cars sent would seem reasonable. The current state feels like a one-way street, where generosity in gifting isn’t consistently met with reciprocal gifting. While the act of gifting itself is enjoyable, the lack of balance in the system makes it feel as though the game mechanics inadvertently favor those who receive gifts over those who actively participate in gifting cars to others. The core principle of mutual gifting seems somewhat lost in the current implementation.
