Forza Motorsport Update 14 is all about next-gen NASCAR

Forza Motorsport still isn’t a perfect game, not by a long shot, but it is much better than it was on day one. Vehicle selection is still questionable in some respects, though things are looking up. The first order of business is new-generation NASCAR, surprising as it may be.

I was already quite fond of Update 13’s assortment of content both new and old and a huge roster of quality-of-life updates, but Update 14 aims to properly outpace it. If you thought we have plenty of Mustangs in this game already, boy howdy has Turn 10 got news for you. Featuring the 2024 editions of NASCAR next-gen Mustang, Camaro, and Camry vehicles, Forza Motorsport is about to become the single most cutting-edge NASCAR racing game on the market. And, honestly, I didn’t see this coming at all.

NASCAR season ramps up in Forza Motorsport’s Update 14

Update 14’s seasonal batch of content is the aptly titled American Thunder Tour, featuring the latest generation of high-end NASCAR stock vehicles. While oval racing certainly has its detractors, the fact of the matter is that NASCAR is a well-respected automotive event with loads of history behind it, and having it properly represented in Forza Motorsport is a massive boon. The buck doesn’t stop at NASCAR, mind, as Turn 10 is pivoting Update 14 into a proper celebration of American autosport.

To get into the nitty-gritty of this new release, Week 1 of the American Thunder (which kicks off earlier than expected, on November 6) will feature all three of the fancy new NASCAR stock cars available in the Showroom:

• Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Next-Gen NASCAR (2024)
• Ford Mustang Dark Horse Next-Gen NASCAR (2024)
• Toyota Camry XSE Next-Gen NASCAR (2024)

Note, too, that you’ll still be able to purchase all three of these cars via the Showroom later on! They’re just going to be available at a neat little discount during Week 1 of Update 14’s seasonal content. It’s a lovely step away from seasonal FOMO that I enjoy greatly, and the community will as well.

Upon picking up the vehicles featured above, you’ll be jumping into the Modern NASCAR Cup of the American Thunder Tour, which will then be followed by American Road Racing, American Le Mans, and Daytona Prototypes cups. Exciting stuff all around, if I may say so myself. Wrapping up the American Thunder Tour in total will reward you with the delightful 1988 Chevrolet Beretta Trans Am #77, due to release on December 25, 2024. Very appropriate!

There’s lots of other content worth discussing here, too, including the 2019 Hennesey Camaro Exorcist, which is available as the Cycled Class Series reward in Featured Multiplayer, but I’ll let you discover some goodies at your own pace. Instead, I’d prefer to highlight some sorely needed improvements to the game in general. In Update 14, we’re getting all of the following boons:

• Improved track-side global reflection probes.
• Resolved sporadic spin-outs that could happen upon hitting a curb in Mugello and certain other tracks.
• Resolved a variety of crashes and performance problems.
• Improved Drivatar AI pitting logic in Endurance Races and beyond.
• Tuned Drivatar AI on oval races, including boosted trailing ability and collision handling.
• Revamped downforce physics and the multi-car aero model.
• Introduced rolling starts in Featured Multiplayer races.
• Introduced NASCAR branding on the Homestead-Miami Speedway track layouts.
• Improved Forza Race Regulation model.
• Added Advanced Ghosting to multiplayer matches.

Certainly, it’s a bummer that there’s no new track available as part of Update 14 but Turn 10 has already made it clear that Update 15 will mark the return of the awesome Mount Panorama Circuit. Further, the update will be called “Australia Month,” which is a wholly different flavor of exciting. Not much to complain about this time, I reckon.