Forza Horizon 5 guide: Strategies for The Eliminator

Like almost every other game out there these days, Forza Horizon 5 just has to have its own battle royale mode: The Eliminator. This game mode was introduced to the Horizon universe back in Forza Horizon 4. Here in the new Horizon, its mechanics haven’t changed much at all. That said, the map itself has actually been designed with this mode in mind, thus allowing for even more freedom and unfettered exploration.

Still, winning a round of The Eliminator continues to be anyone’s game. Success isn’t guaranteed, but here are some strategies that you can implement in order to increase your chanced of coming out on top.

Getting Started

• Pick a good start point — You’re able to drop in on the map anywhere at the very start of the match, but there are a few key points to keep in mind. Remember, to progress in The Eliminator, you must find and claim better cars. You’ll find them scattered throughout the map, with the lowest being Level 1and the highest at Level 10.
  

  By starting in Guanajuato, I found a Car Drop literally in the first few seconds of the match.

  These car drops are completely random, but there is some light consistency for where they’re likely to spawn. They almost always spawn next to structures. Very populated areas like the various Horizon Festival sites are likely to contain multiple drops at once, as well as cities like Guanajuato. But, the more car drops in a given area, the more likely they’re going to be common/low-level. There’s no “best” place to start because of the randomness. You at least want to get out of the VW Beetle that everyone starts with as soon as possible.

• Find more spawn locations — Even if you do happen to score a car drop in the opening moments of the match, chances are it won’t be a high level car. So, again, keep on the lookout for structures around the map. Car drops are identified with large purple plumes of smoke.The best way to find them is to get a vantage point, which thankfully is all too easy in Forza Horizon 5’s very elevation-prone map of Mexico. That said, outside of populated areas, car drops will be very few and far between. So, get up high and pan around. Constantly shift between roadways and offroading to scope out as much of the safe zone as possible. Of course, you still have to look out for the other players in the process.
• Grabbing the right kind of car — Simply put, always gravitate towards the offroad ready options when it comes to finding new cars around the map. Even though some of the better cars in The Eliminator are absolute bullets on the street, they’ll have a hard time driving over dirt. You’ll find yourself off the pavement more than on it when you’re racing, especially when it comes down to the Final Showdown.

Making the most of The Eliminator in Forza Horizon 5

• Fight or flight? — The next layer to The Eliminator’s gameplay is that of engaging the other drivers. Due to the sheer size of the map, you can go a good while without encountering anyone. But, eventually you will. Depending on the player, they may or may not decide to challenge you. But, here’s what to always keep in mind.
  • Flight: If a car is coming at you head on, trying to change trajectory may not always help. Keep an eye on your minimap to spot another player before they even get close enough. If they’re in a faster car and are more on the aggressive side, they’ll likely hunt you down. You can try to outmaneuver them by using rough terrain (large rocks, unbreakable trees/structures, bodies of water) but that may not always work. In other words, if you see another car, assume they’re going to challenge you.
  • Fight: Going back to the head-on scenario, the direction of the race can either be in the direction you’re already traveling or theirs. Thus, keep your finger on the brake/e-brake incase you need to quickly change direction. If your opponent is in a more powerful car, don’t assume that you’ll lose the race immediately. Chances are, the race will take you through an area of the map with rough terrain. Depending on their driving skills, they could very well hit a solid object, and that brief mistake can give you enough of a lead to grab the win. Just be very mindful of your surroundings and get as accustomed as possible to bobbing-and-weaving through forested areas. If you choose to engage a player on your own, then using the aforementioned heads-on tactic is arguably better than coming at them from behind. And, again, don’t assume that you’ll win. Even if your current car is better than theirs, sometimes it’s as if the titanium trees just appear.

Always be mindful of the position of other drivers. Avoid engaging until you get a capable enough car.

• Staying safe until the end — Getting to the final moments of The Eliminator isn’t that hard. Again, the map is big enough that you may very well not cross paths with any of the other drivers until the arena approaches its smallest size. The last few minutes before the Final Showdown will be the most likely time for the other drivers to challenge you. By this point, finding a good car drop isn’t likely, so what you’re driving may very well be what you take as your chariot into the final race. Hopefully by this point you have something that’s at least modestly capable (Level 5 and higher). To avoid getting booted out by drivers with much better cars, you need to stay low.
  

  Here I found a spot that allowed me to wait for the final race completely out of sight from the other drivers.

  One way is to just keep moving around the arena. Another way is to do just the opposite — stay hidden. Doing this is simple. Just park your car. Of course, it’s best to do this with the help of the surroundings, so try parking in or around a building, behind a bush, or amongst some thick vegetation. After a few seconds of idling, your indicator on the minimap will fade, and you’ll no longer be visible to the other players. This will allow you to camp out comfortably until just before the final race begins. Once head-to-head races are disabled, then you can rev up your engine and prepare for the last charge.

• Launching into the final race — Even if you do take a modest car into the final race, you still have the chance to at least come out within the Top 5, or even win! But, how? Location, location, location! Think fast and be very observant of the final phase of the arena. At this point, the arena is so small that the remaining dozen players are in a corner of the map. Once the gate drops, where do you think the finish line is going to be placed? In the opposite direction! Look at how it turned out in this match I played:Here in this match, the arena shrunk into the northwestern corner of the map, by the Horizon Baja Circuit. When the final race began, the finish line spawned south of there. There’s no way it was going to go north, and east would’ve placed it somewhere around the volcano.

  The trick is that in the last few moments leading up to the final race, position your car so that you’re already rolling fast towards the opposite edge of the arena. Thus, by the time the gate drops, you’ll already be out ahead of the pack. This can buy you just enough extra time to keep a winning distance. Higher powered cars will eventually catch up, but hopefully a mistake or two will keep buying you some time.

  

  Positioning before the final race began allowed me to (briefly) lead the pack towards the finish line. I ultimately came 3rd place in this match.

For more information about Forza Horizon 5, be sure to keep looking at our Guides & Features hub.