Playground Games unleashed the Forza Horizon 4 PC demo last night. It weighs in at a hefty 28GB but includes a full quarter of the racer's open-world. We were itching to see how Forza Horizon 4 runs on PC, as well as how good it looks this year. Benchmarks will be up shortly, but in the meantime here's what some extra graphical grunt will get you with a series of Low vs Ultra graphics presets Forza Horizon 4 comparison pics.

Forza Horizon 4 Low vs Ultra Graphics Comparison

(slide your cursor over the images to compare)

The pre-race cut-scene below shows Forza Horizon 4's Reflections in full effect. On Ultra we can see the shimmering race barriers reflected in the McLaren, while on Low it's a rather uninspiring matte surface. 

It's also easy to spot the near total absence of Shadows on Low, particularly obvious when looking between the two cars and underneath the bollard at the back. On Ultra, Forza Horizon 4 also looks even more superior thanks to the Ambient Occlusion effects.

One other thing to point out is the noticeable impact of anti-aliasing features. While Ultra is by no means perfect at 1080p, the front grill of the car has quite a distracting shimmering effect as the camera pans.

Below we have Forza Horizon 4's traditional race view. The total absence of Shadows lends a much starker look to Low. Each roadside object and car looks pretty weightless due to this. There's also a far greater level of detail and view distance presence on Ultra, as well as population density. Look to either side of the track barriers to see this in action.

Both Low and Ultra graphics presets in FH4 use Motion Blur by default. It may not be to everyone's tastes but it lends itself to a greater feeling of speed in racing cars. The Motion Blur is far crisper on Ultra though.

As the benchmark lap transforms into nightime, Forza Horizon 4 begins to show its lighting and shadow chops to full effect. Low is bathed in an unrealistic glow that struggles to replicate darkness, while Ultra plunges the player into darkness and forces the use of headlights. It's actually much harder to see what's going on in Ultra, but it's kind of what we're looking for during a dusk race.

The image below is designed to showcase Forza Horizon 4's weather effects. On Ultra we see rain pattering against the camera lens, while Low sticks to barely visible flecks raining on the road. I actually thought the weather was randomised during the benchmark as the effects were so hard to see on Low, but after repeated runs this isn't the case. 

In the absence of video footage, this last pair of photos are just designed to highlight the difference in weather effects once again. The difference in rain effects is immediately apparent, as are the true reflections in the puddles on Ultra.

We also have FH4 benchmarks for you. What are your thoughts on the visuals Playground have pulled off this time around? Let us know below!