What Are The Names Of The United Arab Emirates

The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, each governed by a hereditary emir, who choose one of their members to be the president of the federation. The constituent emirates are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the state's center of commercial and cultural activities. Islam is the official religion of the UAE, and Arabic is the official language.

Since 1962, when Abu Dhabi became the first of the emirates to begin exporting oil, the country's society and economy have been transformed. The late Sheikh Zayed, ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE at its inception, oversaw the development of the Emirates and steered oil revenues into healthcare, education and national infrastructure. It also possesses the world's seventeenth largest natural gas reserves The UAE has one of the most developed economies in Western Asia. Human occupation has been traced back to the emergence of anatomically modern humans from Africa some 124,000 BCE through finds at the Faya-2 site in Mleiha, Sharjah. Burial sites dating back to the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age include the oldest known such inland site at Jebel Buhais. Known as Magan to the Sumerians, the area was home to a prosperous Bronze Age trading culture during the Umm Al Nar period which traded between the Indus Valley, Bahrain and Mesopotamia as well as Iran, Bactria and the Levant.

The ensuing Wadi Suq period and three Iron Ages saw the emergence of nomadism as well as the development of water management and irrigation systems supporting human settlement in both the coast and interior. The Islamic age of the UAE dates back to the expulsion of the Sasanians and the subsequent Battle of Dibba. The UAE' history of trade led to the emergence of Julfar, in the present-day emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, as a regional trading and maritime hub in the area. The maritime dominance of the Arabian Gulf by Emirati traders led to conflicts with European powers, including the Portuguese Empire and the British Empire. Its reliance on foreign workers remains a pressing problem, partly because the government is unwilling to grant citizenship privileges to non-Emirians.

Policies approved in 2007 allowed for companies to regulate the activities of foreign workers but gave the workers no additional rights. A longtime boundary dispute with Oman was ratified in 2003, but the agreement had not been published as of 2008. In addition, drug traffickers use the UAE ports as a transfer point in the exchange of illegal drugs.

What Are The Names Of All The Emirates In The UAE As a major financial center, the UAE is vulnerable to money laundering. Although the government has imposed some controls, its informal banking sector is largely unregulated. The emirates have a long history of intertribal wars and violence, and although they are now united in an attempt at cooperation, old conflicts continually erupt. Because Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate and has the largest oil reserves , it makes all the decisions in the UAE. Dubai is the only emirate large and wealthy enough to challenge Abu Dhabi's decisions.

The other emirates are all too small and too dependent on financial support from Abu Dhabi to risk speaking out against the Abu Dhabi-dominated government. Dubai occasionally acts on its own, going against decisions handed down by the Abu Dhabi leaders. The union of the emirates is too young, and the new oil wealth and resulting development too recent, to determine if the UAE will be able to maintain its unity and function as a stable federation of states. The South Africa of today is one of the most sophisticated, diverse and promising emerging markets globally. Strategically located at the tip of the African continent, South Africa is a key investment location, both for the market opportunities within its borders and as a gateway to the rest of the Continent.

The country is the economic powerhouse of Africa and forms part of the BRICS group of countries with Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well the G20 group of nations with the most advanced and important economies in the world. Our wild life is world renowned, and our safari packages superb. Whether you want to merely relax on the beach or spend time in nature, go hunting, whale watching, and shark diving, do shopping or spend leisure time in a world class hotel or game lodge, South Africa is the place to go. Do check out the website of SA Tourism and the links provided for more detail. Since then, the UAE has been a sovereign nation, enjoying the profits of its natural resources—its reserves of oil and natural gas are the seventh-largest in the world, and it has the seventh-highest GDP per capita. This wealth has turned the Emirates into a major hub of trade, travel, tourism and finance.

Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world, is emblematic of the Emirates' dramatic construction boom and rise to global prominence. ENEC has selected a nuclear-experienced managing agent to support its development and solicitation of bids for the nuclear energy programme. Key positions within the organization were filled with experienced nuclear contractors, while other key positions have been supported by nuclear experts. In addition, ENEC was able to tap into the experienced professionals from the UAE's long-established oil and gas, energy and mega-project industries to build its management ranks. Focusing on national capacity building, ENEC maintained an Emiratization rate of around 60% in 2020 for its employees.

