A Festival Worth Returning To
There is a strange comfort in loading up a new Forza Horizon game. From the opening showcase race to the oversized festival atmosphere, the series has become Xbox’s equivalent of comfort food. However, Forza Horizon 6 does not try to reinvent that formula. Instead, it sharpens it, expands it, and delivers one of the most polished arcade racers Playground Games has ever created.
Set across a massive recreation of Japan, Forza Horizon 6 finally gives fans the location they have been asking for over the better part of a decade. Neon-lit Tokyo city, with Landmarks like Tokyo Tower & the Iconic Shabuya Crossing. Winding mountain roads, countryside villages, dense forests, and coastal highways all combine to create the most visually diverse map the series has seen so far. Every corner of the world feels handcrafted for speed, drifting, and exploration.
As you complete events and activities associated with the Horizon Festival, you’ll earn entry to major Wristband Events. Successful completion of these events helps you earn Wristbands that unlock passage deeper into the Festival’s suite of events. Each Wristband Event is a serious undertaking, both a test of your skill and a celebration of Japan's iconic symbols.
At first glance, Horizon 6 feels familiar, maybe even too familiar. But the deeper you dive into its systems, the more obvious it becomes that Playground Games has spent years refining every element of the Horizon formula to near perfection.
Japan proves to be a perfect setting for Horizon. The map constantly shifts between quiet scenic roads and packed urban environments overflowing with detail. One moment you are drifting through mountain passes inspired by real-world touge roads, and the next you are blasting through crowded city streets illuminated by glowing billboards and rain-soaked, reflective pavement.
Dynamic weather plays a larger role this time around. Heavy rain noticeably affects visibility and traction, while seasonal storms can completely alter race routes and terrain conditions. Snow-covered mountain roads become dangerous yet rewarding playgrounds for rally-focused vehicles, while clear summer nights allow supercars to truly shine.
This year, seasons have been added. Japan’s seasonal changes are striking. Frozen winters give way to scorching summers, creating stark differences in visuals, driving, and photo opportunities. Seasons change each week, rewarding and testing players who return over time.
The visual presentation is incredible throughout. On Xbox Series X, Horizon 6 consistently delivers jaw-dropping scenery with excellent lighting and an impressive sense of speed. Car models remain industry-leading, but it is the world itself that steals the show. Whether you are parked beneath cherry blossom trees or weaving through late-night traffic, the game constantly feels alive.
Forza Horizon has always walked a careful line between realism and accessibility, and Horizon 6 might be the series’s best effort yet. Cars feel responsive without becoming overly sim-focused, making it easy for newcomers to jump in while still giving experienced players plenty of depth to master.
Drifting feels significantly improved thanks to more responsive handling and better road surface feedback. Off-road racing also benefits from varied terrain, which makes dirt and rally events feel distinct rather than secondary distractions.
The vehicle roster is enormous, featuring everything from classic Japanese tuners to modern hypercars and rally legends. Unsurprisingly, Japanese manufacturers dominate the spotlight here, and fans of street racing culture will have plenty to obsess over.
Customization also receives a notable upgrade. Body kits, tuning options, and cosmetic modifications allow players to build cars that genuinely reflect their preferred style. Playground Games clearly leaned into the underground street racing aesthetic many fans hoped to see.
One addition this year that creative people will love is the ability to fully customize your garage. Here is where the people who are insane at creation will find their home. Another addition that will make you creative folks go wild is the newly added “Estate.” This is your wonderland, your own space, the place you can make anything. You want to create a track, you can do it. Want to make a rollercoaster loop-de-loop into a mega jump? YOU CAN DO IT!
Everything inside the tree line is yours, you can build….Anything. If people visit or use your designs, you will also get paid, which is a nice incentive to all the amazing people who make amazing things.
While I don’t have a clue what I’m doing when it comes to creativity (I usually just use a custom creation for my car's livery), I have had a little go at making something in my estate. That said, here are some things I did and didn’t like. Being able to share individual assets and whole estates with the community is really cool, but it is a little fiddly to start with. Trying to perfect that initial road is something I found quite difficult.
I was also able to try the limited amount of community creations that other early access people have made, the best 2 being a drift track and a “Skate” park of sorts, both of which, while not perfect, show what can be created, and this is something that brings me excitement to see when everyone has had some time with the experience.
The soundtrack does an excellent job capturing the energy of Japanese car culture while still maintaining Horizon’s broad musical identity. Electronic beats, rock tracks, and high-energy pop all fit naturally alongside the game’s street racing atmosphere. All your classic stations are there, Pulse, Bass Arena ETC. But a new station added this year is Gacha City Radio, playing J-pop bangers, including the very popular Creepy Nuts hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” from the opening of MASHLE, the anime. Plus many more Japanese hits.
Engine audio has also improved considerably. Cars sound heavier, more aggressive, and far more distinct from one another. Whether it is the roar of a muscle car or the high-pitched scream of a tuned import, every vehicle feels uniquely its own.
Presentation across the board is polished to an absurd degree. Menus are clean, load times are fast, and transitions between solo and multiplayer gameplay feel nearly seamless.
However, as impressive as Horizon 6 is, there are still areas where the series feels stagnant. The campaign lacks any real narrative weight, relying instead on loosely connected events and repetitive character interactions. Horizon has never been story-driven, but after six entries, it is difficult not to want something more meaningful beneath the festival aesthetic.
The AI can also be frustrating at times, particularly during more difficult races, where opponents occasionally seem less skillful and more artificially aggressive.
Most importantly, Horizon 6 plays it safe. It is bigger and prettier than its predecessor, but rarely surprising. Players hoping for a dramatic evolution of the franchise may walk away slightly disappointed.
Regardless, I’m having an absolute blast playing this game. I’ve played over 32 hours so far and have not once wanted to stop playing. The exploration in this game is amazing, the scenery is immaculate, and while I’m more about finding the smashables, racing has consistently been fun.
Forza Horizon 6 does exactly what fans expect it to do. It delivers a massive open world packed with beautiful scenery, an absurd number of cars, and some of the best arcade racing gameplay available today.
While the series still struggles to evolve beyond its established formula, the core experience remains incredibly difficult to put down. Playground Games understands exactly why people love Horizon, and Horizon 6 confidently doubles down on those strengths.
It may not redefine open-world racing, but it absolutely perfects the modern Horizon formula.
Developer - Playground Games
Publisher - Xbox Game Studios
Released - May 19th, 2026
Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PC, PS5 (at a later date)
Rated - (E) - Mild Lyrics, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X
Review Access - A review code for Forza Horizon 6 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
James, has been a gamer for as long as he can remember with a particular passion for sports games, shooters and adventure games. He only started writing reviews earlier this year over at The Outerhaven, but I've quickly become extremely passionate about this part of the industry.