Japan is finally here, and Forza Horizon 6 delivers exactly what you hoped
Forza Horizon 6 launches on May 19, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Early Access beginning May 15 for Premium Edition owners. Playground Games has set the sixth entry in Japan, and after hands-on time with an early build, it's safe to say the location alone justifies the excitement. The map is varied in a way Horizon 5's Mexico never quite managed, the new gameplay features are genuinely useful rather than cosmetic, and there's enough new content to make the jump from Forza Horizon 5 feel worthwhile. Here's everything you need to know before you hit the road.
The full Japan open world map
What platforms and editions are available?
Forza Horizon 6 releases on Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on May 19, 2026. The game also supports cross-save, so your progression syncs between Xbox and PC (Steam/Windows). PS5 is confirmed but arrives later in the year with no specific date announced yet, according to racinggames.gg.
Here's a breakdown of the editions available at launch:
The Premium Edition at $119.99 gets you four days of early access starting May 15, a Welcome Pack with 5 pre-tuned cars and a Car Voucher redeemable at the Autoshow, a Car Pass covering 30 new vehicles (one per week from May 19), VIP Membership with a 2x credit boost on race rewards, 3 VIP-exclusive Forza Edition cars, a weekly bonus Super Wheelspin, and the Tokyo City House. There's also the Time Attack Car Pack with 8 cars including a 1993 Nissan #32 Skyline WTAC and a 1995 Toyota J&J Motorsport Supra WTAC, plus the Italian Passion Car Pack post-launch with the 2025 Ferrari F80 and 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 Spider.
Game Pass subscribers who want early access need to buy the Premium Upgrade for $59.99 separately.
If you're a Game Pass subscriber who plays Forza regularly, the $59.99 Premium Upgrade is worth calculating against the $119.99 Premium Edition outright purchase depending on whether you own the base game already.
What does the Japan map actually look like?
The map is genuinely the best argument for Forza Horizon 6. Based on hands-on time with the early build (as reported by Traxion.gg in April 2026), the environment is far more varied than Horizon 5's Mexico, which was criticized for feeling samey across large sections.
Standout areas confirmed in the preview build:
- A circular expressway on-ramp modeled after the Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge, perfect for sustained drifts
- Snow-covered rally tracks leading to a ski course with a large jump and bowl section filled with banked turns
- Mountain roads in the north of the map, ideal for drift practice
- Beaches and blue water to the south that look almost tropical
- Rice paddy fields, temples, and uniquely Japanese residential areas with compact NPC vehicles including the actual Toyota JPN Taxi
- '365' stores (stand-ins for real-world 7-Elevens) and cherry blossom physics that react to your tyres
The one area that underwhelms is Tokyo itself. The Shibuya Crossing is present but feels empty, the roads are wider than real Tokyo streets (a concession to accommodate racing), and the atmosphere doesn't quite capture the density of the actual city. Traxion.gg noted that Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown arguably handles urban density better in this specific regard. That said, outside Tokyo, the map is exceptional.
One notable omission: Mount Fuji is visible as a backdrop but cannot be driven on or reached.
Tokyo streets in Forza Horizon 6
What are the four new gameplay features worth knowing?
Based on hands-on coverage from Windows Central (April 8, 2026), four additions stand out as genuinely changing how you play compared to previous entries.
Regional Mascots
Each region of the Japan map has a set of adorable mascots scattered across it. Drive over one and you earn 5,000 credits. With 200 total mascots on the map, that's a potential 1,000,000 credits available just from hunting them down. In the early game especially, this is one of the fastest ways to build your bank balance without grinding race events.
Aftermarket cars found on the map
Dotted around the open world are Aftermarket Cars you can buy simply by driving up to them. These come pre-tuned with aftermarket bodykits already applied, and they're sold at a discounted rate compared to standard Autoshow prices. The preview build included a Subaru WRX as one of the available options. These cars represent Playground Games' car creation team at their best, with aggressive exhaust notes and a strong tendency toward drift-friendly handling.