The UAE has developed from a juxtaposition of Bedouin tribes to one of the world's most wealthy states in only about 50 years. Between 2000 and 2018, average real gross domestic product growth was at close to 4%. It is the second largest economy in the GCC , with a nominal gross domestic product of US$414.2 billion, and a real GDP of 392.8 billion constant 2010 USD in 2018. Since its independence in 1971, the UAE's economy has grown by nearly 231 times to 1.45 trillion AED in 2013. The non-oil trade has grown to 1.2 trillion AED, a growth by around 28 times from 1981 to 2012. Backed by the world's seventh-largest oil deposits, and thanks to considerate investments combined with decided economic liberalism and firm Government control, the UAE has seen their real GDP more than triple in the last four decades.

Nowadays the UAE is one of the world's richest countries, with GDP per capita almost 80% higher than OECD average. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. The United Arab Emirates' oil and natural gas reserves are the world's sixth and seventh-largest, respectively. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi and the country's first president, oversaw the development of the Emirates by investing oil revenues into healthcare, education, and infrastructure. The United Arab Emirates has the most diversified economy among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In the 21st century, the country has become less reliant on oil and gas, and is economically focusing on tourism and business.

The government does not levy income tax, although there is a corporate tax in place and a 5% value-added tax was established in 2018. The fact that the traditional tribal system of government each emirate was based on similar political principles facilitated the establishment of the UAE. Hereditary dynastic family rule still operates in each emirate as a local government system under the umbrella of the federal system.

Members of the ruling families occupy the most important positions in their political administrations. While the political system continues to retain some of its traditional values at formal and informal levels, it has been able to keep pace with economic and social change. The sheikhs are highly regarded for performing the dual roles of modernizers and guardians of the cultural heritage.

They still have traditional majlis where citizens have access to their leaders. ENEC has developed a comprehensive website that includes key information on nuclear energy, nuclear energy in the UAE and the country's programme. ENEC is also active on all major social media channels, regularly posting corporate and nuclear-specific information. Additionally, Khalifa University hosted the Nuclear Energy Management School, which provides training courses delivered by the IAEA and organized in cooperation with FANR, for students and young professionals from the Asia and Pacific region. Offered in 2012, 2015, and 2017, the courses provided relevant knowledge to ensure a solid nuclear expert foundation, through building leadership skills to manage nuclear energy programmes. Khalifa University, which is an IAEA Collaborating Center since 2018, provides support to activities on nuclear infrastructure development in newcomer countries.

In light of these provisions, FANR collaborated with institutions of responsible nations aimed at developing R&D capabilities within its nuclear energy programme, as well as to use the operating experience of other countries on major safety issues. As of 2020, FANR is engaged in 13 research collaboration agreements with countries such as Belgium, France, Norway and the United States of America. Research and development is an essential building block for a sound regulatory system as it provides world-wide access to tools, data and expertise necessary for rigorous decision-making to ensure regulations have safety focus.

Many countries with small civil programmes established regulatory programmes and benefitted from bilateral and multilateral cooperation to meet their needs. While it is industry's responsibility to conduct the R&D necessary to establish the safety case for an activity, regulatory bodies conduct research to provide a sound scientific basis for regulations and regulatory decisions. Moreover, ENEC is now concluding the development of its R&D strategy to identify opportunities to utilize knowledge and expertise in related sectors. Much of the work force in the UAE are foreign expatriates - hence the country's population makeup being so diverse, with Emirati citizens being a minority in their own country. All Emirati citizens receive profit sharing cheques from the government and mostly opt to work in the government sector.

Migrant workers from the Indian Subcontinent and the Philippines are mostly employed in the service and construction industries for low wages. Many mid-level jobs are filled by expats and Emirati nationals who work in the private sector, in addition to expats who work in high-skilled and managerial positions and typically enjoy a very good standard of living. If you're interested in working in the UAE there are opportunities in oil and gas, banking, engineering and education. The public school system in Abu Dhabi is hiring a large numbers of English-language teachers from Western countries.

