Playground Games has finally given us a look at Forza Horizon 6, after a short announcement teaser in September 2025. During today’s Developer_Direct, the game showed off plenty of gameplay and the different environments of Japan that have been meticulously remade to capture what it’s like to drive on Japan’s streets. As someone who grew up a car enthusiast and spent decades in the industry, traveling to Japan each year for Tokyo Auto Salon, I can’t wait to get my hands on Forza Horizon 6.
The game will be a bit different from previous entries, as players will start the game as a tourist and not a professional driver. That means a fresh start and aspiring to reach that goal of attending the Horizon Festival in Japan. There’s going to be a wide variety of racing, too, since players will travel from mountain vistas and passes to neon-soaked city plazas. Playground Games wanted to make it clear that its goal wasn’t to accurately recreate Japan’s roads and spaces, but to capture the essence in a smoother, condensed reality. There are some iconic areas, though, including Shibuya Crossing, Ginkgo Avenue, and Tokyo Tower, that will be instantly recognizable.
New to the series is the Collection Journal, a feature inspired by Japan’s rich stamp collecting history. This new feature allows players to build a digital collection of mementos discovered throughout Japan. Along with adding a new level of value to exploring Japan in Forza Horizon 6, it’s customizable, as players can take photos and save them in their journal to reflect their unique journey.
Like other games in the franchise, Forza Horizon 6 will have eight player houses that can be unlocked throughout the region. Along with serving as fast travel points, players can customize these spaces, and each one comes with garages so they can decorate them and display several vehicles. What is new is The Estate, which is a much larger piece of land that players can acquire. There, they can basically build whatever they’d like, and the concept is grounded in an idea called Akiya, which refers to abandoned property in rural Japan This flat area of land is extremely customizable, letting players build anything from a mountain hideaway to a personalized track.
For those who have ever visited Japan and explored its world of car culture, you’ll know car meets are very special in the region. Forza Horizon 6 introduces Car Meets, inspired by the Daikoku car meet. Designed to be a spontaneous meeting place, there aren’t any official events or entry requirements. There will be three locations where permanent Car Meets take place: The Horizon Festival, The Alps at the Okuibuki parking area, and of course, Daikoku itself. It’s a social space where players can hang out, share builds, download custom paint jobs, and more.
Of course, at the center of it all are the cars. Forza Horizon 6 will launch with around 550 cars, including the new cover cars, the 2025 GR GT Prototype and the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.
Forza Horizon 6 releases on May 19, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, Steam, and with Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox did confirm it will come to PlayStation 5 later in 2026. The game is available to preorder starting today, and Early Access for Premium Edition players starts May 15.
