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Forza Horizon

Forza Horizon 6 is out on PC and Xbox Series X|S, with a PS5 version planned for late 2026. The game is set in Japan, has a Metacritic score of 90, and surpassed 10 million players in its first month.

Synthesized from 16 Yomimono stories · updated Aug 6

Forza Horizon 6 launched with early access on May 15 and fully released on May 19, 2026. It is set in Japan, a setting shaped by a cultural advisor hired for the first time in the series. Kyoko Yamashita, a 25-year industry veteran who worked on Final Fantasy VII, spent two and a half years supervising Japanese culture for the game. She joined the project when there was no Japanese staff in the UK studio, and recommended that eight key team members tour Tokyo for about a week, driving in Hakone and using taxis, trains, and the Shinkansen. The goal was a Japan with a sense of daily life, not a postcard view.

The game's map blends Japanese landmarks like Mount Haruna, Hakone Nanamagari, Shibuya Scramble Crossing, and Daikoku PA with festival atmosphere. Players have focused on its visual fidelity, sharing near-photographic headlight details and noticing a Honda City model that includes a Motocompo scooter in its cargo area. The game also drew attention for a save deletion bug that Microsoft and Playground Games investigated, with preventive measures including disabling Quick Resume on Xbox Series X|S. The live-service model runs through Festival Playlist seasons, with weekly reward cars and a Car Pass DLC adding one car per week.

Forza Horizon 6 surpassed 6 million players by May 22 and over 10 million in its first month, with a Metacritic score of 90. It held the number one spot on Steam's Japan sales rankings as of June 1. The Steam version's Premium Upgrade was temporarily removed due to a rights issue with unreleased content, though the Premium Edition remained available. A PS5 release is planned for late 2026.

Key facts

Release date
Early access May 15, full release May 19 ↗
Platforms
PC (Steam and Microsoft Store) and Xbox Series X|S, with PS5 planned for late 2026 ↗
Metacritic score
90 ↗
First-month players
Over 10 million ↗
Cultural advisor
Kyoko Yamashita, first cultural advisor in the series, worked for two and a half years ↗
Setting
Japan, with landmarks like Mount Haruna, Hakone Nanamagari, Shibuya Scramble Crossing, and Daikoku PA ↗
Save deletion bug
Investigated by Microsoft and Playground Games; preventive measures include disabling Quick Resume ↗
Steam Premium Upgrade
Temporarily removed due to a rights issue with unreleased content ↗

Timeline

Written with AI from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself sourced. See our editorial policy. Every fact links the story it came from.

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