These teaching jobs in the UAE are accessible through official recruiters of the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The UAE leadership has driven forward economic diversification efforts already before the oil price crash in the 1980s, and the UAE is nowadays the most diversified economy in the Middle East and North Africa region. Although the oil and gas sector does still play an important role in the UAE economy, these efforts have paid off in terms of great resilience during periods of oil price fluctuations and economic turbulence. While the government may still adjust the exact arrangement of the VAT, it is not likely that any new taxes will be introduced in the foreseeable future. Additional taxes would destroy one of the UAE's main enticements for businesses to operate in the country and put a heavy burden on the economy.

The UAE emits a lot of carbon dioxide per person compared to other countries. The UAE's monetary policy stresses stability and predictability, as the Central Bank of the UAE keeps a peg to the US Dollar and moves interest rates close to the Federal Funds Rate. This policy makes sense in the current situation of global and regional economic and geopolitical uncertainty. In the mid- to long term, however, the peg will become less important, as the UAE transitions to a knowledge-based economy – and becomes yet more independent from the oil and gas sector .

As impressive as economic growth has been in the UAE, the total population has increased from just around 550,000 in 1975 to close to 10 million in 2018. This growth is mainly due to the influx of foreign workers into the country, making the national population a minority. The UAE features a unique labour market system, in which residence in the UAE is conditional on stringent visa rules. This system is a major advantage in terms of macroeconomic stability, as labour supply adjusts quickly to demand throughout economic business cycles.

Until then, the emirates had been poor, with pearling, fishing, and sheep and goat herding being the main forms of livelihood. The discovery and production of oil brought new wealth into the area, turning the Emirians from among the poorest people of the world into some of the wealthiest. The other emirates have yet to discover oil on their land and depend on Abu Dhabi and Dubai for financial support. Proven oil reserves in Abu Dhabi are estimated to last for another 200 years, based on production rates in 2008. Dubai's oil reserves were projected in the late 1990s to run out in about 30 years, but the UAE has been decreasing its oil production and estimated in 2008 that overall reserves could last more than 90 years.

Dubai has become a world trading center and will continue to have international significance and a source of income after its oil runs out. This is a major way of distributing oil wealth among the national population. The immigrant population also benefits to some extent, particularly in regard to medical care.

The United Arab Emirates has the world's sixth largest proven oil reservesand the fifthlargest natural gas reserves, making the country a critical partner and responsible supplier in global energy markets. Although a mainstay in the economy, oil exports account for about 25% of the UAE's gross domestic product, as a result of government policies designed to diversify the UAE economy. However, domestic energy consumption has continued to rise steadily with all electricity production and water desalination being generated by thermal plants, which has resulted in the UAE becoming a net importer of natural gas since 2008.

There is currently a shift toward decoupling of power and water sectors. The states gained autonomy following World War II (1939–45), when the trucial states of Bahrain and Qatar declared independent statehood. The rest were formally united in 1971, with the city of Abu Dhabi serving as the capital. The introduction of mandatory health insurance in Abu Dhabi for expatriates and their dependents was a major driver in reform of healthcare policy.

Abu Dhabi nationals were brought under the scheme from 1 June 2008 and Dubai followed for its government employees. The UAE attracts medical tourists seeking cosmetic surgery and advanced procedures, cardiac and spinal surgery, and dental treatment, as health services have higher standards than other Arab countries in the Arabian Gulf. Roads are paved and well maintained; multilane divided highways connect the major cities and link the UAE with neighboring countries.

Automobiles and trucks crowd the streets, and four-wheel-drive vehicles race across the desert sands. A railway system is being planned to relieve some of the traffic congestion, particularly that caused by cargo trucks. Five of the emirates have international airports, and there are radio and television broadcasts in Arabic and other languages, and broadcasts from other countries can be picked up on the many satellite dishes on apartment buildings and private homes. Telephone service is state-of-the-art; fax machines are very common. Secular national holidays include National Day, which is celebrated on December 2, and New Year's Day on January 1.

