Microsoft and Playground Games announced at the Xbox Developer Direct online conference held on Thursday that "Forza Horizon 6" (Forza Horizon 6) will be launched on the Xbox Series X / S and PC platforms on May 19. Players who pre-order the digital premium version can experience it four days in advance from May 15.
What is even more groundbreaking is that it is officially confirmed that this game will be launched on the Sony PS5 platform later this year, which represents the first time that this traditional "Xbox series" will simultaneously launch the latest main work on the PlayStation console.
The development team stated at the event that "Horizon 6" will bring the largest open map in the history of the series, and will be set in Japan, which is the most popular place among players. During the demonstration live broadcast, Playground Games showed a variety of scenes with different styles: there are high-density urban blocks lined with high-rise buildings, as well as natural landscapes and rural roads with lush vegetation, striving to restore the diverse and richly layered landforms of Japan.
In addition to the size of the map, the vehicle lineup of "Horizon 6" also sets a new series record: the game will provide more than 550 drivable vehicles at the launch stage, which is the highest number of vehicles in the history of the series at the launch. With the greatly expanded garage and Japanese track environment, it is generally expected that this game will make more targeted designs in gameplay such as street racing, short- and medium-distance sprints, and mountain drifting.
As early as September last year, Microsoft and Playground had officially announced the existence of this game and confirmed that the game is set in Japan and is planned to be released in 2026. At the time, art director Don Arceta bluntly stated in an interview with Xbox Wire that "Japan has been at the top of the wish list of fans of the Horizon series for many years," and the team was excited to finally bring this highly anticipated region to players in Horizon 6.
At present, the official has not announced specific national and localization details, but with the release date locked and the PS5 version confirmed, "Forza Horizon 6" has been regarded as one of the most watched new racing games on consoles and PC platforms in 2026. For players who are looking forward to open-world racing, a combination of immersive and arcade experiences, and long-awaited "Japan maps", the arrival of this new game will undoubtedly become a major event in the game market this year.