Forza Horizon 6 Review

Japan has long been a setting that games have sought to incorporate, though with varying degrees of success. Many have tried, with titles like Ghost of Tsushima/Yotei, the Yakuza series, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows serving as success stories. Now, you can add the Forza series to the list as well.

Playground Games set out to answer a long‑running fan request with Forza Horizon 6: bring the Festival to Japan. The result is an ambitious, lovingly crafted open world that blends neon cityscapes, winding mountain passes, and countryside views into the largest Horizon map yet. This is a game built to be explored and photographed, and the scale of the world, along with its various vehicles and activities, makes Forza Horizon 6 an absolute joy to play.

Japan Awaits

The prologue wastes no time, giving players a sampler of what they can expect through the lens of cars like the Nissan GT‑R Nismo and even the 2025 GR GT Prototype cover car. It’s a fast, flashy introduction that doubles as a quick tutorial, showing how varied, loud, and visually striking the game can be.

And it is! Much like its predecessors, the setting is the headline act. Tokyo is as dreamy as ever, an online playground that hosts tight urban circuits, long highways, and technical touge routes. The world is huge, spanning multiple familiar districts like Ohtani and Minamino, each with its own signature look and feel. The Sotoyama region up top is a snow-filled wonderland, while Tokyo is bustling with energy, and others like Hokubu and Ito contain stunning countryside views.

While obviously not a 1:1 recreation, the similarities are striking. People who have been to Japan will immediately recognize famous tourist spots like Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo Tower, and more, while those who haven’t been to the beautiful country may remember references from past anime or manga. Density and verticality are present, as are the neon districts, quieter suburbs, industrial zones, bridges, and tunnels, each offering different driving styles.

Seasons in Forza Horizon 6 are not just cosmetic dressing, but actually change how roads behave and how scenes look. Snowy passes will test players’ ability to control traction, while sakura‑lined streets at dusk are begging for photo mode. The game’s weekly season rotation encourages return visits and keeps the world feeling alive.

There’s only so much you can do to make the cars in Forza Horizon 6 look even better than before, and so the biggest upgrade here is in how the world looks and feels. Japan, with all its structure in one part and wide-open spaces on another part, is truly a playground.

Rank Grinding

Progression in Forza Horizon 6 is anchored by the returning wristband system, where players complete qualifiers and events to earn wristbands that unlock higher tiers of the Festival and new activities. Series veterans will absolutely love this system, making progression feel earned, and with more cars and an even bigger map to play around with, there’s a lot of reason to sink time into the game, especially when you’re seeing tangible and satisfying progress.

Familiar races such as those on road and dirt return, and there are also drift races and speed traps for those looking for variety. A personal favorite, the Day Trips, are more relaxing rides that take you along scenic routes with a short history lesson to boot, perfect for just taking in the sights and practicing your photo mode skills. There are also new additions, like Touge Battles, which are basically races that use the narrow, winding roads of Japan’s mountain passes.

One great thing about Forza Horizon 6 is how varied the activities are, not only in form but also in the time they require. Some activities, like the speed traps, are often one-and-done and bite-sized, while others are longer battles that require skill and perseverance. It’s easy to say there’s an activity for everyone, and the game ensures there’s always something to do.

Players also gain access to ANNA, the automated navigation assistant that can recommend events or even enable auto‑drive for a laid‑back cruise to the next destination, which is a fantastic feature if you want to take a break for a bit. Complementing ANNA is Drone Mode, a versatile tool for cinematic photography that elevates the game’s photo mode, giving players the freedom to capture sweeping vistas and dynamic racing moments with creative flair.

Pimp my Ride

The Garage is a huge part of the player experience in Forza Horizon 6. Playground Games delivers the largest day-one car roster yet, spanning modern icons to beloved JDM classics. Collecting is more rewarding than ever thanks to how these cars can be obtained, and apart from simply purchasing them, you can even find some off the map if you’re observant enough from exploring.

Cars can be enhanced with body and engine kits, new Forza Aero options, and custom liveries, each upgrade costing credits and delivering noticeable performance improvements. Speed and acceleration gains often come at the expense of handling or stability, making tuning a strategic choice. Vehicles are ranked across performance tiers, and every upgrade nudges your ride closer to the next tier, reinforcing the sense of progression as you build and refine your collection.

The new Garage Customizer also elevates personalization, letting players design layouts, showcase vehicles, and capture photo-ready setups at every Player Home. Players can purchase estates, reinforcing ownership, but the game also emphasizes the social aspect, with community showcases and even a car “meet” where you can display your vehicle for others to look at, or you can do the looking yourself.

Speaking of the social aspect, multiplayer in Forza Horizon 6 remains seamless, with real players encountered organically while driving on the streets or participating in events. There’s always fun to be had when racing against skilled opponents, but you can also choose to race solo if you wish.

Forza Horizon 6 PC Performance

Here’s what we used to play Forza Horizon 6:

• Ryzen 5 5600x, 16 GB DDR4 3600 RAM, NVIDIA 4070 Super, 1TB NVMe SSD
• ROG Xbox Ally
• ROG Strix OLED XG32UCWG

And here are the System Requirements for Forza Horizon 6:

Here are the various graphical settings you can play around with:

If you remember from our preview, we mentioned that the build we played back then ran perfectly fine, even though it is locked to performance mode at 30 FPS. Well, as good as Forza Horizon 6 looks, it drives even better. The game is silky smooth, and even with our setup, we managed to stick to upwards of 90 FPS at 4K resolution in ultra settings with DLSS set to balanced. The tracks and the cars that fill them look absolutely jaw-dropping, and even during busy sections, the game is simply flawless.

Forza Horizon 6 nails car audio with highly authentic, detail‑rich engine sounds that respond to how you drive, providing feedback and realistic effects. It might sound like a small detail, but hearing the game in action is impressive and greatly enhances immersion, especially with a good sound system.

Forza Horizon 6 also turns up the volume with a banging radio lineup that, of course, features local Japanese tracks and artists. As someone who is more in-tune with music from this side of the world, hearing BABYMETAL, ONE OK ROCK, and even Yoasobi’s Idol while driving across Shibuya Crossing sounds like a fever dream, and it’s genuinely fantastic.

If I had to nitpick, the character models could use some improvement, along with some of the voice performances, but that’s about it, just nitpicks.

Verdict: Buy it!

Forza Horizon 6 is another triumph for Playground Games, cementing it as the best simcade racing series out in the market. By all accounts, almost every aspect of this game is top-notch, from graphics to audio design and gameplay, delivering festival‑style racing at its most exhilarating.

The game’s audio design and visual presentation make it as exhilarating to play as it is to hear and see, and it excels in both scale and detail, offering a driving experience through a vibrant playground that rewards casual fans and dedicated racers alike.

*Forza Horizon 6 was reviewed on a PC with a code provided by the publisher.