Forza Horizon 6 Is a New High Point for Xbox’s Flagship Racing Series (Review)

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Forza Horizon has become the most popular and highly-rated racing game series of the last ten years. It’s revolutionized open-world racing and become a key franchise for Xbox, especially when other exclusive Xbox games haven’t always delivered. While Forza has been a part of Xbox for over two decades, it’s the Horizon games that have truly made the series well-known.

With Forza Horizon 6, Xbox and Playground Games have once again built upon the strengths of the series, delivering an exceptional experience. This latest installment isn’t just the best Forza Horizon game yet – it’s easily one of the best games available on Xbox this generation.

Rating: 4.5/5

Pros Cons
One of the most gorgeous games yet in the Xbox Series X/S generation Certain unlockables are tied behind in-game purchases
Filled with enough content to keep you busy for dozens of hours, if not more Story elements are incredibly forgettable
The open world of Japan is equal parts vast and varied
Diversity of cars, races, and other in-game events will push you to keep playing for long periods of time

Japan Is Forza Horizon’s Best Locale Yet

Like all new Forza Horizon games, the biggest draw of FH6 is its new location. This time, Forza Horizon 6 takes place in Japan, and it’s my favorite setting in the series so far. Playground Games has created their most beautiful and diverse open world yet, making it incredibly enjoyable to simply explore and see what you discover while driving around Japan. Just cruising and finding new things was a highlight of the game.

What makes Forza Horizon 6 different from previous games is its focus on Tokyo City. This is the most detailed and bustling city Playground Games has ever created, and it really sets this game apart. While past titles like FH4 and FH5 featured impressive open worlds, they didn’t offer much in the way of realistic cityscapes. Forza Horizon 6 fixes this, and Tokyo City becomes a fantastic setting for some of the game’s most thrilling races.

Beyond the city of Tokyo, Forza Horizon 6 offers even more to explore. The game features the challenging off-road racing the series is famous for, letting you compete across rice paddies and through snowy Japanese mountains. If you get bored with one area, it’s easy to travel to a different part of the map and discover new things.

Forza Horizon 6 Is a Technical Marvel

Forza Horizon 6 is the first game in the series on current-generation consoles, and the difference is immediately noticeable. The graphics are a significant improvement, especially the ray tracing, which is some of the best I’ve ever seen in a video game. The way light reflects off the cars is stunning and remained impressive even after playing for many hours.

The game looks fantastic, and it consistently runs smoothly, performing well in both quality and performance settings. A stable frame rate is crucial for racing games, as even small stutters can disrupt your driving. It’s a significant accomplishment that Forza Horizon 6 launched without any performance issues, especially considering how many games struggle with this at release.

Beyond showcasing the impressive power of the Xbox Series X/S and PCs, Forza Horizon 6 is simply beautiful to experience. Its vibrant colors and detailed environments create a welcoming world that encourages exploration. The only real visual drawback is the character models, but since you don’t see them often, it’s not a major issue.

FH6 Has Enough Content to Keep You Busy for a LONG Time

Seriously, when I’m playing Forza Horizon 6, I’m constantly blown away by how beautiful it looks! But even more than that, it’s almost overwhelming deciding what to do next. There’s just SO much stuff packed into this game. I haven’t even scratched the surface of everything, but I’m guessing if you’re a completionist, you’re looking at well over 100 hours of gameplay to do it all!

Even though Forza Horizon 6 has a ton of things to do, it makes sure everything is genuinely enjoyable. One minute you might be delivering food quickly around Tokyo, like a speedy delivery driver, and the next you’re racing a giant mech through the Japanese countryside. The game’s world is incredibly varied, and so are the tasks you can take on. While some activities are simpler than others, each race and side mission feels unique. This keeps the game feeling new and exciting, which is especially important in a game with so much content.

Forza Horizon 6 isn’t just about exciting driving – it also lets you personalize almost everything. You can finely tune your cars for performance, change their appearance with new paint jobs, and even redesign your houses to reflect your style. There are so many customization options that you might spend as much time tweaking and designing as you do racing to beat your records.

Forza Horizon 6 is a huge success for Playground Games. It’s the most detailed, expansive, and visually stunning Forza Horizon game to date, and many consider it the best exclusive game Xbox has released so far this generation. Whether you’re a dedicated racing fan or new to the genre, Forza Horizon 6 is a must-play.

I’m super excited – Forza Horizon 6 comes out next week on May 19th! I actually got early access starting tomorrow, May 15th, and I want to let you know I received a copy of the game from the publisher to check it out and share my thoughts.

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2026-05-14 15:10