For example, August 6 is a holiday in Abu Dhabi marking the accession of Sheikh Zayid. Muslim holidays follow the lunar calendar, moving back by 11 days each Western year, so their dates are not fixed on the standard Gregorian calendar. Friday is the Islamic day of rest, so most businesses and services are closed on Fridays. All government offices, private businesses, and schools are closed also during Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Placed 284th in the global rankings, United Arab Emirates University comes fifth in the Arab region ranking.

It's based in the city of Al Ain in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and is the oldest university in the country – though still relatively young, having been established in 1976. Its alumni community includes many powerful leaders in the fields of government and business. "In exchange for its acceptance that dubious players and monies be based in the country, the UAE merely asks wealthy Africans to stay out of local politics and stay within the boundaries of local law," Soares de Oliveira said.

In 2019, the UAE reached a major milestone with the certification and licensing of its first Senior Reactor Operators , Reactor Operators and Local Operators . These individuals have completed a comprehensive training programme, which lasted for three-years and was developed by ENEC and Nawah, according to the regulations set out by FANR. The first group of SROs and ROs had the opportunity to train in the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. The total number of certified SROs and ROs is 72, of which three are UAE nationals, and three are females.

These first operators will soon be joined by many more qualified individuals to provide a sustainable pipeline of talent for the decades of operations ahead. Due to the UAE's small native population, international experts were brought on board to ensure that the project would develop and maintain a professional nuclear cadre. At the national level, a base of technical expertise was brought in from other sectors as fundamental support for the programme. Additionally, extensive efforts were put into launching educational programmes to qualify a large set of young engineers and nuclear-related experts. Following this strategy, FANR, ENEC, and Khalifa University began implementing various steps in order to meet the needs related to their human resource development plans.

Central to the UAE's approach to developing a nuclear energy programme has been the importance of building a qualified workforce for the short- and long- term. The UAE Government has been open with the public about its consideration to pursue nuclear energy from the very beginning, even before the decision to embark on a nuclear energy programme was taken. Ever since, numerous public forums and other events have been held by UAE nuclear stakeholders, through which important features of the UAE's programme have been introduced and discussed with a wide range of stakeholders.

Forza Horizon 5 Xbox One X Gameplay

Forza Horizon 5 is a racing video game set in an open world environment based in a fictional representation of Mexico. The game has the largest map in the entire Forza Horizon series, being 50% larger than its predeccesor, Forza Horizon 4 while also having the highest point in the Horizon series. The map was described by creative director Mike Brown as one of the most diverse Forza Horizon maps the team has built. The map contains an active caldera volcano, jungles and beaches, ancient Mayan temples, and towns and cities such as Guanajuato.

Players can explore the open world freely, though they can also compete in multiplayer races and complete the campaign mode. Both the cars featured in the game and the player character can be extensively customised. Players are able to create custom liveries and tunes for cars, and perform engine swaps, drivetrain swaps, or install body kits on certain vehicles. The game is the first in the franchise to support ray tracing on cars . Just like Forza Horizon 4, Forza Horizon 5 is a cross-gen game that is also being released on Xbox One consoles, but it's still a big leap forward for the open-world racing franchise.

It's definitely one of the best-looking games you can play on Xbox Series X|S consoles today, featuring the largest open world ever seen in a Forza game. It's also an excellent casual game for players who aren't really into racing games, and it remains far more accessible than the pretty demanding Forza Motorsport series. Create your own expressions of fun with the powerful new EventLab gameplay toolset including custom races, challenges, stunts, and entirely new game modes.

Customize your cars in more ways than ever before with new options such as the ability open and close convertible tops, paint brake calipers, and more. Use the new Gift Drops feature to share your custom creations with the community. It's already been 3 years since the release of Forza Horizon 4; a game that I couldn't put down as I was constantly impressed by its awesome scenery, changing seasons, variety of events, and massive world.

Forza Horizon 5 has now been launched for us racing fans to dive into and it definitely doesn't disappoint. For starters, the map is 50% larger than the one in Forza Horizon 4 with an increased assortment of locations to race in such as a desert, jungle, swamp, town, beach, and ruins. Each of these areas is quite distinct in not just their visuals but also weather effects, their affinity to certain types of vehicles, and unique landmarks to enjoy. It's all presented beautifully with great detail such as groups of people hanging out in the city as the sun sets or that you must dodge lightning strikes as you work your way through a tropical storm.

