Forza Horizon 5 can be considered one of the best games released this console generation, and it may not be a reach to say that it is one of the best racing games out there today. It’s safe to say, then, that Forza Horizon 6 has some big shoes to fill, with expectations sky high for this installment, especially since the game takes place in a long-requested location – Japan.

We got a chance to play an early preview build of Forza Horizon 6 on our Xbox Series X ahead of its May 19 launch, taking us on a brief whirlwind tour of its Japanese setting and offering a small taste of the many activities on offer. After spending a little over 10 hours on the preview build (the “actual” content is only about 1 hour), Forza Horizon 6 does indeed bring the sauce once again, but of course, how it fares long-term remains to be seen.

Forza Horizon 6 Hands-on Preview

Horizon Qualifiers and the Road to Legend Island

Forza Horizon 6 wastes no time in setting the tone. The prologue throws players into an iconic Nissan GT-R Nismo tearing through city streets, then shifts gears into a snow race with a Polaris RZR Pro 4 Truck, ending in a winding mountain pass with a Porsche 911 GT2, all while painfully teasing the legendary Toyota AE86 Trueno that I thought I could drive at this time. The introduction ends as players are given a crack at the wheel of the 2025 GR GT Prototype cover car, which felt a bit slippery to control compared to the others.

Similar to Horizon 5’s prologue, this is a high-octane introduction that feels more like a playable trailer than a tutorial, showcasing the many race types players can expect from the game. The soundtrack blends energetic beats with tunes reminiscent of anime openings, perfectly complementing the vibrant Japanese setting. Hearing Japanese lines spoken over the radio is such a nice touch, too!

It has to be said that Japan is amazingly stunning, with winding mountain passes, diverse biomes like farmland and snow-capped regions, and sakura littered across the streets. As someone who has been to Japan multiple times, I can say it feels and looks just like the real thing. Roaming around Japan will certainly be something players will look to do in Forza Horizon 6, even just for sightseeing.

After a few practice races, the world opens up with a clear objective: complete Horizon qualifiers to earn a shot at the Horizon Invitational, where success unlocks new events and brings racers closer to Legend Island.

Progression in Forza Horizon 6 is tied to Horizon Points, earned through various races scattered across the map. Collect enough to secure a coveted yellow wristband (worth 1250 points), granting access to higher-tier competitions and new challenges. This is basically how progression works, in a nutshell, moving you up the ladder as you gain more experience and points.

If there’s one thing Playground Games does well, it’s translating the exhilarating feeling of driving into the screen. Forza Horizon 6 nails this well, making driving rewarding and making players feel good about roaming the tracks through a combination of visual effects and constant feedback. Players can earn points for stylish driving, as drifting, drafting, and near misses all contribute. Something very familiar to returning players.

Japan is Your Playground

In Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games offers players a mix of modern and traditional. Through a mix of countryside views and city streets, Japan is brought to life in stunning fashion, roughly five times the size of Mexico from Horizon 5, and is the largest map in the series thus far, spanning 662 roads and 74 unique, iconic areas.

Players will be able to drive through sprawling industrial zones and commercial districts such as Shibuya Crossing and Tokyo Tower, as well as routes that prioritize speed, while others, like twisting mountain passes and tighter passageways, require more technical driving. While locations are extremely limited in this preview, it does give a sense that the game is undeniably massive.

The idea of discovery rings true in Forza Horizon 6, as players can find many things, like scattered collectible mascots in each area, roads and regions like Minamino and Ohtani, along with Horizon boards that reward players with XP for roaming around the area.

Players will also be offered an automated navigation assistant called ANNA, which can guide players to recommended events or even enable auto-drive, allowing players to casually stroll to the next destination. While this is a great feature for stock cars, more powerful cars will not work well with auto-drive, often missing turns and overshooting stops due to their power. A Drone Mode is also available, offering cinematic photography opportunities that elevate photo mode.

Diverse Race Types and Challenges

Forza Horizon 6 starts players off as a tourist rookie driver, working their way into the Horizon festival while building a car collection by completing various activities across the map. Race variety remains a hallmark, and this latest installment expands on it with an impressive range of events.

Rally and trail races take place off airfields, drag meets and drift challenges cater to specialists, cross-country sprints cut across farms and rural landscapes, and urban street races light up Tokyo’s bustling districts. Speed traps are events that challenge players to record their top speed across a checkpoint, while the Danger Sign lets players gain massive air time to record the longest jump while nailing the landing.

Car Upgrades and Custom Garages

Along the way, you’ll be able to purchase homes across Japan, each with a customizable garage to showcase your collection and celebrate your achievements. Each of these garages can be customized to a player’s liking, with decorations and props, flags, and platforms, adding a personal touch.

Cars can be upgraded with the usual body and engine kits, new Forza Aero options, and custom liveries. Each upgrade costs credits and has a tangible impact on performance, often boosting speed and acceleration at the expense of handling or stability, for example. Cars are ranked by performance tiers, from C to B and beyond, with each upgrade inching your car closer to the next tier.

Only a fraction of the total number of cars is available to purchase at this time, with three main ones to choose from at the start: The 1989 Nissan Silvia K, the 1994 Toyota Celica GT‑Four ST205, and the 1970 GMC Jimmy. It’s a nice selection that offers a different experience, and while car selection is rather limited in this preview build, the final game will offer players over 550 cars from modern automobiles to JDM classics.

Online Play and Flawless Performance

As with previous installments, multiplayer integration remains seamless, with racers seeing one another in real time across this sprawling world. Again, as this preview build is quite limited, there’s no way to test it out yet, but we’re quite certain that Playground Games has this locked.

Additionally, the current build runs at a locked 30 fps in Quality Mode, and while I would have appreciated a 60 fps Performance Mode (which will be in the full game on release), playing this was extremely fun, so I didn’t mind it being 30 fps because of how stable and smooth it was.

Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to be another fantastic entry if this preview build is anything to go by. The game blends cinematic spectacle, deep customization, and a richly detailed Japanese map, and with much more to unlock, we can’t wait to jump back in.

Forza Horizon 6 is launching on May 19, 2026 for Xbox Series, PC via Steam, with day‑one Game Pass Ultimate access. Premium Edition owners get early access starting May 15, 2026.