Forza Horizon 6 is the latest entry in Playground Games' celebrated open-world racing series, and it moves the Horizon Festival to Japan for the first time. Released in May 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, the game gives players access to more than 550 licensed vehicles and sets them loose across a map that spans everything from rural mountain passes to the neon-soaked streets of Tokyo City.
Whether you are into casual cruising, competitive online races, or building wild custom events, Forza Horizon 6 covers a lot of ground. New players start as tourists, working their way through a progression system that has them qualifying for the Horizon Festival as rookie drivers before climbing the ranks to earn the title of Horizon Legend. The journey involves completing a Collection Journal, winning Wristbands, and eventually gaining access to Legend Island, a space reserved for top-tier drivers. Co-op support runs through the entire campaign, so friends can tackle the road trip together from beginning to end.
Why Should I Download Forza Horizon 6?
The biggest reason to download Forza Horizon 6 is the huge open world. Japan offers an enormous variety of driving environments, and Playground Games has built what they call the most dense map in the series so far. Tokyo City alone is five times larger than the Guanajuato area featured in Forza Horizon 5, with multiple districts that each have their own visual identity and driving challenges. Outside the city, you will find mountain roads ideal for touge-style battles, snow-covered passes, cherry blossom-lined highways, and coastal routes with views of Mt. Fuji.
Car culture sits at the heart of Forza Horizon 6. JDM classics get prominent billing alongside modern supercars, and the game's cover car is the 2025 GR GT Prototype from Toyota Gazoo Racing. Every vehicle benefits from remastered engine audio and updated steering animations that support up to 540 degrees of wheel rotation, which makes a real difference if you play with a racing wheel. As you explore Japan, you can discover rare Aftermarket Cars, collect special Forza Edition vehicles with extreme modifications, and participate in Touge Battles rooted in Japan's real car culture.
Customization extends well beyond the garage. Players can purchase homes across Japan with customizable garages for displaying their car collections, and a new feature called the Estate lets you build freely in an open mountain valley. EventLab has also been upgraded to CoLab, which now supports multiplayer building anywhere on the map. Multiplayer modes include Time Attack Circuits, Drag Meets, Car Meets, Spec Racing Championships, The Eliminator, and Hide and Seek. Accessibility options are worth noting too, with features like Granular High Contrast Mode, Car Proximity Radar, American and British Sign Language support, and AutoDrive available for players who need them.
Is Forza Horizon 6 Free?
Forza Horizon 6 is not a free download in the traditional sense, but it is included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscriptions at no additional cost. If you already subscribe to either of those services, you can download and play the Standard Edition right away without paying anything extra.
For players who prefer to own their copy outright, Forza Horizon 6 is available to purchase as a Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, or Premium Edition. The Deluxe Edition adds a Car Pass with 30 vehicles delivered weekly, plus a Welcome Pack. The Premium Edition bundles in VIP Membership, the Car Pass, Welcome Pack, Time Attack Car Pack, an Italian Passion Car Pack, and two future expansion packs.
A Premium Upgrade is also sold separately for players who already own the Standard or Deluxe Edition and want to unlock the extra content. Playground Games runs a weekly Festival Playlist with new challenges and rewards, so there is a steady stream of free content for all players regardless of which edition they own.
What Operating Systems Are Compatible with Forza Horizon 6?
Forza Horizon 6 runs on Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. On PC, you can download it through either the Xbox App (Microsoft Store) or Steam. The game also supports Xbox Cloud Gaming for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, which means you can stream it on compatible devices without downloading the full install.
A PlayStation 5 version has been announced and is expected to arrive later in 2026, though no specific release date has been confirmed yet. There is no Xbox One version, so you will need current-generation hardware to play. On PC, the game supports ray tracing and a range of graphics settings, making it scalable for different hardware configurations.
What Are the Alternatives to Forza Horizon 6?
If you enjoy open-world racing but want something with a different flavor, there are a few strong alternatives worth considering.
CarX Street comes from CarX Technologies, the developers behind CarX Drift Racing Online, and it puts a heavy emphasis on underground street racing culture. Set in the fictional Sunset City, the game features club races, drift competitions, sprint events, and delivery missions spread across an open world. CarX Street stands out for its detailed tuning system, which lets you swap engines, adjust suspension, upgrade transmissions, and customize body kits at a granular level. The physics engine produces satisfying drift mechanics that fans of the original CarX games will recognize. Available on PC through Steam, as well as on iOS and Android, CarX Street is a good fit for players who want an accessible street racing experience they can also pick up on their phone.
Le Mans Ultimate takes racing in a completely different direction. Developed by Studio 397, the creators of rFactor 2, this is the official game of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Instead of open-world exploration, the focus here is on precise endurance racing simulation with officially licensed Hypercars, LMP2 cars, GTE machines, and LMGT3 entries. The game offers single-player Race Weekend modes and ranked online Daily Races with a driver rating system. If you care more about lap times, tire strategy, and authentic motorsport competition than cruising around a map, Le Mans Ultimate is worth a download on PC through Steam.
BeamNG.drive takes yet another approach entirely. Rather than structured racing or festival events, this sandbox simulator is built around an incredibly detailed soft-body physics engine that simulates every component of a vehicle in real time. Crashes are the star of the show, with damage modeling that goes far beyond cosmetic dents. But BeamNG.drive also includes campaigns, scenarios, time trials, and a freeroam mode across 12 open-world environments. A massive modding community keeps the game stocked with community-built vehicles, maps, and scenarios. Available on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, BeamNG.drive is the pick for players who want to experiment with vehicle physics, test wild builds, and watch spectacular wrecks unfold in slow motion.
