Microsoft and Playground Games dropped an official gameplay teaser for Forza Horizon 6, finally confirming the open-world racer heads to Japan on May 19. A longer developer presentation followed with detailed looks at gameplay and confirmed major changes to how progression works.
The teaser shows brief glimpses of Japanese cityscapes, mountain roads, and night racing sequences. The full presentation runs around 11 minutes and packs in significantly more detail about what players can expect from the franchise’s most requested location.
Japan brings the dense urban environments and twisty mountain passes fans have wanted for years. The footage showcases racing through neon-lit city streets and downhill touge-style runs clearly inspired by Japanese car culture. Sharp-eyed viewers spotted a Toyota AE86 in the footage, and the entire night racing segment appears designed as a love letter to drift and street racing culture.
The biggest shake-up comes to progression. Wristbands are back, meaning players won’t start as festival superstars this time. You’ll need to qualify for the Horizon Festival itself, marking a return to the structure of the original 2012 Forza Horizon. This addresses years of fan complaints about recent entries showering players with supercars immediately.
Wheelspins return as part of the reward system. Seasons are also confirmed with what developers describe as fully-fledged seasonal changes to the map and driving conditions.
Xbox Series X|S and PC get the game first on May 19. A PlayStation 5 version is planned for later in 2026, though no specific date has been announced yet. The game will be available day one on Game Pass.
The presentation ends with a brief shot that appears to show a massive mecha leg, immediately kicking off speculation about Gundam-themed content. Whether this represents full DLC, a special showcase event, or just an Easter egg remains unclear. Playground hasn’t officially commented on the tease yet.