Forza Horizon 5 is akin to a "car-lovers sandbox," and lets you play however you want. While there is a story and full-blown campaign with the Horizon Adventure, Expeditions, and smaller Horizon Stories, it's still up to players how they progress and what path they take. All in all, the focus of Forza Horizon 5 is the vast arsenal of cars, the wide variety of races and events, the sheer level of creative freedom available, and the deeply integrated online multiplayer gameplay. Forza Horizon 5 will be chock full of beautiful vehicles, stunning vistas, and a brand new open-world, set within Mexico. For racing fans, this release looks to be something very, very special. Sadly, there are no ray-traced reflections in regular gameplay, in any mode you choose.

Considering this a highlight feature for the consoles, it's slightly disappointing. Sun bounces off a shiny car's exterior as I've never seen in a racing game before, and I spent far too long just gawping at how fantastically well all the vehicles had been recreated – both inside and out. However, Forza Horizon 5 is on another level on Xbox Series X and it's one of the few games where I prefer the 30fps quality mode to its 60fps equivalent.

The increase in fidelity and the more graceful LOD transitions combined with the upgraded visuals elevate it significantly beyond performance mode. True, it's not 60fps but the motion blur is the best I've seen in bridging the gap. Of course, it is possible to play this game at full frame-rate with Series X's mixture of high, ultra and extreme settings - and that's where the PC version comes into play. We'll be reporting back on our testing and experiences there soon. This consists of a series of mini-multiplayer games strewn across the map.

One of these mini-multiplayer games is called "Piñata pop" where the Horizon Festival's cargo plane drops piñatas. The goal is to pop as many piñatas as they can with the help of other players. It also introduces the "EventLab", a toolset in which players can create custom games, races, and more depending on their personal preference. According to Brown, it is an AI assistant that tracks the current statuses of players, helping them to link with other players online and play together. Forza Link can also link players' GPS systems if they accept the invitation from another player. A new Forza Horizon game always comes with at least a handful of new features and improvements over its predecessor, but Forza Horizon 5 delivers even greater amounts of content to players.

The extra year of development Forza Horizon 5 got over previous entries in the series clearly helped things along because there is a lot about which to talk. Not only has Playground Games baked in significantly more content into Forza Horizon 5's base game, but it's also given the community a way to add essentially infinite new events and races to Forza Horizon 5 over time. FH5's online features have seen significant improvements to more completely connect players all around the world. Even when FH5 players have gotten through the majority of content in the base game, Forza Horizon 5's multiplayer is grander and more accessible than ever before, with a nearly endless amount of content to explore.

Create your own expressions of fun with the new EventLab gameplay toolset including custom races, challenges, stunts and new game modes. Xbox gavean extended gameplay of "Forza Horizon 5" during E3 2021, showing off some of the locales, different modes, and social aspects. One of the biggest changes to the gameplay is the Horizon Arcade, which allows players to queue up to play wacky mini-games and challenges. The infamous battle royale racing mode from "Forza Horizon 4" returns, meaning that fans can still participate in the chaos of The Eliminator. In this chaotic mode, cars fall from the sky to engage in races, with the loser of the race being eliminated from the competition. "Forza Horizon 5" brings back the seasons mechanic from the previous game, which changes the weather and the environment on a weekly basis, shifting between the four seasons.

I played Forza Horizon 5 on both my Xbox Series X and Series S consoles over the past week, and I'm happy to report that performance is excellent on both consoles. Players get to choose between Quality and Performance modes, and I think that Forza Horizon 5 is one of the rare racing games that don't feel too uncomfortable playing at 30FPS. Forza Horizon 5 features a number of robust multiplayer modes that are part of the base game.

You race against other players or participate in cooperative challenges. Horizon Arcade allows you to take part in various mini-games such as smashing objects or jumping over cars, while Horizon Open lets you band together for a low-stakes competitive experience such as seeing who can drift the longest. Some will prefer the expanded frame rate and see that as a necessary trade-off, but we have to say that the 30fps quality mode still plays very well indeed and you get the maximum visual effect, to boot.

