Forza Horizon 6 will feature the largest map yet in the Horizon series, Playground Games said.
Photo Credit: Microsoft/ Playground Games
Forza Horizon 6, the next open world arcade racer from Playground Games, will launch on March 19 on PC and Xbox Series S/X. The studio shared an in-depth look at the game at Xbox Developer Direct on Thursday, sharing details about the gameplay and the game's Japanese setting. Playground Games also confirmed that Forza Horizon 6 will launch on PS5 later in 2026.
First revealed at Tokyo Game Show in September, Forza Horizon 6 got an extended look at the Developer Direct broadcast. The Horizon Festival heads to Japan this time, and players will start off as a tourist in the game, slowly building their racing credentials. Players will join the Horizon Festival by competing in the qualifiers, before rising through the ranks and unlocking wristbands as they compete in races across Japan.
Playground Games and Turn10 Studios confirmed that Japan will be the largest open world map in the Forza Horizon series. The expansive map will feature diverse biomes, distinct districts, and seasonal changes. The map will also feature the sprawling city of Tokyo, which will be the largest city ever in a Forza Horizon game — five times larger than the map in Forza Horizon 5.
Forza Horizon 6 will also spotlight the rich car culture in Japan, Playground said. At launch, the game will have more than 550 cars for players to collect and customize. Playground Games said they had overhauled the roster to be better balanced across all performance classes, including the new R Class introduced for track-focused cars.
Cars also respond to the environment and show wear and tear over time. The developer has also introduced updated steering animations with up to 540 degrees of wheel rotation in the game.
Japan will be five times larger than the map in Forza Horizon 5
Photo Credit: Microsoft/ Playground Games
In addition to collecting wristbands to rise up the ranks, players will also get access to a new feature called the Collection Journal. Inspired by Japan's stamp collecting history, the Journal will allow players to build a digital collection of mementos discovered throughout Japan.
In addition to a rich roster of cars, players will also be able to unlock houses in Forza Horizon 6, just like previous games in the series. Japan features eight player houses that serve as fast travel points and garages where you can customise your cars. Players will be able to fully decorate the space and make it their own.
A new addition to the game comes in the form of the Estate, a larger piece of land that players can acquire and customise as they want. The Estate will start off as an abandoned property in rural Japan, which players can slowly build upon and decorate.
The 2025 GR GT Prototype serves as the cover car for Forza Horizon 6
Photo Credit: Microsoft/ Playground Games
Forza Horizon 6 will also feature Car Meets, inspired by events like the Daikoku car meet in Japan. The game will include three Car Meets locations in the open world where players can gather and show off their wheels to their friends online. Here, players can also meet other players online and start off on a convoy across Japan. They can download custom paint jobs and designs and buy their own version of a car they like at the meet.
Playground and Turn10 said that Forza Horizon 6 will be the most accessible game in the series yet, featuring a deep suite of accessibility features that help all kinds of players enjoy the game.
The studios also revealed the two cover cars for Forza Horizon 6: the 2025 GR GT Prototype and the 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser.
Forza Horizon 6 will launch on PC (via Steam and Xbox app on Windows) and Xbox Series S/X on May 19. It will be available day one on Game Pass Ultimate. The racing title will arrive on PS5 later this year, Playground said. Forza Horizon 6 is now available to pre-order across supported platforms and can be wishlisted on PS5.
The game will be available in Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Editions. Pre-ordering the Premium Edition will grant four-day early access starting May 15.
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