Forza Horizon 3 is the ninth installment in the overall Forza series.
The Forza franchise began with Forza Motorsport in 2005, followed by additional Motorsport entries before Playground Games expanded the brand with the open-world Horizon spin-off. Forza Horizon arrived in 2012, and Forza Horizon 2 followed in 2014.
Released in 2016, Forza Horizon 3 was therefore the ninth main Forza game overall, while being only the third game in the Horizon sub-series. That distinction is the source of a common mix-up: “third” describes its position within Horizon, not within the complete Forza franchise.
The game also marked a major setting change, moving the festival to a fictionalised Australia. Its successor, Forza Horizon 4, became the eleventh overall Forza installment and the fourth Horizon game.