Although there's still no local multiplayer, the online mode is quite seamless and can be toggled via the main menu. When playing online, you'll see other players driving around the map just as in the previous title. When joining an event with online players, the experience remains mostly seamless and avoids bogging you down in menus as it instead has you drive from one location to the next which helps maintain the feeling of realism. In order to replicate the Xbox Series X quality graphics mode on PC, gamers should at least have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super.

But in order to enjoy the PC's biggest advantage, higher frame rates, a more powerful gaming PC is required. With reduced settings equivalent to the Xbox Series X performance mode, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super was not entirely able to hold a steady 60 fps at 4k resolution. PC gamers who would like to play Forza Horizon 5 on these settings should have at least anRTX 2080. Additional technical details, including further explanations of the hardware requirements and recommended settings of Forza Horizon 5 on PC are included in the video embedded below. This is a Forza version of Halo's Forge, allowing players to create their own game modes and races down to their core rules. The example shown featured players driving through bowling pins and up giant treadmills, all while trying to rack up points.

For example, driving a Toyota Supra is easier than a Ferrari Portofino. Usually when it comes to open-world racing games with countless vehicles, like Burnout Paradise Remastered or The Crew, they tend to feel quite similar if you've tried enough. While I've yet to collect many more cars, the hundred or so that are in my garage each have their own quirks. Learning when to accelerate, when to brake, and what terrain each vehicle works best on is a worthy pursuit.

As you use each vehicle more and more, you level it up and this accelerates the rate at which you earn XP from participating in various activities like drifting or races. Some could even find it a little unoriginal, as the racing elements feel more an extension of the last game than something new, but considering it's already the best feeling experience out there, we think it's essential. The game just plays beautifully, especially across the multiple track types and biomes. Even just haring around the slice of Mexico outside of set races is a joy, with spectacular views and scenery to take in. Plus, with an extended career campaign that includes new expedition story missions and more characterisation, there's more than enough new to make Horizon 5 an upgrade.

In one of several extensive videos featuring Forza Horizon 5, Digital Foundry concluded that the quality mode on Xbox Series X mostly matches the maxed out settings on PC. But at a native 4k resolution, the Xbox Series X only manages to output 30 fps with these settings. Therefore it looks like the PC settings in Forza Horizon 5 do not provide a lot of headroom when it comes to visual quality, also because raytracing is only active in photo mode and can't be activated for regular gameplay. Microsoft makes a big deal of accessibility, including in its flagship events, and its Xbox games are continuing in that spirit. If there's one thing that brings Forza Horizon players together like nothing else, it's the sheer level of creative freedom afforded by the games. Forza Horizon 5 is the most customizable and inclusive Forza Horizon yet, with nearly infinite replayability thanks to new player tools and features.

Players have control over their cars, in-game characters, races, and even full-blown unique events you can't find anywhere else. While the story or plot in a racing game may not be the most crucial element for some players, it can still add a lot to the experience for those who do appreciate it. Forza Horizon 4 was gently criticized by the community for its lackluster story and general lack of direction for players, so Playground Games went back to the drawing board for Forza Horizon 5.

FH5 takes players on a journey through the Horizon Adventure to have their name added to the Hall of Fame, and the drive there should be pretty wild. Playground Games has delivered their latest masterpiece with Forza Horizon 5, which features the series' most diverse map and largest car list yet. Forza Horizon 5 somehow fulfills its ambitious promises to be the best open-world racer right now, and one of the best racing games in general. A toolset that allows players to create their very own races, game modes, and game play experiences – allowing to customize everything – right down to the fundamental rules of the game.

On Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, loading times are almost instantaneous, which is really convenient when you want to use the map to teleport yourself to another location. Compared to Forza Horizon 4, the game's menus have also been simplified and it's now easier to browse your car collection or check your progression in the game. It's also easier to see the other online players on your server, though you can still opt for the "Horizon Solo" experience and play the game offline. Until the release of Forza Horizon 4 three years ago, Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios used to alternate with a new Forza Motorsport and a new Forza Horizon game every year. However, the transition to a new console generation has affected this well-oiled release cycle. As a result, Microsoft's next-gen Xbox Series X and Series S consoles only had two "next-gen" racing games at launch, an updated version of Forza Horizon 4 and Codemasters' Dirt 5, which I personally found quite disappointing.

