With the May 19th release of Forza Horizon 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S approaching, Playground Games has launched ‘The Art of Driving‘ series. This three-part documentary series highlights the artists who created unique murals featured in the game’s world. The first episode, available to watch now, follows car photographer and host Larry Chen as he travels around Tohoku, Japan with artist DRAGON76 (Satoshi Fujita) in a Toyota Land Cruiser.
I’m so excited about this new video series! It starts up north in Tohoku, which the host, Chen, points out isn’t the typical image people have of Japan – it’s a bit colder, more peaceful, and a little rougher around the edges. He says when it came to choosing a vehicle for driving through snowy mountains, a Land Cruiser was the only way to go! This first episode is about 21 minutes long, and the whole series will eventually highlight nine artists, with three more featured in the remaining two episodes.
Playground Games revealed earlier this week they’re collaborating with nine Japanese artists to create in-game murals. Artist DRAGON76 shared that their mural will combine modern fashion and cyberpunk themes, drawing inspiration from the Nebuta Festival.
The Nebuta Festival is famous for its large, brightly lit floats, called ‘nebuta,’ which are made from paper and wire and often show characters from Japanese legends. I redesigned a popular figure from those myths, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, along with a dragon, giving them a look inspired by the near future, he explained.
The developers have now shared the complete map for Forza Horizon 6. It shows players will be able to drive through diverse landscapes, from the snow-covered Japanese Alps to the lively streets of Tokyo.
Players can race along routes like the 14.8-kilometer C1 Inner Circular Route and Ginkgo Avenue, a 300-meter stretch lined with over 140 ginkgo trees. The developers describe the Japan map in Forza Horizon 6 as their most detailed and layered map so far.
The in-game map isn’t meant to be a perfect recreation of Japan, according to design director Torben Ellert. The team focused more on capturing the feeling of journeying through Japan’s diverse landscapes than on strict accuracy.
Ellert explained that creating a truly immersive environment isn’t about perfectly recreating a location, but capturing its atmosphere. He used Tokyo as an example, asking us to consider what feels like driving there. You’d notice it from afar – the distant cityscapes, the transition through residential areas, and then suddenly being enveloped by towering skyscrapers in the city center. It’s about those sensations, not just visual accuracy.
Forza Horizon 6 is in development for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Players can pre-order a Premium Edition to start playing on May 15th.
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2026-04-08 15:11