ANNA auto-drive with cinematic mode
The AI assistant ANNA now does more than just point you toward the next waypoint. Activate the auto-drive feature and ANNA will physically drive your car to the destination for you. It's slower than driving yourself, but the real addition is cinematic mode: enable it and the entire UI disappears, replacing it with a film-style view of your journey. Useful for capturing footage, or just stepping away from the controller for a minute.
Drag Meets with realistic launch control
Drag racing returns but with a more realistic start procedure. The game no longer holds you on the line automatically. You pick your grid slot, watch a realistic lights countdown, and manage your own launch. Touch the throttle too early and you jump-start. The recommended approach is holding the e-brake and engaging launch control, then releasing on the final light. Reaction time matters, and a split second late can cost you the win.
Drag Meet launch control timing
What carries over from Forza Horizon 5?
This is the question most returning players have, and the answer from Forza Support (as documented by Windows Central, April 28, 2026) is: some things do, most things don't.
The good news is vinyls and decals transfer, though Forza Support confirmed the exact import method will be detailed at a later date. The language used is "previous Forza games" (plural), which suggests transfers from titles beyond just Horizon 5 may be possible.
For liveries specifically, the community on the ForzaLiveryHub subreddit has identified a workaround: break your livery into individual vinyl groups, save each section separately, then import them into Forza Horizon 6 and reassemble on the relevant car. It's more work than a direct transfer, but it avoids starting completely from scratch.
Tuning setups cannot transfer because Playground Games has rebalanced all car classes for the new game. Even if the same car exists in both titles, your old tune won't carry over.
Don't wait until launch to start breaking your FH5 liveries into vinyl groups. Do it now so you're ready to import as soon as the feature goes live.
How does the wristband progression system work?
Forza Horizon 4 and 5 were both criticized for lacking a clear end goal. Horizon 6 brings back the wristband progression format last seen prominently in the original Forza Horizon from 2012. You work toward increasingly prestigious events, earning wristbands that unlock new content and areas. The preview build was locked before players could enter the Horizon Invitational to earn the first wristband, so the full structure remains to be seen in the final release.
The campaign supports both solo play and online co-op. A location called Legend Island appears visible on the map but is locked behind progression, suggesting a genuine end-game target for the first time in years.
The preview build was capped at 30fps on Xbox Series X. Microsoft has confirmed a 60fps mode will be available at launch.
Wristband progression system
What's the car situation at launch?
The launch roster is confirmed at over 550 cars, with more arriving through post-release updates and the paid Car Pass (30 cars, one per week). The car quality is uneven. Newly modelled vehicles like the Nissan Silvia K's with Rocket Bunny bodykit (one of three starter cars alongside a lifted GMC and modified Toyota Celica) are genuinely impressive, with aggressive exhaust notes and detailed bodywork. Older models ported from previous Forza games sit alongside them with noticeably worse proportions and detail, which is a recurring issue for the series. You can check the full series history on Wikipedia for context on how the franchise has evolved its car roster over the years.
The Aftermarket Cars scattered around the map represent the best of what the car team can do. The Subaru WRX example from the preview had pre-applied tuning and bodykit work that would have taken significant time to replicate manually.
What features are still missing from what we've seen?
The preview build was explicitly described as an early, unfinished vertical slice. Several features were absent or locked:
- All online modes
- Car Meets
- The Estate (base-building area) and revised Event Lab
- Autoshow access (cars could only be purchased from pre-race menus)
- Barn Finds and Festival Playlist
- Car Mastery, Horns, Treasure Cars, and Gift Drops
- Three of the four seasons (the preview was permanently spring)
- The Wheelspin system
For technical details on PC-specific settings, fixes, and configuration options at launch, the PCGamingWiki page for Forza Horizon 6 will be the go-to resource once the game is live.
For more racing game coverage and guides across the genre, browse the latest guides on GAMES.GG to stay up to date as launch approaches.