Review: ‘Forza Horizon 6’

There are few games I enjoy playing more at the end of a long week better than something from the “Forza Horizon” series. You pick any car you like (from hundreds available), paint it in whatever color you like, and drive around a vast, varied open world, competing in class-based races or simply cruising. The formula was already excellent in “Horizon 4” and “5,” and with “Horizon 6,” Playground Games has taken what was great and made it even better.The core upgrade here is the setting: Japan. The “Forza Horizon 4” map of Britain and Scotland had pleasant details and nice variety, but was relatively small; and the Mexico map of “Forza Horizon 5” was sprawling but sparse, with far too many open, bland spaces. “Horizon 6” has more visual density, character, and diversity than “Horizon 4,” but at a scale far beyond “Horizon 5.” This is an enormous map that takes much longer to drive across, yet never feels padded simply to add space. There are no gaps and blank spots; every part of this map feels like a real place, with detail and personality. Tokyo is by far the biggest city ever included in a “Forza” map — though it feels small compared to what it should be, and there are fewer races here than there ought to be.Japan is not just a distinct and varied setting for an open-world driving game, but one with its own vivid, unique car culture. More Japanese cars are available in “Horizon 6” than in any previous game, and alongside the hundreds of standard cars, there are tuned “Forza Edition” vehicles inspired by Japanese tuning culture. These all look fantastic, but the games embrace of Japanese car culture is thinner than it might initially appear. There are only ten characters available for the license plates, only one Japanese “radio station” for background music, and the story involves Western characters who all speak English.As with previous “Forza” games, the story and characters are dull and cringeworthy, though the progression mechanism — working your way through racing bands and unlocking new “wristbands” — is far more engaging than the free-for-all of “Horizon 4” and “5.” The game is still far too generous with free cars, but the reward curve is better than before, as is the challenge. Slower cars are fun but easy to race, wheras hypercars intense and demanding.Beyond the Western-centric story, the other frustration is that the game does little to integrate Japanese tuning and modding culture. Yes, you can buy preconfigured cars, but — as with previous “Forza” games — performance upgrades are functionally a series of boxes to tick through, and most cars have just one body kit available. It’s a real shame that you can paint your cars any color you want and fit them with hundreds of wheel options, but can’t customize them with a range of different spoilers, splitters, hoods, and so on.Instead of adding gimmicks such as garage customization, or multiple reskinned versions of the “garage find” feature, the developers should have taken the time to do this right. It’s been a weak point on “Forza” games for years, and that hasn’t change. The addition of custom estates — where you can build your own race track — is fun though.There are other frustrations too, mostly on small details, but none of them change that the fundamental experience is fantastic, and by far the best in the series. The cars handle notably better than previous entries — without losing its casual arcade manner — and the graphics look incredible. That’s true of the cars, but even more so of the trees, buildings, and landscapes. The cars also sound incredible; it’s a game that is best played with loud, high-quality speakers.It is not a perfect game, and critics giving it a 10 out of 10 score are closet publicists — but if you want to relax with a game, driving cool cars around a gorgeous map, there is nothing better.The standard edition of “Forza Horizon 6” launches May 19, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S and PC, at $69.99, with the Deluxe available at $99.99 — or, if you are happy to pay $119.99 for the Premium Edition, then you can play it in early access today. A PlayStation 5 version is scheduled for later in 2026.

Review: ‘Forza Horizon 6’

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