Forza Horizon 6 launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 19, 2026, after Premium Edition Early Access began May 15. Playground Games announced a later-2026 PlayStation 5 release, but the announcement alone does not confirm its current status. The game’s announced additions include window painting in the Livery Editor, more flexible aero customization, new social events and Japan-focused exploration features.
When did Forza Horizon 6 come out, and what platforms is it on?
Playground Games announced May 19, 2026, as the release date for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, including Microsoft Store and Steam versions. Premium Edition Early Access was scheduled to start May 15. The same announcement described a PlayStation 5 version as coming later in 2026; that dated plan does not establish whether the PS5 version is available now. Check the current platform store listing for availability. Playground Games’ release announcement and its FAQ provide the original schedule.
The announcement also described access through Game Pass: Xbox Series X|S via Game Pass Ultimate, PC through PC Game Pass and the Xbox app, and Xbox Cloud Gaming as part of membership. Catalog availability and subscription terms can change, so check the current listing in your region before choosing that route.
For digital buyers, Playground Games’ feature roundup describes Xbox Play Anywhere for purchases on Xbox Series X|S or Microsoft Store on Windows PC, excluding Steam. It also describes cross-play and cross-save across Xbox, PC, Steam and PS5. A separate PC feature article discusses cross-save on SteamOS handhelds. Confirm current platform support before buying if cross-progression is essential. The official feature roundup and PC feature article give those details.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- DISCOVER JAPAN — Explore Horizon’s largest map ever, set in Japan and packed with dramatic verticality, diverse biomes, and spectacular open‑road driving routes.
- CRUISE ICONIC LOCATIONS — Drive through Tokyo’s city streets, suburbs, docks, and industrial districts in the most expansive urban environment in Horizon history.
- DRIVE 550+ REAL‑WORLD CARS — Collect and customize over 550 licensed vehicles with body kits, Forza Aero, window liveries, and enhanced steering animations.
- BUILD YOUR ESTATE — Purchase beautiful homes across Japan and customize garages to showcase your growing car collection as you rise through the Horizon Festival.
- JOIN THE HORIZON COMMUNITY — Race, cruise, and compete with friends in Time Attack Circuits, Drag Meets, Car Meets, and Horizon multiplayer modes, including Spec Racing Championships.
Which Forza Horizon 6 features were requested by players?
More control over liveries, paint and aero
The Livery Editor adds the long-requested ability to paint designs on car windows. Playground Games also describes easier access to gloss, semi-gloss, matte and metallic finishes, the ability to save favorite colors and materials, and options including metal flake and candy paint. Aero components can be painted independently, giving players more control over a car’s appearance.
Expanded car customization
The publisher’s car-culture article says the game was planned to launch with over 550 cars; that is Playground Games’ announced roster count, not an independent audit. The same article describes revised Forza Aero, more body kits for cars new to Horizon, motorcycle engine swaps for Kei cars and a new R performance class. It also specifies steering animations with up to 540 degrees of wheel rotation. These are announced game features, not independent assessments of how they perform. Playground Games’ car-culture feature covers the customization and roster details.
Rank #2
- PREMIUM EDITION — Includes the full game, VIP Membership, Welcome Pack, Time Attack Car Pack, Car Pass, Italian Passion Car Pack, and two Premium Expansions (coming post launch).
- DISCOVER JAPAN — Explore Horizon’s largest map ever, set in Japan and packed with dramatic verticality, diverse biomes, and spectacular open‑road driving routes.
- CRUISE ICONIC LOCATIONS — Drive through Tokyo’s city streets, suburbs, docks, and industrial districts in the most expansive urban environment in Horizon history.
- DRIVE 550+ REAL‑WORLD CARS — Collect and customize over 550 licensed vehicles with body kits, Forza Aero, window liveries, and enhanced steering animations.
- BUILD YOUR ESTATE — Purchase beautiful homes across Japan and customize garages to showcase your growing car collection as you rise through the Horizon Festival.
What new social activities can players do?
LINK Skills and Car Meets
LINK Skills reward players for building skills together in the shared world. At Car Meets, players can show off vehicles, inspect other cars and download shared tunes and liveries.
Time Attack Circuits and Drag Meets
Time Attack Circuits put time-trial competition and leaderboards into the world. Drag Meets were announced with three launch strips and room for up to 12 players. The publisher says leaderboard results can be filtered by PI class and describes systems intended to detect and remove unrealistic Rivals and Time Attack scores. The features are detailed in the official car-culture article.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsRank #3
- PREMIUM UPGRADE — Includes VIP Membership, Welcome Pack, Time Attack Car Pack, Car Pass, Italian Passion Car Pack, and two Premium Expansions. Requires Forza Horizon 6 base game or Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
- VIP MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS — Enjoy a 2x Credit boost to race rewards, 3 VIP-Exclusive Forza Edition cars, a weekly bonus Super Wheelspin, and special Vanity Items.
