Forza Horizon 6 confirmed real but PS5 owners will have to wait longer than Xbox

Fans are finally getting a Forza Horizon game set in Japan (Microsoft)

It had been widely rumoured, but Microsoft has formally lifted the lid on Forza Horizon 6, with actual gameplay to come at a later date.

Thanks to an Instagram leak last month, it was very obvious that Microsoft was planning to announce a Forza Horizon 6 sooner or later, and that it would finally take the series to Japan, a long-requested setting amongst fans.

Subsequent rumours pointed to the game being announced during the Tokyo Game Show, which only looked even more likely after Microsoft said it would have a dedicated showcase during the event.

The showcase has just finished and while there was little in the way of big new reveals, it did cap with a teaser confirming the first set of details for Forza Horizon 6, including its release window.

What is the Forza Horizon 6 release date?

The teaser sadly didn’t share any gameplay footage, only confirming that Forza Horizon 6 will be set in Japan and that it’s aiming to launch in 2026. If previous entries are anything to go by, though, it’s safe to assume it’ll be out around autumn time.

In a post-showcase update, Microsoft adds that a proper first look is being saved for early 2026, possibly alluding to a new Xbox Developer Direct livestream, which so far have always aired in January.

Microsoft also admits that Forza Horizon 6 will be available on not just Xbox and PC (and be included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscriptions), but also PlayStation 5.

It’d be weird if it wasn’t coming to Sony’s console, considering Microsoft’s multiplatform push and how Forza Horizon 5’s PlayStation 5 port sold incredibly well, selling two million units in only a month.

Curiously, though, only the Xbox and PC versions are slated for 2026, while the PlayStation 5 version is being saved for the game’s post-launch. Assuming Forza Horizon 6 does arrive in the tail end of 2026, PlayStation 5 owners may not get to play it until 2027.

It’s interesting how Microsoft is picking and choosing which of its games get simultaneous multiplatform launches and which don’t. Doom: The Dark Ages, for example, arrived on Xbox, PC, and PlayStation 5 at the same time, but the Indiana Jones game didn’t launch on Sony’s machine until four months after its initial release.

Perhaps this is Microsoft’s way of trying to give the Xbox console some added value. Although it could simply be a practical issue, resulting from the fact that these games, which were started before the current multiformat policy began, were not initially planned to be on PlayStation 5 and so additional work is needed.

We very much doubt this is going to encourage new console sales, though. Barely anybody was buying Xbox consoles when it did have exclusives, not to mention Xbox hardware saw yet another price increase in the US just last week, with Microsoft blaming ‘changes in the macroeconomic environment.’

Playground Games is obviously back as lead developer, though Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 Studios is assisting too (Microsoft)

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