No racing game is complete without deep customization and Forza Horizon 5 lets you modify everything from your car, car horn, clothing, and character. When you first boot up the title, you're allowed to make your own driver. There are more options here than Forza Horizon 4, but obviously it's not on the level of a role-playing game.

The character creator lets you choose one from a number of different backgrounds, equip prostheses, and select pronouns, even though they're a little limited. You can choose between Performance and Quality graphics settings, both of which are 4K. The former is limited to 30 frames per second, and looks a tad prettier. The 60 fps Performance mode is superior for most racing games, though, including this one. In my tests I found that - generally speaking - there are three tiers of graphics fidelity on the consoles. Xbox One is at the base of the pile, as you may expect, but still gets the job done.

Xbox One X's graphics profile at dynamic 4K is broadly equivalent to the Series machines in their 60fps modes - but each version has its own plus and minus points. In some areas, Series X's performance mode seemed to deliver improved ground detail over Xbox One X. Elsewhere, Series S's textures didn't look as detailed as Xbox One X's (and resolution is lower at a dynamic 810p-1080p). Series X performance mode matches One X's 1600p-2160p DRS Plus profile - however, I do want to stress again that resolution changes are difficult to track by eye. It's also nigh-on impossible to find any drops from the target 60fps in the Series console performance modes. But sometimes a game can be so pretty that it helps you appreciate an experience that you would normally feel mild about.

For example, I'm not the biggest racing game fan in the world. When I do enjoy a racer, it's usually a more arcadey experience like Ridge Racer Type 4 or the more recent Cruis'n Blast. Playing Forza Horizon 5 on a phone might not be ideal if you're a more competitive racer. If I did that while playing on my phone, I don't think I'd keep up. Of course, if you do run out of events, you can always create your own. Forza Horizon 5 includes a new EventLab feature for user-generated content.

With it, you can create all manners of races, stunts, and challenges. EventLab in Forza Horizon 5 allows you to insert objects, fashion a route, set car class and more. You can even define all sorts of rules, be it handing points for hit objectives, changing car torque or gravity to mess with racers, or upending race parameters for an added dose of fun.

Once you're done with your blueprint, you can use it to give your event a name, take it for a test spin, and then publish it for the community to enjoy. The ability to link up with other players for races also returns, allowing you and your friends to work through all of the events in the Horizon Festival together. The campaign features numerous race types and characters, rewarding you with story beats as you dominate the Horizon Festival. "Forza Horizon 5" will also feature the brand-new EventLabs, player-created maps that can range from custom races to obstacle courses. Forza Horizon 5 is the best game in the series and another essential release from PlayGround Games, and it sets a pretty high bar for the upcoming Forza Motorsport 8 from Turn 10 Studios.

In many ways, Forza Horizon 5 can feel like more of the same, but the graphics are truly stunning on Xbox Series X and the gameplay is still just as addictive as ever. Playground Games has definitely cemented its place as one of the best studios Microsoft acquired in recent years, though we'd love to see the studio try something a bit different and take more risks with its future games. There is no denying that the fourth edition of the driving series is rightfully considered as one of the greatest racing games ever made, leaving a lot of pressure on Forza Horizon 5 to shine on the brand new consoles.

Forza Horizon 5 is an arcade racing game and I played it on the Quality setting most of the time. Even at 30 FPS, it's a very responsive title that stands out on a 4K display. I'm a stickler for the highest resolution and graphical settings so that's how I chose to experience Forza Horizon 5. However, it's up to you to decide what you want to prioritize. Expeditions are new, for example, presenting challenges and optional goals that are more role-player-like than in most racing titles. Your avatar will complement the cast of characters you meet and hear over the radio.

They will also now refer to you by name, as chosen at the start of the game from multiple options. It all enhances the feeling that you are doing far more than heading from A to B and earning cash with which to buy new cars. When it comes to gameplay, Forza Horizon 5 feels less groundbreaking.