Forza Horizon 6’s Tokyo City is Its Own Biome and Even Had a Dedicated Team, Says Playground Games

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Playground Games has repeatedly emphasized how expansive the world of Forza Horizon 6 is, particularly the new Japan setting and all its content. But Tokyo City itself is truly remarkable – it’s five times larger than any area the developers have created before. It was such a massive undertaking that the studio divided into two teams, with one team dedicated solely to building the city, as art director Don Arceta explained to IGN.

Our team is building a truly massive city – the largest we’ve ever created for a game. It’s incredibly detailed and complex, far exceeding anything we’ve done before. Because Tokyo is so expansive, with its roads, buildings, plants, and varied terrain, we needed a dedicated team just to bring it to life in Forza Horizon. It’s a huge environment that demanded its own focused development effort.

Production director Mike Bennett explains that this installment is their largest to date, significantly bigger than the previous urban space in Guanajuato – about five times the size. He also highlights the increased variety and range of content compared to earlier games.

He acknowledged that past games set in Guanajuato, while visually vibrant with diverse building styles, may have lacked enough distinctiveness between areas. It felt a little repetitive as players moved around, without significant features to differentiate each location.

Our version of Tokyo is really diverse. The city center features tall skyscrapers, and as you move outwards, you’ll find nice suburban neighborhoods. The most unique part is the complex, multi-layered road system we’ve created – something we’ve never done before. We even had to develop new tools to build it, using our experience from the Hot Wheels project.

The city is neatly divided into four main areas, according to art director Don Arceta. These include the outer ‘crust,’ known as the Suburbs; the Dockyard, filled with containers ideal for drifting and events—Arceta suggests it’s like stepping into a movie; the Industrial Area, accessible via the Rainbow Bridge and home to the renowned Daikoku car park; and finally, Downtown, the vibrant center of the city where the Horizon Festival truly comes alive.

The location is more than just a racing hub within the game’s world. As Bennett explains, since cars can travel anywhere, it was important to populate the city and make it feel alive with people.

Our game isn’t like Grand Theft Auto, and we don’t aim for that level of realism. Because of this, interactions between vehicles and pedestrians can be unpredictable. We’re constantly working to find ways to include people in the game world while also protecting them from being hit by cars.

One of the benefits of the Horizon setup being constantly available throughout the city is that we can create dedicated areas with Horizon Festival themes. These areas are car-free, keeping people safe, while still making the city feel lively when you’re driving. This immersive approach helps us overcome a key challenge and enhances the overall experience.

Overall, Forza Horizon 6 isn’t just improving on previous games with better graphics; it’s truly capturing the essence of Japan. The game has completely changed how it builds its world and makes players feel present in it. Even though the city of Tokyo doesn’t have fully developed characters going about their daily lives, it still feels incredibly vibrant and alive.

I’m really excited to see what the rest of the game world looks like when Forza Horizon 6 comes out on May 19th for Xbox Series X/S and PC! If you want a longer look at the beautiful scenery, you can check it out here.

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2026-03-13 19:11