Forza Horizon 6 Everything We Know About the Japan-Bound Horizon Festival Alessio Palumbo • at EDT Updated At a Glance In Development Developers: Playground Games Publishers: Xbox Game Studios Franchise: Forza Horizon Platforms: PC, Xbox Series S and X (PlayStation 5 version coming later) Genres: open world racing, Racing Initial Release: Game Rating N/A Awaiting Release Forza Horizon 6 brings back the Horizon Festival to racing game fans nearly five years after the previous installment. It's by far the longest time between releases in the open world racing franchise, but it was not borne out of any sort of issues; on the contrary, Playground Games has focused until recently on continuous updates for Forza Horizon 5, which received unanimous acclaim and incredible commercial success, even on PlayStation 5 when it launched on Sony's console. Initially conceived as a more relaxed, fun-focused spin-off of Turn 10's racing simulation series, Forza Motorsport, Forza Horizon grew with each game to become the most popular racing IP on the market and the recipient of numerous awards. Meanwhile, Forza Motorsport suffered the exact opposite trajectory, and nowadays, Turn 10 is believed to be essentially a Forza Horizon support studio. It won't be easy to top the already lofty achievements reached by the previous entry, but the development team is certainly trying hard, and the game's setting is one fans have long yearned to visit. Release Date, Platforms, Pricing Genre and Setting Gameplay Features and Mechanics Tech and Specs Release Date, Platforms, Pricing Following a rumor shared in August 2025, Forza Horizon 6 was revealed during last year's Tokyo Game Show on September 25, 2025, with a teaser trailer that confirmed the rumored Japanese setting. The first proper gameplay showcase aired during the Xbox Developer Direct on January 22, 2026, when the studio also announced the game's release date (which had previously leaked through an in-game ad in Forza Horizon 5). The game launches on PC (Steam and Microsoft Store) and Xbox Series S|X on , though Premium Edition players get a four-day head start with Early Access beginning May 15. A PlayStation 5 version is confirmed and will be released later in 2026, again as predicted by rumors. No specific date has been set yet. Forza Horizon 6 is available in three editions: Standard Edition: priced at $69.99, it includes the base game. Deluxe Edition: priced at $99.99, it features the base game + Car Pass + Welcome Pack Premium Edition: priced at $119.99, it provides access to the base game + Car Pass + Welcome Pack + Expansions 1 & 2 + VIP Membership + Time Attack and Italian Passion Car Packs As with all first-party Xbox games, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers receive the Standard Edition at no additional cost from launch day. All editions include a custom pre-tuned Ferrari J50 as a pre-order bonus. Add-Ons The Car Pass, included in Deluxe and Premium, is also available separately for $29.99. It gives you 30 additional cars delivered weekly post-launch, one per week. The full lineup hasn't been revealed yet. The Welcome Pack, also included in Deluxe and Premium, will give you 5 pre-tuned cars (specific models TBA), 1 Car Voucher (valid for any Autoshow car), 3 Clothing Vouchers, and a free Player House. The Italian Passion Car Pack is only included with the Premium edition, though it can also be bought separately (pricing TBA). With this pack, you get the following four classic Italian cars: 2025 Ferrari F80, 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 Spider, 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm, and 1990 Alfa Romeo SE 048SP. The Time Attack Car Pack (also available with the Premium edition or for separate purchase) includes 8 cars, all real-world World Time Attack Challenge competition vehicles: 1990 Honda #19 CRX WTAC 1992 Honda #21 Hardrace/JDMYard Civic WTAC 2001 Honda #33 BYP Racing Integra WTAC 2004 Honda #52 Evasive Motorsports S2000 WTAC 1990 Mitsubishi #269 Attacking the Clock Racing Minicab Time Attack 1993 Nissan #32 Skyline WTAC 'Xtreme GTR' 2000 Nissan #36 Silvia WTAC 1995 Toyota J&J Motorsport Supra WTAC Lastly, the Premium-only VIP Membership includes 3 exclusive Forza Edition cars (the Dodge Viper GTS ACR Forza Edition is confirmed to be one of them), 2x credits on all race earnings, a weekly Super Wheelspin, an exclusive Tokyo City Player House, a Crown Flair, an emote, and an exclusive car horn. Genre and Setting Japan is the franchise's most requested setting by fans, and Playground Games appears to have taken that responsibility seriously, building what they describe as the largest and most vertically layered map in the series' history. The open world, which the developers are positive will "blow away fans", is structured along an altitude axis, with Tokyo City anchoring the south and the Japan Alps dominating the north, and five distinct biomes filling the space between: Japan Alps — the highest point on the map, with permanent snow, a functional ski resort complete with working chair lifts, and an interpretation of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, famous for its towering walls of snow Highlands — inspired by Japan's Venus Line scenic road, featuring rolling hills and large fields of Suzuki grass Low Mountains — a transitional biome bridging regions Plains — open flatlands Coast — home to one of the game's signature new events The crown jewel, however, is Tokyo City, which is so massive and complex that Playground Games split the studio into two separate world-building teams: one dedicated solely to the city and the other to the rest of the map. At five times the size of Guanajuato (the largest city in Forza Horizon 5), Tokyo is divided into four districts: quiet suburbs with bike lanes and school roads; a dense downtown defined by tight 90-degree turns and narrow alleyways filled with Horizon Festival branding; and two further zones that together create an urban experience unlike anything the series has previously attempted. Players can own up to eight garages across the map, each serving as a fast travel point. The Welcome Pack and VIP Membership each grant a free house at launch, while additional properties can be purchased throughout the game. Unlike previous titles, this time players will start out as tourists and must work their way up to qualify for the Horizon Festival, rising through its ranks as they do so. Gameplay Features and Mechanics Forza Horizon 6 launches with over 550 cars, more than Forza Horizon 5's initial count of just over 500, and introduces a brand new R Class specifically built for track-focused vehicles. So far, 124 cars are confirmed and listed on this page of the official website. As of late March 2026, Playground Games has been steadily revealing cars, with recent confirmations including the Peel P50 Trolli Edition, Hyundai N Vision 74, Nissan Safari Turbo, Nissan Figaro, Nissan Silvia K's, 1995 Nissan Gloria Gran Turismo, 1994 Subaru Vivio RX-R, and Pagani Huayra BC Coupe, among others. Some of these are franchise newcomers making their Forza debut, while others are returning favourites from earlier entries. A notable number of returning models have also been rebuilt from scratch, with the BMW M3 E30, Nissan Skyline GT-R R32, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, and Nissan Silvia Spec-R highlighted as standouts that received significant accuracy improvements over their previous Forza incarnations. Seasonal Changes Full seasonal transformations are back, inspired directly by Forza Horizon 4's beloved system and explicitly designed to go further than Forza Horizon 5's relatively mild weather tweaks. Japan's real-world 72 micro-seasons served as the artistic reference for Art Director Don Arceta and his team, who compressed them into the four main seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, which will feature dramatically distinct foliage, weather, soundscapes, and terrain transformations. Open-World Events: Time Attack, Drag Racing,...
