Forza Horizon 6 Brings Japan, 550+ Cars, and Big Changes

Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to be one of 2026’s biggest racing game launches and a true next-gen celebration of open-world driving that pushes the series forward in both scale and style. Playground Games and Xbox Game Studios have confirmed an official May 19, 2026 release for Xbox Series X/S and PC, with early access beginning May 15 for Premium Edition owners and a PlayStation 5 release planned later in the year.

This isn’t just another numbered sequel, it’s a major evolution. For the first time, the Horizon Festival heads to Japan, one of the most requested settings in franchise history, opening up a map larger and more diverse than anything Forza Horizon has offered before. Beyond the release logistics, this article breaks down what players can expect from gameplay, features, cars, editions, and how Forza Horizon 6 compares to its predecessors.

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Release Date & Platform Details

At long last, the Forza Horizon 6 official release date is confirmed for May 19, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Premium Edition preorders granting early access starting May 15, 2026.

The game will later launch on PlayStation 5 sometime in 2026, though a specific date hasn’t been announced yet. For Game Pass subscribers, Forza Horizon 6 is expected to be available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from launch, making it accessible day one for members.

This release timing puts Forza Horizon 6 in a strong early-summer spot, giving it room to shine before other major 2026 titles arrive.

Forza Horizon 6 Finally Goes To Japan

Forza Horizon 6 takes the Horizon Festival to Japan, a location fans have requested for years thanks to its deep car culture and wildly varied geography. From neon-soaked city streets inspired by Tokyo to quiet countryside roads, Japan offers a contrast-rich setting that feels tailor-made for Horizon’s mix of high-speed racing and scenic cruising. Playground Games has described this as their most diverse map to date, designed to support multiple driving styles within a single open world.

The environment blends dense urban districts, coastal highways, mountainous touge routes, and expansive rural zones near landmarks like Mount Fuji. These regions aren’t just visually distinct, rather they directly influence gameplay. Tight city streets reward technical handling, mountain passes emphasize drifting skill and elevation control, while long coastal roads open up space for top-speed builds and cinematic races.

Dynamic weather and seasonal shifts further shape how Japan feels moment to moment. Rain-soaked streets amplify reflections and traction challenges, while clear skies showcase the landscape’s scale and verticality. The map’s layered design also encourages exploration, with elevated highways, tunnels, hidden mountain roads, and scenic overlooks giving players reasons to roam beyond marked events.

By choosing Japan, Forza Horizon 6 leans fully into the culture that helped define modern car enthusiasm. Like drifting, tuning, night racing, and community meets. It’s a setting that naturally supports Horizon’s identity, making the festival feel less like a backdrop and more like a living, breathing car playground built around speed, style, and self-expression.

Cars, Customization & Gameplay Features

Massive Car Roster

Forza Horizon 6 will launch with over 550 real-world cars, the highest car count at launch in the series’ history. This includes a mix of fan favorites and new arrivals. With notable cover vehicles like the 2025 Toyota GR GT Prototype and the Toyota Land Cruiser 250.

Expanded Customization

New customization options take player expression even further. Players will be able to decorate and customize more than just cars. Such as garages and houses across Japan, download and share community-created garage layouts, apply Forza Aero and new body kits on select cars, and even paint liveries on windows. Might not sound like much but it has been one of the most highly requested features.

These help players build a unique identity and show off their cars in ways that feels more personal and social.

Open World & Multiplayer

Forza Horizon 6 significantly expands how players interact with both the world and each other. This makes the shared open map feel more alive and persistent than ever before. Rather than treating multiplayer as a separate mode, the game blends solo and social play directly into the open world. Allowing players to seamlessly transition between cruising, racing, and community-driven activities without constant menu hopping.

Car Meets

Car Meets are now fully integrated into the world itself, appearing organically across Japan’s cities, highways, and scenic locations. Players can roll up, show off builds, challenge others to impromptu races, or simply hang out without loading into isolated lobbies. This design shift makes social interaction feel natural rather than scheduled, reinforcing the Horizon Festival vibe as an ongoing, living event.

