Forza Horizon 6 Review: Still the Best Open-World Racing Game

I don't think anyone could have predicted how successful Forza Horizon would become.

What began as a fun little spin-off from the "mainline" Forza Motorsport franchise is now one of the best racing games on the market. It's outlived Motorsport following several disappointing releases. Playground Game's Horizon, meanwhile, has seen nothing but universal praise over the years.

With Forza Horizon 6, this may be their most complete game yet. The long-awaited trip to Japan lets Playground flex its muscle in developing the ultimate open-world playground.

There's so much to see and do that, at times, it can be overwhelming. Do you travel through the Japanese countryside and take in the natural beauty? Or maybe you're focused on acquiring wristbands from the Horizon Festival. No matter your focus, one thing is for sure: you're going to spend a lot of time with Forza Horizon 6.

Japan is Truly the Star of Forza Horizon 6

One of the most exciting things about any Horizon game is getting to explore its world. Yes, that includes the first one, which took place in a nondescript part of Colorado. Playground has always excelled at creating a map filled with secrets and surprises, slowly but surely leaning more toward being an open-world game first and a racing game second. It's a formula that's worked quite well over the past decade plus.

Forza Horizon 6 doesn't look to reinvent the wheel and is content to simply refine what's been working, and that's perfectly okay. In terms of major gameplay innovation, there's not much to write home about. Seasons return from Forza Horizon 4, rotating on a weekly basis based on a real-life calendar. The map of Japan feels like a much-improved version of what we had in Forza Horizon 5. A condensed version of the country that offers the very best of what makes Japan unique

Yes, Tokyo is quite condensed, as fans pointed out earlier this year, but it still feels like a legitimate urban environment. One key reason is that its skyline looms large across the entire map.

In fact, there are several iconic landmarks that constantly loom on the horizon (pun not intended). It's something that helps Forza Horizon 6's Japan feel intimate, regardless of how large and sprawling it actually is. I was impressed by how quickly I got my bearings, which allows me to navigate the map with ease. It's a good thing, too, because there's so much more to see and do instead of just racing.

One Ticket to Tokyo, Please

Rather than solely relying on the Horizon Festival to guide players to explore Japan, Forza Horizon 6 introduces a new type of system to progress through. Discover Japan acts as an additional way to progress through the game's campaign, but this isn't about racing against other Horizon competitors. Instead, you'll be performing various tasks with one goal in mind: to see everything the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer.

You see, Forza Horizon 6 has you playing the role of a tourist, not just an aspiring racer. Your friend Mei invites you and Jordy to Japan with dreams of entering the Horizon Festival, yes, but there's more at play here. Mei will act not just as a tour guide, at times literally, around the country, but also as an introduction to other people who will be part of Japan-centric events.

This includes street racing, drifting, and even running DoorDash-style missions to deliver food. These events do more than offer a place to show off your skills; it's a place to show off Japan as a locale, and it's done extremely well. I'll never get tired of seeing Tokyo's lights in the distance or the mountains on the horizon. Playground Games' Japan is absolutely beautiful in every sense of the word.

I know I mentioned earlier that Forza Horizon 6 doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel, only to offer a brand-new way to play the game. Yet Discover Japan feels like it's been a part of the Horizon franchise for quite a while. Most of the fun I've had with these games is just seeing the sights and going on joyrides. Now it's a part of the campaign.

Live Fast, Ride Fast Like Two Hundred on the Dashboard

There are so many times I feel like I'm rewarded for just going on joyrides and exploring Japan, especially since Discover Japan is indeed part of the campaign. The more I explore, the more I find, not just in terms of hidden cards and secrets, but also as someone who seemingly bought a one-way ticket to Japan.

As weird as it feels to say, Forza Horizon 6 is often content with you taking a break from the races and just sitting back and relaxing. It leans far more into its open-world environment than past entries, almost at times bragging about what it's accomplished.

I get it. I, too, would want to spend my time admiring all the hard work when it's this impressive. Yet despite that feeling, I always feel like there's something new and exciting around the bend, especially when progressing through the Horizon Festival.

These events continue to be an absolute blast, and Playground Games have truly outdone themselves here. The showcase events remain the creme de la creme, leaning into the over-the-top flavor that is Japan. They continually put a smile on my face, and I've even gone back to replay them because they're so much fun.

Have We Reached the Limit of Visual Prowess?

With so much of a focus on improving on near-perfection with Forza Horizon 5, I couldn't help but wonder if Playground would find a way to blow everyone away with something new and exciting. They went the route of focusing solely on making the best game possible and living up to the hype and anticipation of Japan as a locale, which, honestly, is the right move.

We've been to Europe twice, and Mexico and Australia have a lot of similarities. Japan represents something new and exciting, and they've done an excellent job. Having said that, if you're expecting a major graphical leap forward as we got from Forza Horizon 4 to 5, you may be disappointed.

That's not to say Forza Horizon 6 is a bad-looking game, because it's not. I just wasn't truly blown away, which is no fault of the game. It's just the current state of the industry right now. Graphics can only advance so far, and Playground does a great job of delivering the same "wow factor" as last time. The biomes aren't as lush or wildly varied, but Japan is still a visual treat.

Having said that, we do need to talk about the load times. I'm not exactly a fan of waiting an extended period of time between races just for a podium cutscene that I almost always skip straight into another load screen. They're not excessively long, but they are noticeable, and that's enough for me to raise a stink.

Isn't the View Spectacular?

For me, one of the biggest highlights of any Forza Horizon game is the soundtrack.

Since the days of the original, which helped me discover Chvrches, I'm always curious to see what earworms will dominate my time with the game. As expected, Forza Horizon 6 is no short certified bangers, and I'm not just saying that because I already have half of Horizon Wave on a Spotify Playlist.

Following up on the local flair on Forza Horizon 5, Forza Horizon 6's soundtrack pays homage to its Japanese locale. That goes beyond the Gacha City Radio station, which features a bevy of J-Pop artists such as Ado (who's appearing in Stranger Than Heaven). BABYMETAL, unsurprisingly, has a strong presence on the soundtrack, and nearly every station has a dash of Japanese flair to aid what's already an immersive experience.

Sadly, the infinite looping of a song during an event is still a thing. It's my biggest pet peeve with the Forza Horizon games, and while I understand why they exist, I'd love to at least have the option to turn it off. Honestly, I'm nitpicking here, and I've been perfectly happy to just swap radio stations when I'm bored with a song. That, or turn on Hospital for a song that makes sense to infinitely loop.

Forza Horizon 6 is as good as you hoped it would be. Japan has quickly become my favorite location, and the in-game map really does it justice. There's so much to see and do that even after spending the past week with the game, it feels like I've barely scratched the surface. While again, there isn't much in terms of new ideas or innovation, the Horizon series didn't need it. There's already a well-established formula in place, and Playground Games did well to continue delivering one of the best racing experiences you'll ever have with Forza Horizon 6.

Released May 19, 2026

ESRB Everyone / Mild Lyrics, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases

Pros & Cons

• Japan has immediately become my favorite Forza Horizon locale
• The open-world gameplay experience of Horizon has never been better
• An impressive amount of varied content to keep you entertained for the forseeable future

• Load times can be a bit long
• Infinitely looping music is still annoying