Forza Horizon 4 is being removed from sale because of expiring licenses, but at least it'll keep running after it's gone

(Image credit: Playground Games)

Forza Horizon 4, a game so good we said it was "worth enduring the pain of the Microsoft Store" to play—pretty damn good, in other words—is going away. Microsoft announced today that because of expiring licenses, it will be delisted from digital storefronts in December 2024, meaning it will no longer be available for purchase.

The upcoming delisting means the new Festival Playlist that started today and runs until August 22 will be the last: After it concludes, the playlist screen will not be accessible except to view the Playlist Festival history. Despite that, players will still have access to daily and weekly challenges that, when completed, will grant Forzathon Points that can be exchanged for Backstage Passes and access to a rotating selection of cars.

All Forza Horizon 4 DLC will be delisted today, leaving only the standard, deluxe, and ultimate editions of the game available for purchase. Those will remain up on Steam and the Microsoft Store until the full delisting occurs on December 15.

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Forza Horizon 4 is currently on sale on Steam for $12/£11/€14 on Steam, and developer Playground Games said it will go on sale on the Microsoft Store on July 14. "Please keep an eye out on our socials and different platforms to take advantage of future offers," the studio added.

Attention Forza Horizon 4 players! We have an important announcement regarding how FH4’s Festival Playlist will work after Series 77 (from July 25 until August 22) and its availability in digital stores after December 15. Please, read the complete update here:… pic.twitter.com/sFrZU5sjOqJune 25, 2024

It sucks that such a good game is going away, especially for such an avoidable reason, and I do wish game studios would knock it off with licensed properties because unless you can get that license in perpetuity, sooner or later this is going to happen and it's just not worth the headache.

That said, the good news is that unlike The Crew, which became completely unplayable a few months after it was removed from storefronts in December 2023, Forza Horizon 4 will continue to function: Playground Games says anyone who owns it "will be able to download and play it as normal, including its offline, online, and multiplayer features" following the delisting.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.