Playing Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5 requires a Microsoft account, as confirmed by Microsoft. This is detailed in their Forza support FAQ: "Yes, in addition to a PSN account, you'll need to link a Microsoft account to play Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. This process begins when you first start the game." This mirrors the account linking requirement for other Xbox games on PlayStation, including Minecraft, Grounded, and Sea of Thieves.

This policy has sparked debate. Concerns exist regarding long-term accessibility. Some worry that if Microsoft discontinues account linking or a player loses access to their Microsoft account, the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5 could become unplayable. This concern is heightened by the game's digital-only release on PS5; there's no physical disc version.

This situation echoes the controversy surrounding Helldivers 2, where a similar PSN account linking requirement for PC players was later reversed following online backlash. While Sony subsequently removed the requirement for some PC games, offering incentives for linking accounts, the Forza Horizon 5 situation remains unchanged.

Reaction to the Forza Horizon 5 Microsoft account requirement on PS5 has been mixed, with many players questioning cross-progression. The FAQ clarifies that Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 does *not* support save file transfers from Xbox or PC versions. This is consistent with the lack of synchronization between Xbox and Steam versions. However, user-generated content (UGC) can be published on one platform and downloaded on another, though editing is only possible on the original save profile. Some online statistics, like leaderboard scores, are synchronized if the same Microsoft account is used.

Forza Horizon 5's PlayStation release is part of Microsoft's broader multi-platform strategy, suggesting more similar releases are likely in the future.