Most Exciting Features Confirmed for Forza Horizon 6

After a nearly five-year wait, Forza Horizon 6 is launching in May, with a PlayStation 5 version coming later. Playground Games recently revealed the first details of the game, showcasing its features and promising the largest and most ambitious installment in the open-world arcade racing series yet.

Even though we’ve only seen a little of Forza Horizon 6 so far, it’s clear the game will have a lot of new and returning features that both longtime fans and new players will enjoy. The Forza Horizon series has always struck a great balance between easy-to-pick-up arcade driving and more realistic racing, letting players customize their experience exactly how they like it, and Forza Horizon 6 looks to continue that tradition. Here’s a look at some of the officially confirmed features that have us excited.

The Biggest Map with the Largest Explorable City Yet

Not Just the Largest, but the Most Dense, Layered, and Vertical World With Cities That Feel Like It

The next installment in the Forza Horizon series, Forza Horizon 6, is taking place in Japan – a location fans have been requesting for a long time. The game will once again feature dynamic seasons, offering a more noticeable seasonal change than Forza Horizon 5’s Mexico, and a return to the more pronounced seasons seen in Forza Horizon 4’s Britain. Japan’s diverse landscapes – from peaceful countryside and modern cities to towering mountains and lush forests – promise a visually stunning experience with a wide range of colors, road types, and weather conditions. Developers are aiming for the largest and most detailed map yet, packed with varied terrain and plenty of elevation changes, and early looks at the game’s world are incredibly impressive.

Tokyo in this game is the biggest city ever created for a Forza Horizon title – it’s five times larger than the map in Forza Horizon 5. Players will be able to freely explore the entire city, which is divided into distinct districts, similar to the expansive cities found in popular Need for Speed games.

550 Cars with Advanced Customization at Launch

More Cars Than Ever Before, With More Tuning Options

Forza Horizon 6 will launch with over 550 highly detailed, real-world cars – more than any previous game in the series. Forza Horizon 5 had around 500 cars at launch, and that number has increased over time. Forza Horizon 6 will include many of the cars from Forza Horizon 5, plus new additions, especially focusing on popular Japanese car brands and styles.

While performance numbers are important, the developers have also focused on improving the overall experience. This includes more realistic steering animations, high-quality audio for each car, and special, heavily modified “Forza Edition” cars, as well as rare aftermarket options. The game’s car list has been completely reworked to create a better balance between different types of vehicles. Because Japan is famous for its car customization culture, players will have more ways to personalize their cars than ever before, including new body kits, aerodynamic parts, and the ability to create custom designs on windows. However, don’t expect the same level of detailed tuning options as the newest Need for Speed games.

Reworked Progression Where Players Start As a Rookie

You’re No Longer a Superstar, but Just a Humble Nobody

A major improvement coming in Forza Horizon 6 is a revamped campaign. Unlike FH4 and FH5, where you begin as a famous racing star, Forza Horizon 6 lets you start as a newcomer. You’ll have to work your way up from being a regular tourist and prove your skills to earn a spot in the Festival events as a rookie driver, which offers a more rewarding experience.

The game then follows a traditional racing progression system. Players need to qualify for races, overcome challenges, and steadily improve their skills and reputation through effort, instead of simply receiving constant rewards. The ultimate goal is to win the Gold Wristband, a significant achievement that unlocks Legend Island – a brand-new area with exclusive events. While it’s still a Forza Horizon game, so don’t expect a brutally difficult experience, this shift away from excessive rewards was a much-needed change.

Base-Building Elements and Customizable Car Garages

It’s Time to Set Up Not Only Cars, but Their Homes as Well

One of the biggest new features in Forza Horizon 6 is the ability to build and customize your own home base, called “The Valley Estate”. Similar to past games, you can purchase properties throughout Japan, but this time, each house includes a garage you can fully personalize. You can design the interior of your car warehouse to perfectly showcase your collection, and even download garage designs created by other players – it’s as easy as browsing cars or applying custom paint jobs.

Players will also unlock a new part of their Estate during the game, giving them access to a large, open area in a mountain valley. Here, they can build whatever they want – a massive base with hangars, houses, and garages – similar to the Hideout in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. What’s really cool is that everything players build stays permanently visible in the open world, not just for themselves, but for any friends they invite to share it.

Custom Co-op Track Builder and Expanded Multiplayer Modes

EventLab 2.0 and Seamless Multiplayer Challenges in the Open World

Forza Horizon 6 brings back the popular custom track builder, EventLab, with improved tools and the ability to design events anywhere in the expansive Japanese game world. A new feature called Horizon CoLab lets players collaborate on tracks with friends using full multiplayer support. Plus, dedicated Car Meet locations throughout Japan offer a place to connect with friends and other players before starting a session.

The game’s multiplayer experience is expanded with new races and events. Players can easily jump into Time Attack Circuits and Drag Meets while exploring the open world. Popular modes like The Eliminator and 5-vs-1 Hide & Seek, originally from Forza Horizon 5, will be ready to play from the start.

Two Post-Launch Expansions

What’s Next for the Fans After All the Roads Have Been Conquered?

Like previous Forza Horizon games, Forza Horizon 6 will get two expansions after it launches. These are included in the Premium Edition, or can be bought on their own. While it’s still early days and details haven’t been announced, players can expect more content after the game is released. Forza Horizon expansions usually add significant new features, like entirely new areas to explore, a wide variety of new cars, and unique events and challenges.

Looking at how Forza Horizon 5 received its expansions can give us a good idea of what to expect for Forza Horizon 6. The first expansion for Forza Horizon 5, Hot Wheels, came out eight months after the game launched, and the second, Rally Adventure, followed eight months after that. So, we can anticipate expansions for Forza Horizon 6 arriving roughly every six to ten months.

2026-01-24 20:42