Competitive Activities

Competitive activities also feel more connected to the environment. Drag Meets, Time Attack circuits, and global leaderboards exist as persistent challenges that players can engage with at any time. Whether you’re testing a top-speed build on a coastal stretch or chasing lap records on a mountain pass, competition is woven directly into exploration instead of being locked behind event screens.

Building & Event Creation

One of the most intriguing additions is multiplayer building support. Using EventLab and Horizon CoLab tools, players can collaboratively create events directly in the open world. Custom races, challenges, and experiences can be built anywhere in Japan and shared instantly. Blending creativity with competitive gameplay in a way the series hasn’t fully explored before.

Overall, Forza Horizon 6’s approach to open-world multiplayer emphasizes freedom and flow. You’re never forced to “enter” multiplayer. You’re simply part of it. Sharing the road with others in a way that keeps the world feeling dynamic, social, and constantly in motion.

Forza Horizon 6 Driving Physics & Handling Changes

Driving feel is where Horizon sequels often make their most meaningful improvements. And Forza Horizon 6 is expected to refine this balance further. Community feedback from Forza Horizon 5 points toward a desire for smoother traction loss, better mid-corner feedback, and more predictable recovery when pushing cars to their limits.

Drifting is a key area of focus. Horizon thrives on drift culture, and FH6 has the opportunity to make angle control feel more deliberate and skill-driven rather than overly assist-dependent. At the same time, driving assists remain fully customizable, ensuring accessibility for newer players.

Wheel support and force feedback are also expected to improve. Narrowing the gap between controller and wheel experiences and making competitive or long-session play more satisfying.

Forza Horizon 6 Editions & Pre-Order Bonuses

Forza Horizon 6 will launch with multiple editions tailored to different playstyles. The Standard Edition includes the base game on May 19, 2026. The Deluxe Edition adds a welcome pack and car pass on launch day. The Premium Edition includes early access starting May 15, VIP Membership, multiple car packs, and future DLC access.

Preorders also grant exclusive bonuses, including a pre-tuned Ferrari J50 added to your garage at launch.

Forza Horizon 6 System Requirements & Performance Expectations

Official PC system requirements for Forza Horizon 6 haven’t been fully published yet. But Playground Games’ recent release patterns give a strong baseline for what players should expect. Like Forza Horizon 5, the game is clearly aiming for smooth performance across a wide range of hardware. Prioritizing optimization over extreme system demands.

On PC, Forza Horizon 6 is expected to target 60 FPS as a baseline experience. With higher-end systems capable of pushing 120 FPS depending on resolution and settings. SSD storage will almost certainly be recommended (if not required) to support faster world streaming, shorter load times, and denser environments, especially with a more vertically layered Japan map.

On consoles, the familiar split between Performance Mode and Quality Mode is likely returning. Performance Mode should focus on 60 FPS gameplay, while Quality Mode emphasizes lighting, reflections, and environmental detail. Ray tracing, if present again, is expected to remain limited to garages and showcase moments rather than full open-world driving.

Community Buzz & Expectations

Since the official reveal, Forza Horizon 6 has sparked heavy discussion across Reddit, YouTube, and racing game communities. Many players are excited about the long-awaited Japan setting and expanded world. Though others are cautiously optimistic, hoping for meaningful gameplay evolution rather than surface-level changes.

The overall sentiment blends hype with healthy skepticism. Fans wait to see how the new features translate once hands-on impressions arrive.

Forza Horizon 6 looks poised to push the franchise into a new era. With a massive Japan map, record-breaking car roster, deeper customization, social world features, and expanded creative tools, it offers something for both casual cruisers and competitive drivers.

Whether you enjoy high-speed racing, scenic exploration, car culture, or building custom events, Forza Horizon 6 aims to make the Horizon Festival feel bigger, more connected, and more personal than ever.

If you’re planning to jump into Forza Horizon 6 on PC or gearing up for other big racing releases this year, it helps to have your wallet ready ahead of time. You can top up Steam gift cards on Joytify to stay flexible with purchases, DLC, and future expansions without scrambling at launch.