When Playground Games took the Forza formula to an open world full of fun, style and flair with Horizon, it drew crowds of non-racing game fans into the genre. Five instalments, five global location recreations and tens of millions of players later, the Festival arrives to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Following jaw dropping drives across America, Southern Europe, Australia, Britain and Mexico, fans of the series finally get their wish of reaching Mount Fuji, Tokyo and the cherry blossomed streets of Japan. Playground set out to not just lift and drop the Horizon formula in a new location, they envisaged a realised location that incorporates Japanese car culture, pop culture and history.
In the opening minutes of the game our tour guide, Mei tells us “You’re going to love it here”. She was right. This is a love letter to Japan. This is a car enthusiasts dream. This is the road trip perfected. This is our review of Forza Horizon 6.
Japan – Land of the Rising Fun
The biggest draw for Horizon 6 is the location. Japan’s history is rich with history, pop culture and its own unique car scene. Adding in its diverse landscape, it has been prime for adaptation to a scaled world full of racing, exploration and in many locations, simply pulling over to stop and admire.
The world is broken down into 9 regions, each entirely diverse. The snow capped peaks of Sotoyama, the coastal bridges of the Ito region and the metropolis of Tokyo set against the stunning backdrop of and Mount Fuji. Playground have created one of the greatest open worlds I have ever explored, it is large, it is dynamic and it is dense.
Series veterans will know that Horizon has never been short of things to do and places to drive, however Horizon 6 has the most thought-out roads in the franchise. Around one hour in you will unlock the Festival and the ability to tackle Speed Traps, Danger Zones and my ever-favourite, Drift Zones. These were not simply dropped onto a map, they were clearly made side-by-side. Early on as I began to tackle big PR Stunt jumps with Fuji in the background, I could tell how meticulous Playground have been in their curation of every metre. The calculation and respect shown for each mile of this space in this world places the studio in the same bracket as CD Projekt Red.
The approach to pacing of giving you something new to do, or see is precise. As you progress through the various Horizon wristbands, the cadence of new activity doesn’t overwhelm, rather it entices. A constant drip feed of ever-faster racing and ever-breathtaking PR Stunts pushes you to new sections of the map that you may have not previously reached. For the first 4-5 hours you will constantly be finding something new across the game’s 74 areas and almost 700 roads.
This is a world that wants to be seen, that wants to be loved. Simply pressing up on the d-pad will open Photo Mode. It’s not a ground-breaking version, but you will easily spend hours snapping pictures of your favourite cars, of which there are hundreds. During the Showcase Races – which are just brilliant and I don’t want to spoil any of them – I couldn’t help opening my camera at multiple points to capture moments that wouldn’t look out of place in Hollywood.
Debuting in Horizon 4 (Great Britain), Horizon 6 added rolling Seasons with the tagline ‘Seasons change everything’. And they did. Each week in the real world a new season rotates in new weather, new driving conditions and of course, new things to do. Horizon 5 (Mexico) didn’t particularly use the Seasons feature in full as Mexico is, well, hot or hotter. With 72 micro seasons, Japan has a lot more to offer with broader visual changes. During my time with the review build, I only had chance to experience the summer season but I cannot wait to see what a Japanese spring, autumn and winter look like.
Story and Progression – I Think I’m Turning Japanese
Jordan and Mei are the lead characters with you for the Festival. Mei introduces the map early in the game, she’s returning to Japan and wants you and your companion, Jordan to fill her journal. From the moment she gives you your first ride, a choice of a Nissan Silvia K’s, the classic Toyota Celica FT-Four ST2025 (the only right choice) or the GMC Jimmy, you’re away on the Japanese virtual ride of a lifetime – first stop, Tokyo.
The core objective of Horizon 6 is to achieve the Gold Wristband and reach the coveted Legend Island. Legend Island is where the endgame begins, enabling players access to every Festival event including the returning Goliath, more on that later.
It is difficult to criticise Horizon 6, but I do feel that Legend Island itself is a little anticlimactic. Mei, Jordan and the Horizon radio DJs hyped the Island throughout the game as being a special place, but when you get there it’s actually not that exciting. A small space with some new activity to partake in that is ultimately overhyped.
Outside of the game’s core adventure are the returning Horizon Stories. Stories are a series of side-stories with a narrative Japanese car culture backdrop, and a particular focus on one aspect of cars or driving. Being Japan, of course one of these Stories is themed around drifting – kicking out the rear end with a drift crew as you tire screech your way to an objective. With Isamu and others narrating about drifting history in the country its a fun, engaging and interesting story arc. Fans of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (yes, the best F&F) have something extra to be excited for in the game.
Collection Journal – Gotta Catch ‘Em All
Fans of the series have long asked for differentiation between climbing the Horizon Festival ranks, and discovery. Horizon 6 adds a new Collection Journal which offers split progression between 1. the Horizon Festival – including core races, PR Stunts and XP Boards; and 2. Discover Japan – pushing you to unravel more of the world and partake in Japanese-themed events (eg Togue races), offering you the likes of Band Finds and the new Treasure Cars in return. Both offer their own respective rewards and every few minutes you’ll be adding a new car, cash or driver item to your locker.
What’s great about the Collection Journal and split-progression system is that it gives you a reason to play regardless of the mood you’re in. Want to jump in for some Tokyo-based neon races? Want to just cruise around with your friends in a Convoy and smash 200 of the new Regional Mascots based on local food and drinks? Or, how about jump into fan favourite multiplayer battle-royale mode, The Eliminator? You’ll be constantly rewarded for your time and effort as the gameplay loop refreshing, diversified and valuable.
