| Forza Horizon 6 | |
| Developer(s) | Playground Games, Turn 10 Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Game Studios |
| Platform(s) | Windows (via Steam) |
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Engine | ForzaTech |
| Predecessor | Forza Horizon 5 |
| Release Date(s) | November 2nd, 2025 (Xbox Series X/S) November 4th, 2025 (Windows) |
| Storage Needed | ~230-270 GB |
| Cost | $69.99 (Standard) to $119.99 (GOTY Edition) |
Leaked cover art of Forza Horizon 6 that was revealed in July of 2025. The leak was proven to be valid, as it became an alternate cover of the game. It shows a 2018 Apollo Intensa Emozione racing along a road padded with cherry blossom leaves with Mount Fuji in the background.
Forza Horizon 6 is a 2025 racing video game developed by Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. As the sequel to Forza Horizon 5, it is the sixth Forza Horizon title and fourteenth main installment in the Forza series. The game is set in a fictional representation of Japan, specifically located in representations of the Kantō, Chūbu, and Kansai regions. It was released on November 2nd, 2025, for the Xbox Series X/S and November 4th for Windows (via Steam).
Widely anticipated for its location, map, and variety of features, it amassed a massive player base, accumulating around 8 million players in its first three days, and around 20 million in its first week, making it the fastest-launching Xbox Game Studios game, a record held by its predecessor. As of January 2027, it has a player base of around 60 million players, making it one of the most popular racing games of all time.
Forza Horizon 6 received universal acclaim and has been frequently cited as a gold standard for racing games and as one of the greatest games of all time, with praise directed towards its gameplay, graphics, multiplayer experience, soundtrack, and story. It won multiple awards in the Game Awards 2025, including Game of the Year, becoming the first racing videogame to do so.
Gameplay[]
Overall[]
Forza Horizon 6 is an open-world racing game that takes place in a fictional representation of Japan, specifically its Kantō, Chūbu, and Kansai regions. Its map is the largest in the series, over twice as large as Forza Horizon 5's map with an area of around 210 to 220 square miles. The map features fictional representations of Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Mount Fuji (which features the highest point in the Forza series so far), rural towns, and other massive mountains throughout the map. Players can explore the open world freely, although there are options to play multiplayer or participate in the campaign. Like its predecessor, players are able to extensively customize their cars by adding liveries or customizing the car's look and feel. The game is the first to introduce ray tracing in gameplay (Forza Horizon 5 introduced it first, but only in Forzavista). Four-season weather patterns (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) return with a resemblance to Forza Horizon 4's weather cycle, except in this game, these seasonal changes are progressive. For example: in the winter season, at first, all lakes would turn into ice and leaves disappear from trees completely. But by the end of it, most of the ice would have melted and leaves start appearing again as it transitions to spring. In the summer season, at first, leaves are fully green, rainfall is common and is usually strong; and the environment becomes humid and wet. But by the end of the season, rainfall becomes less common, the environment becomes more arid, and leaves start turning orange as it transitions to autumn/fall. Seasons change every Thursday at 2:30 P.M. GMT (10:30 A.M. EST).
Horizon Arcade, a set of minigames that have randomly rotating types, returns in Forza Horizon 6. Some minigames have a rare chance to have arcade-inspired touches and challenges to them, such as one in the Air type where instead of the bullseye ring that normally appears, Space Invaders aliens take their place and set traps that you have to avoid en route to them to avoid losing time.
A new multiplayer mode that debuts in Forza Horizon 6 is Pursuit, which is a cops-and-robbers multiplayer game mode with two teams, Authority (Cops) and Rebellion (Robbers). A new free-for-all multiplayer mode, Speedrunning Stories, revolves around players competing to finish a series of three randomly chosen chapters of various Horizon Stories as fast as possible. Each event has a car ranking restriction that ranges from A class (701-800) to S2 class (901-998).
A new festival outpost, the Horizon Drift Outpost, is a touge drifting outpost whose races have the goal of either scoring the highest amount of drift points in a single race or to reach a drift point requirement first. Its main color is yellow.
