Forza Horizon 6

 
Forza Horizon 6 is finally heading to the most requested location in the franchise’s history: Japan. Announced during the Tokyo Game Show in September 2025 and showcased in detail at the Xbox Developer Direct in January 2026, the game is scheduled for release on May 19, 2026. In a major shift for the Xbox-exclusive series, it will launch first on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a confirmed PlayStation 5 release following later in “late 2026.”
Tokyo Drift, Touge, and Tuning: Core Gameplay

The Setting: The map is a stylized, condensed version of Japan that features the neon-lit urban sprawl of Tokyo, the tight mountain passes (touge) of Mount Fuji, and traditional rural countrysides. It is confirmed to be the largest map in the series, exceeding the 107km² of Horizon 5.
Progression Reboot: The “Wristband” system from the original game returns. You aren’t immediately the superstar festival boss; you are a rookie who must earn wristbands to unlock higher-tier events. This addresses the common complaint that recent entries gave players hypercars too quickly.
Customizable Player Housing: For the first time, you can fully customize your estate. You can design your garage, arrange your cars, and invite up to 12 friends to hang out in your personal space. This social hub feature aims to deepen the car meet culture.
Enhanced Drifting & Drag: Embracing Japanese car culture, the game features dedicated drift zones on mountain roads and impromptu drag meets at traffic lights that don’t require matchmaking—just pull up and race.
Seasonal Changes: The four-seasons mechanic returns, but tailored to Japan’s climate. Expect cherry blossoms in spring (Sakura season) and heavy snow in the northern regions during winter, affecting driving physics.

Wie es sich rechnet
Forza Horizon 6 is evolving to meet the demands of JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) fans.



Spiel
Hauptunterschied




Forza Horizon 5
FH5 (Mexico) focused on vast, open biomes and off-roading. FH6 (Japan) shifts focus to verticality with elevated Tokyo highways and technical, tight mountain roads, favoring drift and street racing over cross-country bashing.


Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
TDUSC offers a 1:1 scale Hong Kong but suffered from a buggy launch and always-online issues. FH6 offers a stylized, condensed Japan with the polished, reliable ForzaTech engine (though not the new Motorsport engine, to ensure stability).


Need for Speed Unbound
NFS leans into stylized anime effects and cop chases. FH6 remains grounded in “sim-cade” realism but adopts a vibrant, festival aesthetic that celebrates JDM culture without the cartoon smoke (though tyre smoke density is reportedly lower in early builds).



Wichtige Details

Entwickler: Playground Games.
Herausgeber: Xbox Game Studios.
Plattformen: Xbox Series X|S, PC (May 19, 2026). PS5 (Late 2026).
Datum der Veröffentlichung: May 19, 2026 (Early Access May 15).
Genre: Open World Racing / Arcade Sim.
Einstellung: Japan (Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Rural areas).
Stimmung: Initial D trifft Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Für wen es bestimmt ist

Pflichtprogramm für JDM enthusiasts. If you have spent years begging for Fujimi Kaido to return or want to drift an AE86 down a mountain pass, this is the game you have been waiting for.
Perfekt für car meet fans. The new customizable garage and “build anywhere” mode make it a premier social hangout for showing off builds.
Überspringen, wenn you prefer sim racing. Like its predecessors, this is an arcade-style open-world game. If you want realistic tire wear and pit stops, stick to Forza Motorsport oder Gran Turismo.

Warum es funktioniert
It works because it finally listens to the community’s #1 request. Japan has been the “white whale” setting for Horizon fans for a decade. By combining the technical prowess of the Forza engine with the dense, vertical complexity of Tokyo and the technical challenge of mountain touge runs, Playground Games is poised to deliver the definitive open-world street racing experience.