Forza Horizon 6: Japan, a Giant Tokyo and a 91 From the Critics
Fans asked for Japan for years. Playground Games delivered a stylised Tokyo five times bigger than any Horizon city, a 91 on OpenCritic and Steam records. Here is what makes Forza Horizon 6 special, and when PS5 gets it.
For years, the most common answer to "where should the next Forza Horizon go?" was the same one: Japan. The country that gave the world drifting, mountain-pass racing and a car culture celebrated in countless films and anime was the obvious stage. With Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games finally went there.
The game launched on May 19, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with early access for Premium Edition owners from May 15. It scored 90 on Metacritic and 91 on OpenCritic, where 100% of critics recommend it. IGN gave it 10/10. A PS5 version arrives on January 26, 2027.
A fictional Japan built for driving
Like earlier Horizon games, FH6 does not recreate its country one-to-one. It is a fictionalised Japan, with a stylised Tokyo as its main city. The capital has downtown neon streets, quiet suburbs and industrial docklands, plus named landmarks including Shibuya Crossing, Ginko Avenue and Tokyo Tower.
Tokyo is five times larger than the urban areas of previous Horizon games, and the whole map is the biggest in the franchise. Outside the city are mountain roads, open fields and a rural property called the Estate. Seasons change the landscape, with cherry blossoms in spring and snow in winter.
Cars, garages and a 72-player mode
FH6 launched with more than 550 cars. Players can store vehicles in eight garages around the map, which double as fast-travel points. The Eliminator battle royale mode now supports up to 72 players, and earning the gold wristband unlocks a special area called Legend Island.
It is also the first Forza Horizon made only for current-generation hardware. On Xbox Series X, Quality mode runs at native 4K at 30fps, while Performance mode targets 60fps at a dynamic resolution between 1620p and 2160p.
Records on Steam and Game Pass
FH6 was available on day one through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but it still sold strongly on Steam. About a month before launch, it had more than 500,000 Steam pre-orders, worth nearly $30 million.
Then the player numbers arrived:
- 172,093 concurrent Steam players during early access, a franchise record and more than double Forza Horizon 5's peak
- 6 million players by May 21, 2026
- more than 300,000 concurrent players on Steam by May 24, the 52nd-highest peak in Steam history
Not every story was positive. Days before launch, a 155 GB Steam pre-load was accidentally left unencrypted, and pirates cracked and shared the files. And critics at PC Gamer and GamesRadar+ were less impressed by the cutscene dialogue and story.
The PS5 version
The PS5 port is being handled by Panic Button, with Standard and Deluxe editions on January 26, 2027 and early access for Premium owners from January 21. Microsoft also stopped supporting Forza Motorsport (2023) in December 2025 so that Turn 10 could focus on helping with FH6, a sign of how central the game is to Xbox's plans.
Why it matters
Xbox had a difficult 2025-26, with studio changes and price rises, but Forza Horizon 6 is a reminder of what its studios do best. It is the best-reviewed game Microsoft released in 2026, and one of the highest-rated games of the year.
WGC's take: this is the most polished open-world racer ever made, and Japan was worth the wait. If you have Game Pass, start it tonight; if you are on PS5, January is not far off. See where it sits among the year's best in our 2026 AAA year so far.