- WELCOME PACK — Features 5 special pre-tuned cars and a Car Voucher, which can be used to claim any car available from the Autoshow.
- TIME ATTACK CAR PACK — Receive 8 legendary cars ideal for mastering every turn and corner at the Time Attack Circuits located around Japan.
- ITALIAN PASSION CAR PACK — Introduces 4 great new Italian cars in Forza Horizon 6 post-launch, perfect for cruising, racing, or exploring.
Playground Games describes these shared-world activities as having no matchmaking or loading screens. That is the publisher’s description of the feature, not a guarantee about every connection or gameplay session.
What is new about exploring Japan?
The Xbox Wire preview describes several ways to find activities and personalize a place in the world:
Rank #4
- DELUXE EDITION — Includes the full game, Welcome Pack, and Car Pass, delivering 30 additional cars to your garage with one new car released each week.
- DISCOVER JAPAN — Explore Horizon’s largest map ever, set in Japan and packed with dramatic verticality, diverse biomes, and spectacular open‑road driving routes.
- CRUISE ICONIC LOCATIONS — Drive through Tokyo’s city streets, suburbs, docks, and industrial districts in the most expansive urban environment in Horizon history.
- DRIVE 550+ REAL‑WORLD CARS — Collect and customize over 550 licensed vehicles with body kits, Forza Aero, window liveries, and enhanced steering animations.
- BUILD YOUR ESTATE — Purchase beautiful homes across Japan and customize garages to showcase your growing car collection as you rise through the Horizon Festival.
- Collectible mascots: Find mascots around the map for small rewards.
- Aftermarket Cars: Encounter cars in the world that players can try and purchase. Design Director Torben Ellert said the approach was intended to suggest trying a car and taking it to an event, while making the cars cheaper to purchase.
- Journal: Collect photographs of landmarks and other hotspots.
- Customizable garages: Decorate garages in purchased homes. Ellert described this as “giving players agency over the place where they keep their cars.”
The Japan setting itself was a long-standing request from fans, according to Playground Games Art Director Don Arceta, who said: “For a long time, Japan has been top of Horizon fans’ wish lists, so we’re excited to finally be bringing this much-requested location to players in Forza Horizon 6.” Cultural Consultant Kyoko Yamashita described Japan’s contrasts as “a neighborhood shrine beside a small workshop beside a neon arcade.” These comments appear in Xbox Wire’s April 2026 preview and September 2025 interview.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What accessibility and PC features were announced?
Accessibility options
Announced accessibility features include customizable High Contrast mode, Car Proximity Radar and AutoDrive. Xbox Wire listed American Sign Language and British Sign Language as features planned for a later update; that timing should not be read as confirmation of their current availability. See the release announcement and Xbox Wire preview.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Best Value
- FORZA HORIZON 6 LIMITED EDITION — Explore breathtaking Japan with the XBOX Wireless Controller – Forza Horizon 6 Limited Edition. Inspired by the winding Touge roads of Japan, this controller blends high-performance style with festival flair.
- FESTIVAL-INSPIRED DESIGN — Watch the translucent top case and triggers unveil dynamic lighting effects of a vibrant pink and green XBOX button. Bold pink thumbsticks, multi-color ABXY buttons, and a Horizon logo stamped on the battery door seal the look.
- RACING-READY GRIP — Lock into the open-world driving action with black and pink diamond-patterned grips and textured triggers built for every moment on the road.
- UP TO 40 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — Get up to 40 hours of battery life so you can explore Japan from neon-lit streets to mountain passes without stopping to recharge.*
- PLAY ACROSS EVERY SCREEN — Quickly pair with, play on, and switch between console and PC. Stream games across mobile, gaming handhelds, Smart TVs, and supported VR headsets with XBOX Cloud Gaming.**
PC graphics and settings
Playground Games describes ray-traced reflections and global illumination on compatible graphics cards, alongside graphics previews, live memory figures, settings changes without restarting and a benchmark mode. The feature announcement does not establish a universal performance level or a recommended PC configuration; results depend on hardware and settings. The PC feature article lists the announced tools and graphics capabilities.
What has the publisher said about post-launch updates?
In a May 22, 2026 thank-you post, Playground Games said it was working on identified improvements and developing future content updates. At that time, it described new series updates as monthly and pointed players to a feedback portal where they could suggest and upvote changes. That was the plan stated in May, not confirmation of the current update cadence or which issues remain open. For current changes, consult the latest dated release notes and official updates. Read the May 2026 post.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
