Forza Horizon 6 Review

By Dan Durkin / May 14, 2026

Forza Horizon 6 is here, and the series is back with a bang. From the moment you take the wheel, you know this game is gonna be special. Microsoft's latest starts with a mix of the signature Horizon cutscenes and gameplay segments that that explain who you are, what you’re doing and what Horizon is all - and this sequence does everything to get you hyped. There’s swirls of music followed by over the top set pieces and it’s the perfect introduction to Japan.

I also want to preface this review by saying that I love Forza Horizon 5, so I was eagerly awaiting this instalment. And with great pleasure, I’m happy to report that Forza Horizon 6 is just as good, if not better than 5 in almost every way. So let’s break it down.

The star of the show here is its setting: Tokyo, Japan. This map is vast, varied and full of things to do. It continues to evoke that sense of intrigue and discovery so important to this series. Locations are the main differentiator of the Horizon series, with each entry having vastly different settings from the each other. The series does share a fundamental core DNA between instalments, however Horizon 6 takes it to a whole new level.

This game respects Japan, and you can really feel the care and dedication Playground Games put into this one. It’s a little bit funny that because of the attention to detail, I ended up feeling really bad when I kept destroying the environment with my terrible driving skills, and thats how you know this game gets it right. I’ve never felt guilty smashing up streets in a Need For Speed game, but here in Tokyo, accidentally knocking over a few streets signs literally keeps me up at night.

Anyway let’s talk content. What can you do in this game besides race? Well the answer is a lot! We have the tried and tested things such as collectables, speed traps, various discoverable barns with rare cars, story missions and lots more. But then we also have a variety of new activities too, such as the food delivery missions, which are genuinely great. I’m never gonna complain about my Uber Eats orders being cold again, because damn, to get three stars in some of these missions is tough!

We also now have sightseeing missions which has to be one of the standout things for me that this game has added. These missions slow things down a bit and I know that sounds a bit counterproductive for a racing game, but to me the Horizon series has always been more about taking in the environment, enjoying the vibes, messing around with the cars, and just letting the player go at their own pace.

So the way Forza Horizon 6 curates this is by including these missions that essentially give you a tour of the game. They still have a bit of challenge to them, with different race variations afterwards, and there is a time limit, but it’s very generous. The way they’re presented makes it clear you’re supposed to take your time with them.

Horizon does a really good job of this by giving you specific vehicles to use. So, for example, there’s a Honda Civic mission where you drive around Tokyo, and the narration talks you through the history of the city—specifically the areas you’re visiting—while tying it back to the car you’re driving. You get a bit of backstory on the Honda Civic as well, apparently it was made in 1972 which is a fact I couldn’t tell you before I played this game. It’s so interesting and it all connects in this more slow-paced, thoughtful way.

I just think it’s an excellent way of giving players backstory and history, while also letting them take a step back from the usual “go as fast as possible” mindset. When you jump into one of these missions in between races, it’s a real breath of fresh air, and it gives them the chance to show off the setting in a more chilled-out way.

For me, it’s one of the best additions to the game. They’re really fun to do, and as someone who’s not massively into cutscenes in racing games, having those little history lessons sprinkled in—without being in your face—is great. It’s a smart way for the developers to add a bit of context and lore to both the location and the cars you’re driving.

But anyway this is a racing game, so how’s the racing? Well if you’ve played a Forza game before then it’s going to feel very familiar. The drifting feels responsive and not over the top, and in my opinion they handle the sense of speed perfectly. Thankfully this game doesn’t fall victim to the ‘rubber banding’ effect like some of its competitors, so if you’re going really fast in a circuit race you can actually lap your opponents!

There’s also a variety of different missions to enjoy. We have the circuit races, cross country races, dirt races and my personal favourite, the street races. These races are the ones that highlight your car’s rank, which means that if you choose a B-Class car, then all of your opponents will also be driving B-Class vehicles. This is a great inclusion as it encourages you to experiment with all types of vehicles and it means that you’re not just going after the super high end cars like the Paganis or Lamborghinis. If you want to drive and race a Ford Focus, you totally can do that without being penalised for picking a ‘slower’ car. That to me is so important in a game that has such a vast array of different vehicles. This game makes each one stand out and seem viable, so you’re not punished for using a car that may not be super quick, but it’s a car you like.

One thing I will say about the breadth of content here is that it can be a little bit intimidating when you first start up, and the game kind of bombards you with a million different unlocks. It is cool having all of this available from the get-go, but there’s just so much here. And yeah, like I say, it can be a bit much.

Again, this is more of a minor nitpick about how the game presents its content, but when you first load in, you’re hit with various pop-up boxes and different types of unlockables that are all segmented into different parts of the menu. The menus themselves are a little bit complicated just because there’s so much going on.

I think once you’ve played for a bit and you start to get the hang of the systems, it’s fine. But when you first boot the game up and you just want to drive around for a bit and get a feel for things, the constant stream of pop-ups and everything being thrown at you all at once is a lot.

There’s also a range of different homes you can purchase throughout the region and once you acquire them you can now customise your garage. There’s a range of decoration options that allow you to make a cool space to show off your cars. This is a very neat feature and with the ability to upload and share creations, I can imagine a lot of people will be making some awesome spaces. I do have to note that I spent around 30 minutes designing my first garage, it was all done and after I had finished playing that night and re-entered the next day, my design didn’t sadly save correctly which was a bit of a bummer.

I also want to commend the amount of vehicles present in this game. There’s a car for everyone and the cool part of Forza is that you can choose what sort of vehicle you want and make it competitively viable through the tuning options. There’s a vast array of options here for people who like to get down to the nitty gritty aspects of performance customisation, tuning every little detail to perfection. There’s also an auto-upgrade button (which I used a lot) that will enhance your vehicle to the specifications of a type of class you need. The game does all the work and you just need to fork out the money. This is the best of both worlds and acts as a great time save for people who want to maximise their time on the roads.

As for the main story in this game, it’s paper thin and not very good. The voice acting can be cringe inducing at times, and there’s also an over reliance on wide shots in cutscenes in order to avoid any heavy lip syncing animations which does feel a little cheap. But I do wonder if there’s anyone out there who buys a game like this specifically for the story. It’s a racing game, you’re supposed to just go out and win races to progress through the increasingly difficulty events.

I will say that some of the best moments in this game come from the set piece moments in the story. One great example is a mission where you race a giant mech, this one is absolutely incredible. So the story is there, it’s just not the best.

Overall I very much enjoyed my time in Forza Horizon 6 and even though the gameplay is very similar to its predecessor, that loop remains addictive and fun even after spending 30+ hours in this world. If you’re a fan of the previous games then this one is a no brainer, especially since it’s on Game Pass too.

Now if you don’t mind me, I’ve got like 30 more mascots to find.

Review Score: ★★★★

Game code supplied by publisher for review, played on Xbox Series X.