The Eliminator returns in Forza Horizon 6. Players now start with a 1984 Toyota Trueno GT-APEX rather than the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. Like Forza Horizon 5, the map was designed with The Eliminator in mind. However, it was made more fair through the city's compression and the reduced leniency with "drag racing" due to the more hilly and elevated landscape. Just like last game, the player can buy houses that are scattered all over the map from small, humble homes, to the enormous Tokyo Lux, giving out rewards such as exclusive Horizon Stories, Wheelspins, and Fast Travel. Players can now interact with their homes, which may lead to accumulation of minimal amounts of credits (~1,000 to 3,000 CR). The game features over 1,200 licensed cars, the most out of any Forza game in launch day.
The Festival Playlist returns in Forza Horizon 6. The Playlist tracks the player's progress through a specific catalog of events ranging from championships, which are a set of three random races of the same type to #Forzathon, a series of miniature daily challenges that can be done easily. Each season has a set of rewards that are obtained via Forzathon points, which are obtained via the aforementioned events. They can range from cars to special currency such as Forzathon Points. Those aforementioned points are used to buy items in the Forzathon Shop, which is also located in the Playlist. Every time it appears, it always offers two cars, a horn, a piece of clothing, a Wheelspin, a Super Wheelspin, and an emote. The playlist cycles along with the seasons every Thursday at 2:30 P.M. GMT (10:30 A.M. EST).
Expansions[]
An expansion, Metropolis Mayhem, released on July 16th, 2026. The expansion is set in a fictional representation of the city-state of Singapore. The festival area is compressed to around 75 square miles and features street racing, road racing, drift racing, and portions of offroad and rally racing. The story follows the player operating a newly founded Horizon Festival in Singapore, with the goal of growing it to attract more fans while meeting new faces along the way. Exclusive to the expansion are a series of roads called Magnetars, anti-gravity roads that operate similarly to Forza Horizon 5's magnet tracks from its Hot Wheels expansion. They are used to travel to higher points of the city or to its other miscellaneous parts. Only eight of these Magnetars exist in the expansion. Another expansion is set to partner with Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise and is set to release around Holiday 2027.
Features[]
Horizon Festival Japan[]
Horizon Festival Japan is a lively place that never sleeps. Players are greeted with the bustling nightlife and car culture of Japan, thousands of cars to choose from, and multiple other activities that rely on the street scene of Japan, such as multiplayer racing, Pursuit, and more.
Japan[]
Set in Japan, players can witness the never-ending street scene of the country as well as its liveliness. Players can navigate through the culture-filled Tokyo, the videogame-based streets of Kyoto, climb Mount Fuji, and drift around mountains in the Japan-tailored Street Scene.
Player Houses[]
Just like last game, there are multiple player houses around Japan. A player may receive a player house through doing specific events in the campaign, such as showcase events, doing a certain number of overall races, or even just finishing the tutorial. There are eight player houses around Horizon Festival Japan.
Base Game[]
| Name | Location | Description | Cost | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Outskirts | Three in-game miles west of Tokyo | "A nice, cozy house to live in that's close to Tokyo. Perfect for starting your Horizon Adventure!" | 0 CR (Free) | 2 Wheelspins
2025 Nissan Z (A; 703) |
| Gamer's Residence | Next to the Kyoto Game Zone (In-game park where game-based obstacles reside) | "Enjoy the incessant sounds of videogames while you relax next to the Game Zone (If that's what you're into)." | 200,000 CR | 2 Super Wheelspins
Unlocks Horizon Story: Highscore Chasers "Arcade Sounds" Car Horn |
| Fuji Cabin | Two in-game miles south of Mount Fuji's peak | "Relax atop Mount Fuji's decline as you bask in the gorgeous views ahead. Be careful, though, you never know when it may erupt..." | 1,500,000 CR | Horizon Promo Unlocked 1 Super Wheelspin
Activates Barn Find Rumor for the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle |
| Tokyo Lux | Downtown Tokyo | "Live like a king/queen in this luxurious heaven in the core of Tokyo with close proximity to the bay and the Skytree!" | 15,000,000 CR | 4 Super Wheelspins
Toyota Trueno GT-APEX FE (S1 900) |
| Cozy Coastline | Toyama Coastline | "This place is ideal for an innocent, stress-free getaway from all of the hustle and bustle of Japan's metropolis." | 800,000 CR | Skill Songs Activated 5 Wheelspins
100 Forzathon Points |
| Summit Sights | Japanese mountainside; Five in-game miles away from Gifu | "Breathtaking views from this cabin define it and make it famous around the country; you're lucky you got here when nobody occupied it." | 2,500,000 CR | Double Forzathon Points Perk
Fast Travel Perk 3 Super Wheelspins |
| Getaway Paradise | Chiba Coastine; four in-game miles away from Tokyo | "A great place to relax and forget about all the worries of the world." | 400,000 CR | 1992 Honda NSX-R (B; 689)
1 Super Wheelspin "Just Chilling." Forza Link |
| Country Club Residence | 0.5 miles away from the Yokohama Country Club | "A nice home for living with a nearby golf course to have fun in. Now isn't that just nice. | 500,000 CR | "Golf Swinging" Emote 2 Super Wheelspins
"FORE!" Forza Link |
Metropolis Mayhem[]
Only three player houses are present in the DLC expansion Metropolis Mayhem. The player houses unlock as you progress through the expansion as listed in the table below from top to bottom.
