Forza Motorsport, a top racing game on Xbox and PC published by Microsoft Game Studios, is getting a familiar racetrack – to South Africans, anyway.

The latest edition in the Forza Motorsport series, which will be released on Xbox Game Pass and through Steam later this year, will launch with 20 “environments”, rebuilt for the new generation of Xbox consoles, and multiple track layouts.

“This includes iconic fan favourites like Maple Valley, Laguna Seca and Spa-Fancorchamps, as well as five all-new-to-Motorsport locations, including our first in South Africa, Kyalami,” Microsoft said.

“These environments are captured using highly detailed photogrammetry and laser-scanned data so we can realistically bring them to life in-game with a truly incredible level of authenticity.”

The decision to include Kyalami in the game’s list of racetracks for the first time comes as South African motorsport fans get excited about the possibility of the country playing host to a Formula One race, possibly as soon as 2024.

Forza Motorsport will feature a number of enhancements in the forthcoming title, including advancements in the physics simulation, which “result in a more fun and rewarding driving experience with how the car accelerates, corners and brakes”.

Watch the announcement on YouTube

“We’re building our materials and shaders from the ground up for a cutting-edge ray-tracing experience, while our car paints are sourced using a spectrophotometer to give each paint coating a significantly more realistic light response across colours, metal flake and gloss levels.

Kyalami racing at night. Source: YouTube

“Cars have context-aware damage and dirt build-up that is authentic and unique for each vehicle in the game. We’re simulating paint thickness, chipping and directionality of damage, while layering dirt so it accumulates in a realistic manner in low-pressure areas like recesses and alcoves,” Microsoft said.