Racing – Tokyo Nights, Tokyo Lights
With so much going on in the world of Horizon games, it can be easy to forget that it’s fundamentally a racing game. Everything we’ve seen in Horizon before is back here and driving feels as slick, precise and rousing as it ever has. Horizon 6 also turns to Japanese car culture to inspire new types of racing which are all worthwhile additions.
The neon streets of Tokyo, the series biggest ever urban area, is the setting for some of the most exciting Forza races I’ve seen. Lights reflect off cars creating some of the most impressive visuals of this generation. Also, I say this intending the highest praise, racing in Tokyo is the closest we will ever get to a Project Gotham 5.
The most thrilling new race type is Horizon Rush – or as the game calls it, ‘carkour’ – a set of time attack obstacle-like courses that test your precise handling. Designed to appear like a spectacle, with pyrotechnics and camera bearing helicopters soaring as you scale treacherous trails including a space rocket launch site.
Located on derelict strips of tarmac are the new Drag Races, these are nothing more than a hypercharged straight line pedal to the metal rush to the finish. Unfortunately, playing this during the pre-release period, I was unable to race against a grid of other players but I expect these will be superb load-time-free quick thrill experiences once the servers explode on launch day. These will particularly be of interest to the Forza tuning community as racers will be able to flex new builds down a kilometre of flat asphalt.
Another addition are Touge (pronounced tow-ge) races, one-on-one races against an AI at set routes that offer something new compared to a full grid of racers. There are a handful of these across the map and although not setting the world alight, they’re additive. I only wish they’d added the option to race for ‘pinks’.
The final new race type of note are Time Attack Circuits. Small, tight and closed circuits that really tested my ability to reach 3-star times. They’re great fun that you can rinse and repeat to post faster leaderboard times. I’m very confident these will be an addition most welcomed by the Forza competitive community.
The Goliath also returns, this time as the longest race in Horizon history. Spending 22-minutes weaving all regions of this astonishing world at speeds up 200mph encapsulates everything Horizon stands for – fun, exploration and beauty. It was a very memorable ride, that made the roughly 15-hours to reach extremely worth it.
Accessibility and Performance – A Shrining Example
Forza and Horizon games have won awards and led the entire medium for their approach to accessibility – both in on-boarding non-racing gamers to the genre, as well as exceptional accessibility options for players who may have an impairment. Once again, Horizon is the beacon that all developers should aspire to be.
New additions include the Customisable High-Contrast Mode (seen in action here) as well as the option for your vehicle to auto-drive. Audio and visual cues have also been added to help players identify collisions. I’m unable to personally comment on their effectiveness but I hope these are valuable enablers for players. American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL), a feature in Horizon 5, will be patched into the game in the future.
On performance, I hit a few bugs including lost sound effects, a blacked out screen and my car unable to interact with objects. These did require a reset on a handful of occasions, though I expect these issues will be eradicated by, or shortly after launch.
This review was played on Xbox Series X in Performance Mode (higher frame rate, lower resolution) and ran beautifully at a stable 60fps. I expect this will make high-end graphics card owners feel their purchase was worth it (see PC system requirements). For handheld players, the game is Steam Deck Verified and optimised for ROG Xbox Ally though I’m unable to offer any comment or comparisons.
Music – A Festival at The Festival
If you’ve not played an Horizon game before, I implore you to open Spotify and listen to the sublime soundtracks of games before – many tracks of which have sat in my personal library for up to a decade. Though, simply listening to the tracks doesn’t capture how intrinsic music and sound is in elevating the entire Horizon experience.
A curated selection of music from a multitude of genres including some very catchy J-pop and fresh tracks, is hand picked for the game with purpose. Perhaps personal preference but I don’t feel this is the best Horizon soundtrack. Yet, from the moment you take control of your first car as the prologue begins, hairs will rise on the back of your neck as the bass drops and the beat hits.
DJs from previous Horizon entries return including Bass Arena’s highly likable energetic wildcard, Scotty Tyler. The DJs are integral to your Festival journey, offering commentary on your progression, happenings from around Japan and pumping out the score multiplying skill songs. The presentation of Horizon’s radio stations are second to only those in Grand Theft Auto.
Multiplayer and Socials – The Playground
During the preview period of the game, the servers contained several other players with early access, though it’s difficult to comment much on multiplayer with a limited player base. Thus, I wasn’t able to get an opportunity to play my beloved Eliminator. However, I can say the server stability is as stable as it’s always been in the series.
There are new social activities that I did get to dabble in such as the new car meets, which are car parks for players to park up, show off their whips and browse other players cars. I’m confident this is going to be yet another valuable addition to the vibrant Horizon social scene.
Conclusion
One of the most content-rich games this generation, Forza Horizon 6 adds more to everything that has made the series one of gaming’s most beloved and gives you a playground to have endless fun your way. The love and attention that Playground have poured into creating their vision of a Japanese road trip is apparent throughout every mile. Quite how the team continue to find new exciting things to do that never bloats the player experience should be an example to the entire industry.
An exceptional, breathtaking world that players will be kept busy in for years, Forza Horizon 6 is one of 2026s best games and one of the best racing games ever created.
Forza Horizon 6 launches on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Game Pass, Windows and Steam on May 19, 2026. Players can play 5 days early from May 14, 2026 with a purchase of the Premium Edition. The game will launch on PlayStation 5 later this year.
This review was played on Xbox Series X. Gamer Social Club would like to thank the Xbox and Playground Games for the code provided for this review.