| Name | Location | Description | Price | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town Square | Outskirts of Singapore | "This cozy home will provide you with everything you need to begin your Horizon adventure in Singapore!" | Free | 1 Super Wheelspin |
| Green Outskirts | Singapore Countryside; one mile from the Singapore metropolis | "An innocent little place to get away from all of the hustle and bustle of Singapore." | 500,000 CR | 2 Wheelspins
2025 Rivian R1T |
| Downtown Paradise | Downtown Singapore; close proximity to the Marina Bay Sands | "The best of all Singaporean apartments, Downtown Paradise offers a luxurious experience unlike any other with nearby tourist destinations scattered all over the place." | 7,000,000 CR | 5 Super Wheelspins
2025 Suzuki Grand Vitara |
Horizon Story[]
A series of challenges and events that will determine the player's Horizon Story. Start as the "Prodigy" who is new to the festival and rise up the ranks to become the next Horizon Champion, all while racing with some of the world's greatest automotives in vibrant environments such as the streets of Tokyo, the hyperactivity of Kyoto, and the treacherous roads of Japan's mountains. Businesses return in this game.
| Name | Description | Chapters | Business? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Heroes 2.0 | "The Impossible Upgrade Service returns to assist Japan in their tuning." | 10 | Yes | Returning story from Forza Horizon 4 (Upgrade Heroes) |
| Tofu Delivery Service | "We deliver tofu with style. Don't mind if it's messy, our stunts DEFINETLY compensate for that." | 10 | Yes | N/A |
| Car Critics | "Reviewing cars around Japan in a fast, fun way since the inception of Horizon Festival Japan." | 10 | No | N/A |
| Highscore Chasers | "Records are meant to be broken! Let's take some down!" | 10 | No | Story is unlocked via the player house Gamer's Residence |
| Born Ready | "We're back! Ready to race against us again?" | 10 | No | Returning Story from Forza Horizon 5 (Born Fast) |
| Tuned Up Rentals | 'We reuse cars for the power and the culture!" | 10 | Yes | Features and expands on a unique, story-based tuning mode that was first featured in Forza Horizon 5's Donut cameo story. |
| Speedway Savants | "Resolving the issue of street racing -- one racetrack at a time." | 10 | Yes | N/A |
| Drift Club Japan | "Konichiwa! Let's drift now, shall we?" | 10 | No | Fourth story in a series of stories featuring Robert Glenn's Drift Club. |
Bosses[]
Bosses make a return in the form of other racers that you race against through progressively later points in the game, which is the first time that bosses of this type appear since the first Forza Horizon. They are special races that the player must complete to continue rising up the ranks in the Horizon Festival, unlocking new race events and cars until the conclusion with the champion, Hamashida as well as the secret boss Takumi.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay to these bosses is similar to regular races, except you have to get first place instead of the top three, as the boss will always have better AI than the other opponents, thus resulting in them always being the leader until you pass or outscore them.
