Forza Horizon 6 is going to be putting us back behind the wheel of one of the best racing games series in 2026, and we're set to learn more about the new entry very soon!
That's thanks to the fact that Forza Horizon 6 will be making an appearance during the Xbox Developer Direct showcase on January 22, where we'll get to see a "debut of gameplay", alongside a look at some other big upcoming Xbox Series X games. Forza Horizon 6 was first officially announced during Tokyo Game Show 2025. But so far, we've only see a brief cinematic trailer, which saw Playground Games confirm the 2026 launch window, alongside revealing the exciting new Japan location.
The promise of seeing some gameplay of the new game in action very soon is very exciting indeed, and what's more, it looks set to break away from tradition and get on the same track as Forza Horizon 5 by eventually releasing among the lineup of upcoming PS5 games after it initially launches on Xbox Series X and PC. While we await the next update, read on below as we breakdown everything you need to know about Forza Horizon 6.
Forza Horizon 6 release date speculation
The Forza Horizon 6 release date is currently set for sometime in 2026, but no exact date has been confirmed as of yet.
The launch window was confirmed during Tokyo Game Show 2025, where Playground Games' debuted the very first reveal trailer for the upcoming racing game.
Ahead of the Xbox Developer Direct set to kick off on January 22, 2026, which will feature an update on the upcoming racer, Forza Horizon 6's supposed release date has seemingly surfaced in an advertisement in Forza Horizon 5. This suggests we could see the next Forza Horizon entry arrive on May 19, 2026, but we've yet to get official confirmation.
Interestingly, we already knew a Forza game would be arriving in 2026 thanks to the Xbox Games Show 2025 in June, which saw company head Phil Spencer highlight the big 25th anniversary that Xbox will be celebrating this year with the likes of Fable 4, Gears of War E-Day, and "the next Forza".
While we're still waiting for the release date to be confirmed, we could very well get that news cemented during the Developer Direct - here's hoping!
Forza Horizon 6 platforms
Forza Horizon 6 is set to come to Xbox Series X and PC when it arrives in 2026, with a release on PS5 to follow "post-launch".
That's right, Forza Horizon 6 is set to be a timed Xbox exclusive on console, which means that PS5 players will also be able to rev their engines down the line and hit the roads of Japan. We don't yet know how long after launch we can expect to see the PS5 version speed into the picture, but hopefully we'll learn more once we have a concrete release date in place for its initial launch.
Forza Horizon 6 trailer
The very first Forza Horizon 6 trailer (which you can watch above) that dropped during Tokyo Game Show 2025 is a teaser in every sense of the word. Showing off the various locations we've seen throughout the series over the years, we see licence plates for the likes of Colorado, which set the scene for the first Forza Horizon, right on through to Mexico in Forza Horizon 5.
Then, the trailer ends with a shot over Mount Fuji to reveal the new setting of Japan, before the title appears for Forza Horizon 6. We've yet to see all that much of the setting just yet, or what cars we'll be able to hit the roads with, but we certainly can't wait to see more in the future.
Forza Horizon 6 Japan setting
Forza Horizon 6's Japan setting is set to let us drive around various landmarks and key points of interest, including Tokyo city. In an interview with GamesRadar+. art director Don Arceta and cultural consultant Kyoko Yamashita who revealed more about the work the team at Playground Games has done to capture not just the scenery of Japan, but its spirit and culture. Yamashita, who has lived in Japan and driven around it many times, worked closely with the team to, in the words of Arceta, be "authentic and respectful" in their approach to bringing to life Japan for Forza Horizon 6.
"We never set out to make a location one-to-one," Arceta says. "It's always capturing the spirit of the location, and trying to do that in an authentic way and obviously a respectful way. We use a lot of real life data as much as we can to build our world; so a lot of satellite data for the terrain, we take a lot of 3D scans of objects actually on location, a lot of reference photography. We capture skies. So, you know, there's a lot there that we take".
Not unlike the way Forza Horizon 5 strived to immerse us in the culture of Mexico, Forza Horizon 6 looks set to do much the same for Japan.
"Japan's a breathtaking location, but I think they'll be surprised just how much more of the culture we've tried to integrate into Horizon 6 outside of just the location," Arceta continues. "So obviously there's car culture, but there's different festivals and other cultural aspects that we actually wanted to inject a lot more into this game. I think we kind of dipped our toe in that a bit with Horizon 5. But working closely with Kyoko, I think people will be surprised; they'll probably learn a bit more about this location than they might expect."
Forza Horizon 6 gameplay
We've yet to see any Forza Horizon 6 gameplay, but thanks to our interview with Playground Games, there are some details we do know. For starters, Forza Horizon 6 promises to bring us the biggest map yet with its version of Japan. Describing the setting as a place that's "full of contrasts", Arceta also teased that the team has set out to create "new driving experiences that capture the location", with everything from "tight city streets", to "mountain roads and nice open plains".
The map is also said to not only be big, "but also dense", with so many things to see and do "around every corner". With the fullest map yet, it sounds like we can expect to have plenty of activities and races to get stuck into.
We also know that Tokyo city is going to be one of the key locations, which Arceta tells us is the "complex and layered", and that it's the most ambitious city the team has created in the Forza Horizon 6 series so far. Arceta also points out the elevated roads it will feature, which were actually created by leveraging the technology used to make the Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels expansion, which featured looping orange tracks. Tokyo sounds especially fun to drive around it, with Arceta adding that it will offer "something new and fresh".
Getting stuck into Playground Games' last adventure? Be sure to check out these helpful Forza Horizon 5 tips.
