Forza Horizon 6

In Forza Horizon 6, the virtual motorsport festival heads to Japan, which means that after Australia and the UK, left-hand traffic is back! Unlike in Forza Horizon 5, however, players don't start out as racing legends; this time, they begin as "humble tourists" who must earn access to the festival, big races, showcases and so on. However, this happens faster than expected, and despite the more down-to-earth approach, Forza Horizon 6 feels almost identical to its predecessor as players unlock more and more of the massive map — just without the instant gratification. As they drive around Japan, players unlock new races, events and activities, explore the map and collect countless cars, earn rewards through Wheel Spins and track down barns containing forgotten automotive treasures.

It is and remains a Forza Horizon game — Playground Games hasn't changed that much — but nonetheless, the concept works perfectly here, even if it's already familiar. But that's just nitpicking. Basically, there are two campaigns to follow. In one, the goal is to earn as many wristbands as possible to advance in the Horizon Festival and participate in increasingly elaborate and complex races or showcases. In Discover Japan, players explore the open world (organised as a nicely designed stamp collection), collect or wreck mascots, and learn about Japanese car culture through short story missions. Unfortunately, this often remains merely a side attraction or doesn’t go deep enough; the interactions with the story characters feel rather clunky and awkward, as in the previous games. However, virtual Japan makes up for it.

The setting — Japan in a nutshell — is absolutely outstanding. It's an enormous, meticulously detailed open world, even larger than Mexico. There are vast forests, rice paddies, winding mountain passes, picturesque beaches, iconic bridges and a highly compact Tokyo where the main attractions are practically right next to one another. Despite the skyscrapers and narrow alleys, the megacity feels more like a medium-sized town, and it could certainly benefit from more activity on and off the streets, particularly in Tokyo. However, this might be counterproductive in a racing game. Nevertheless, the game world is characterised by extreme visual fidelity; the Tokyo alleys and forest temples, in particular, are absolutely stunning. Add to that dynamic weather conditions and a seamless day-night cycle, which is particularly impressive in Tokyo at night.

Technically, the game sets new benchmarks. Thanks to native ray tracing support, reflections are seen on the vehicles' bodies, while the game's global illumination is also impressively realised with ray tracing. This makes everything look even more lifelike. But even without ray tracing, the game still looks impressive. Furthermore, the developers have completely overhauled the audio design so that the sound of the engines changes dynamically depending on the selected camera angle and environment, such as in tunnels or narrow urban canyons. Only the loading times for races and events could be faster. The seasons from Forza Horizon 4 are also returning, but it remains to be seen just how significant the changes will ultimately be. During testing, only spring and summer were available, naturally accompanied by corresponding visual changes to the scenery.

When it comes to the range of vehicles, the motto is 'go big'. The game features over 550 real-world cars. The licensed vehicles from manufacturers around the world are highly detailed. They have improved engine audio compared to previous titles, as well as updated steering animations with up to 540 degrees of wheel rotation. However, not all vehicles have damage textures. As players explore Japan, they can collect special Forza Edition cars with extreme modifications and test drive and buy rare aftermarket cars. The range extends from historic classics and rugged SUVs to the latest electric hypercars. This is where the collector's instinct kicks in again because Forza Horizon 6 is a great and content-rich collectathon.

There is also an in-depth tuning menu that allows players to customise the performance and appearance of the cars down to the smallest detail to suit their tastes, including visual customisations such as body kits, rims, paint and, for the first time in the franchise, liveries and decals on windows. Speaking of customisation. Along the way, players can purchase homes in Japan, each with a customisable garage, allowing them to create a space to showcase their collection. Players can fully customise the interior of the garage by building structures, adding furniture, and decorating with lights and posters. Players can share their garage with others, who can visit it, view the cars and download the garage layout for inspiration. In addition, there is the Estate: a mountain valley where players can freely build in an open world. It's essentially a blank canvas that you can fill - like a garage, only much larger.

For each vehicle class, the map offers the right terrain and the racing modes provide plenty of familiar options. As well as classic road racing, dirt racing and cross country racing, which feature a mix of point-to-point sprints and lap-based circuit events, there's Horizon Rush, which is essentially an obstacle course (e.g. through a harbour dock), and the spectacular Showcases, where drivers must later face off against a gigantic mecha or stunt pilots. Added to this are countless PR stunts, such as speed cameras, speed camera zones, drift zones and long jump ramps. There are also Trailblazers, which involve driving from Point A to Point B without checkpoints. All of these PR stunts take place directly in the open world, without having to start a separate event. Completely seamless. The same applies to Time Attack and Drag Meets.

New, however, are the Touge Battles, which are 1-on-1 races taking place at five designated mountain passes on the map. There are also competitive street racing events that take place at night. Unlike Festival Races, there are no barriers or blocked routes, just flares to mark the checkpoints. However, the difficulty level and the AI's racing behaviour, which tends to stick to the ideal line, are not quite as balanced. While you can easily win some races, changing vehicles can sometimes put you at a significant disadvantage. Overall, the AI behaviour is decent, but it can be annoying at times.