Road, Street, Dirt, and Offroad Racing[]
All of them are the same event wise: you need to get first place instead of just the top three to advance, beating the boss in the process.
Drift Racing[]
Drift Racing events work differently. You need to outscore the boss and its opponents via drifting as much and as efficiently as you can under a time limit. Once again, you need to get first place instead of the top three.
List of Bosses[]
| Name | Car | Biography/Description | Event Type | Restriction | Reward After Defeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiera (Tutorial) | 1998 Toyota Supra | The operator of the festival. She'll be here to direct you on how bosses work and give you tips on how to beat them. | Road | B - Open | 40,000 CR
1998 Toyota Supra 7 New Racing Events for each type (except Drift) |
| Yomohada | 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X GSR | A dirt-racing prodigy of Horizon Festival Japan. He aims to qualify for Rally Japan and has resorted to the Festival to show his skills. Can you take this dirt beast down? | Dirt | B - Open | 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X GSR
100,000 CR 3 New Racing Events for each type. |
| Hiroko | 2025 Nissan Z | A road racing superstar in the Horizon Festival. Her rapid and versatile Nissan Z is a fear factor and stopping point to most Horizon Festival prodigies. Can you outpace her? | Road | A - Open | 2025 Nissan Z
200,000 CR 3 New Racing Events for each type |
| Nakati | #240 Jimco TT | A Baja superstar in the Horizon Festival. Nicknamed "The Dragon" for his powerful racing style (and his Jimco TT), he is regarded as one of the all-time greats of Horizon Japan's Baja racing scene. Beat him, and you shall be renowned as a Baja legend. | Offroad | A - Open | #240 Jimco TT
400,000 CR 4 New Racing Events for each type |
| Parry Flynt | 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR | The son of Darius Flynt. He is an avid street racer who was trained by his father and also wants to be just like him. Can you take the son of the former GOAT of the Horizon Festival down? | Street | S1 - Open | 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR
600,000 CR 5 New Racing Events for each type |
| Famadi | 2023 Nissan Skyline | Famadi strives to be the best drifter in all of Japan. His flashy, creative drifting style is renowned by the country, making him a fan favorite to drifters around Japan. Beat this rising star, and you'll be crowned as a drifting legend yourself. | Drift | S1 - Open | 2023 Nissan Skyline
800,000 CR 5 New Racing Events for each type "DRIIIIFT!!!" Forza Link |
| Hamashida (Final Boss) | 2025 Nissan GT-R Nismo | The Tokyo Festival Champion. He makes sure that no one is safe from his wrath using his swift movements and high speed. Take him down, and you won't be a prodigy anymore. | Street | S2 - Open | 2025 Nissan GT-R Nismo
1,000,000 CR "Horizon Champ, coming through!" Forza Link |
| Takumi (Secret Boss) | 1986 Toyota Trueno AE86 | Omae wa mou shinderu. | Street | S1 - Open | 1986 Toyota Trueno AE86
2,000,000 CR "*Eurobeat Intensifies*" Horizon Link |
Music[]
Forza Horizon 6 features the same radio stations as Forza Horizon 5 with the exceptions being the absence of Horizon Mixtape and Epitaph; and the addition of a new radio station called Horizon Eurobeatz, which features Eurobeat music from artists such as Manuel and MOTSU. Some notable additions to the soundtrack include Anna Yvette - Red Line (Horizon Wave), Teriyaki Boyz: Tokyo Drift (Horizon Block Party), and Maurizio De Jorio - Running in the 90's (Horizon Eurobeatz).
Forza Horizon 6 breaks the tradition of most songs being comprised of those from the year the game released (or a few years prior), and therefore has songs from multiple years, from as recent as the 2020s to as old as the early 2010s. It features 240 songs from eight radio stations.
Development[]
The Rainbow Bridge (shown) and Downtown Tokyo (not shown) were two of the many main settings for races in Forza Horizon 6.
Development of Forza Horizon 6 reportedly began after December 2021. Playground Games's goal was to create a Forza Horizon game that was as lively as the first few installments, while still retaining some of the current aspects of modern Forza, such as the multiple festival outposts. They picked Japan due to its lively street scene and vibrant nightlife as well as its beautiful landscapes and mountain ranges. During development, they also committed to pushing the Xbox Series X/S to its absolute limit, thus promptly scrapping any idea of an Xbox One version. Due to this, they made the map twice as large as before, as well as adding raytracing to gameplay. The drifting culture of Japan also prompted the addition of the brand-new Horizon Drift Outpost. Playground Games decided to use Tokyo's outskirts as the Horizon Festival hub due to its freeway and street system. It, along with its street culture, made it a perfect fit for the main Festival area. They also added the four seasons at this time. The developers also expressed focus on multiplayer variety with the addition of the new Pursuit and Speedrunning Stories game modes.
Due to the upcoming Fable reboot, Playground Games contacted Turn 10 Studios, the production studio of the Forza Motorsport series, to take creative control of Forza Horizon 6 in Early-Mid 2023. Turn 10's run at development lasted from 2023 to 2025, where it went into postproduction on that same May under the permission of Playground Games.
Forza Horizon 6 was revealed on the Xbox Showcase Event at Summer Game Fest 2025 in June 2025, had a trailer and prerelease demo in Tokyo Game Show 2025 in September 2025, and released for the Xbox Series X/S on November 2nd, 2025. It released on Windows two days later.
Unused Marketing Stunt[]
During post-production, there were plans for a marketing stunt that would compete against Rockstar's GTA VI, another highly anticipated game that was planned to release on Fall of 2025, that dated as far back as April 2025. The stunt would focus on the fun that the Horizon Festival could bring onto the table and that it could be more fun than voluntarily degrading the quality of life of your city. Playground Games would expect Rockstar Games to respond with their stunt, which was expected to showcase the thrill of crime and the comparatively stale nature of racing. The stunt's purpose was to bring GTA fans into the world of Forza and demonstrate how it would be better. However, due to Grand Theft Auto VI's delay to May 26th, 2026, the marketing stunt was immediately scrapped. It was planned to begin on September 1st.
Post-release[]
Game of the Year Edition[]
On November 19th, as a response for its nomination at the Game Awards for Game of the Year, a special "Game of the Year Edition" was announced. It is similar to the Premium Version with the exception of the 2025 Nissan Z being in the player's garage upon completing the tutorial with a "Game of the Year" livery on it. It also features all content from the first two seasons and give you 1,000,000 CR to start the game. Unlike the Premium version, the Game of the Year version was not included in any post-release bundles. It released on December 19th, 2025, a week before Christmas and cost $119.99. After its release, sales immediately spiked due to it winning the eponymous award and also through its release during the Christmas season.
Reception[]
Critical[]
Forza Horizon 6 received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic (96/100 rating; best in the Forza series) with most publications citing it as one of the greatest games of all time and as a gold standard for racing games. Fans also cited the game as a massive improvement from its predecessor, with most calling out Geoff Keighley to nominate it for Game of the Year, along with other awards.
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 96/100 (Win.) | 93/100 (XSX/S) |
| Destructioid | 9/10 |
| IGN | 10/10 |
| GameSpot | 10/10 |
Like its predecessor, Forza Horizon 6 won IGN's Game of the Year, narrowly winning against other games such as Ghost of Yōtei and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Awards and Accolades (Game Awards Only)[]
In The Game Awards 2025, Forza Horizon 6 was nominated for eight awards and won five, including the prestigious Game of the Year award, making it the first racing game to do so. It was also the first Forza game to be nominated for the Best Multiplayer and Best Art Direction awards. In The Game Awards 2026, its Metropolis Mayhem expansion won Best Sports/Racing Game and was nominated for Best Art Direction while the base game won Best Community Support.
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The Game Awards 2025 | Game of the Year
Best Game Direction Best Sports/Racing Game Innovation in Accessibility Best Audio Design Best Art Direction Best Multiplayer Game Players' Voice |
Won
Nominated Won Won Won Nominated Nominated Won |
| 2026 | The Game Awards 2026 | Best Sports/Racing Game (via Metropolis Mayhem)
Best Art Direction (via Metropolis Mayhem) Best Community Support |
Won
Nominated Won |