And how well do the cars handle? Just like in the previous games, absolutely superb! The controls are intuitive and precise, and feel great to use. Cars from different classes feel noticeably different to drive depending on the surface. Whether you use a keyboard or a controller, the controls are super intuitive, though this varies by vehicle. There are also many optional assistance systems that make the game highly accessible. These range from brake assist and steering assist to automatic gear shifting, traction control, launch control and a rewind function for correcting small errors immediately. The 'ideal line' feature is especially helpful on unfamiliar tracks. Those looking for a bigger challenge can also set the steering to simulation mode and the gearbox to manual. Additionally, destructible tyres and engines can be enabled. Car mastery is also returning. Performing drifts, jumps, near misses, and so on, rewards drivers with Mastery Skill Points. These points unlock Perks that reward players for carrying out more activities and achieving more feats in their favourite cars.

A central pillar of the game is its social aspect. Players can participate in Time Attack Circuits and Drag Meets, or show off their customised cars at Car Meets. They can also earn co-op Link skills with other players, compete in Spec Racing Championships or jump into Horizon Multiplayer mode. The latter features three-round Racing Championships, Custom Racing, Horizon Drift, The Eliminator (Battle Royale) and Hide and Seek. The EventLab has been overhauled to allow players to start building from anywhere in the world. New features include prop stamping, Free Drive and Undo/Redo capabilities while building. Horizon CoLab is an additional multiplayer building experience where players can collaborate with their convoy (which is a group of players).

The game was developed by Playground Games, which was founded in 2010 at Rossmore House in Leamington Spa, in the centre of England. Its founding members were employees of other British development studios, including Codemasters, Bizarre Creations, Criterion Games, Ubisoft Reflections and Slightly Mad Studios. They all shared a passion for racing games. Their first game, Forza Horizon, which was set in Colorado in the US, was released in 2012 in collaboration with Turn 10 Studios. The sequel, set in the border region between southern France and northern Italy, followed in 2014. The first two games were only available on Xbox consoles, but this changed in 2016 with the release of Forza Horizon 3 (set in Australia) on PC for the first time.

In 2018, a second studio opened at St Albans House in Leamington Spa. That same year, the studio was acquired by Microsoft. Forza Horizon 4, set in a virtually recreated Great Britain, was released in 2018 for PC and Xbox consoles. At the Xbox Showcase in 2020, it was revealed that Playground Games would be working on a reboot of the Fable series. Then, in 2021, Forza Horizon 5, set in Mexico, was launched. In 2024, the third studio opened at Dormer Place, also in Leamington Spa. Leamington "Spa has grown significantly in recent years to become one of the major hubs of the UK’s creative and digital industries," writes the studio. Two releases are scheduled for 2026: Forza Horizon 6 on 19 May and Fable in autumn.

Forza Horizon 6 launches on 19 May 2026, priced at €69.99, for PC (Steam and Xbox) and Xbox Series X|S. The game will also be available via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. A version for the PlayStation 5 is expected to be released later this year. According to Alinea Analytics, the previous game sold almost five million copies on the PlayStation console within ten months.

Those who purchased the €120 Premium Edition have, by the way, been able to play four days early, since 15 May. Thousands of players on Steam have already taken advantage of this by purchasing this edition. According to SteamDB, the peak number of concurrent players during this Advanced Access period was 181,775. This is the second-highest CCU figure ever recorded for a Microsoft/Xbox game on the platform, behind only Halo Infinite, which was free-to-play (multiplayer).

The Forza Horizon 6 Deluxe Edition is priced at €99.99. This includes the Car Pass and the Welcome Pack, which contains five special pre-tuned cars and a Car Voucher. The Premium Edition (€119.99) includes all of the above, as well as the two planned expansions (like the latest Forza Horizon games, which each received two expansions), VIP Membership, the Time Attack Car Pack, the Italy Passion Car Pack and the Welcome Pack. VIP Membership grants access to additional Horizon Festival rewards, including a 2x credit boost for race rewards, three VIP-exclusive Forza Edition cars, a weekly Super Wheelspin bonus, and special vanity items such as the Crown Flair, Emote and Car Horn. The Car Pass delivers 30 new cars, which will be added to the player's garage one by one each week, starting on 19 May. Additional content, including (but not limited to) Car Packs, is not included in the Deluxe or Premium Editions or the Premium Upgrade. Cars featured in any other DLC Car Packs are not included with the VIP membership or Car Pass.

Conclusion

Visually stunning, technically outstanding and smooth to control, Forza Horizon 6 is a racing game packed with vehicles and racing modes in a fantastic game world that invites you to explore and linger. The only thing it lacks is a touch of fresh creativity.

Features

• Excellent arcade racing game with great handling and plenty of driving and accessibility options.
• Huge, detailed open-world game environment with countless events
• Outstanding visuals and smooth frame rate; great radio stations