REVIEW | Forza Horizon 6

There’s something special about the Forza Horizon series for me. Each game has captured that simple joy of driving, whether I’m racing, exploring, or just cruising with no particular destination in mind. I’ve enjoyed every entry for different reasons, but Forza Horizon 5 left an especially strong impression.

Its presentation was a huge part of that. The lighting, landscapes, car detail, and overall visual fidelity never stopped amazing me. Every time I picked up the controller, I’d find myself pausing just to take it all in and think, wow, this looks incredible. The sound design was just as impressive, from the roar of engines to the variety of radio stations that accompany every drive. Hospital Records has always been my go-to, and it’s become almost synonymous with my time in the series.

Now, Forza Horizon 6 takes the Horizon Festival to Japan, bringing with it a completely new setting and a fresh opportunity to build on what came before. With Horizon 5 setting such a high bar, the question I came into Horizon 6 with was simple: how do you follow that? After spending considerable time with the latest entry, I’ve had the chance to explore what it offers and decide whether it lives up to the legacy of the games that came before it.

Things I liked!

• Visuals | Forza Horizon 6 looks stunning, and Japan provides an incredible backdrop for the series. The scenery is a real highlight, from winding mountain roads and dense forests to bustling urban areas, with plenty of variety across the map. There are countless moments where the scenery alone makes you want to slow down and take it all in.
  
  The level of detail throughout the world is equally impressive. As with Horizon 5, you’ll see wildlife roaming through fields and plenty of smaller touches that make the environment feel alive. It doesn’t feel like a world that simply exists to give you somewhere to race. There’s a sense of activity and movement happening around you, which adds to the immersion and makes exploring Japan feel more natural.
  
  It’s just as impressive when you’re pushing the cars to their limits. Racing through the environment at high speeds, with the scenery flying past and the lighting and weather effects adding to the sense of motion, creates some spectacular moments. The different camera views also give you plenty of choice in how you experience it, whether you prefer the immersive cockpit perspective or the various third‑person angles.
  
  You can choose between Quality and Performance modes, depending on whether you prioritise visual fidelity or frame rate. Personally, I prefer Performance mode. The smoother frame rate makes driving feel more responsive, and for me, that takes priority over the extra visual detail offered by Quality mode.

• Sound | The sound design in Forza Horizon 6 is another area that really adds to the overall experience. The cars sound fantastic, with each engine having its own character, and the difference between them becomes particularly noticeable when you’re pushing them hard. From the roar of a high-performance engine to the sounds of gear changes and tyre noise, there’s a satisfying sense of speed and character to the audio.
  
  The radio stations are also an important part of the Horizon experience, with a wide variety of music to suit different tastes and moods. Hospital Records has always been my go-to station, but I find myself switching between many of the others depending on my mood and what I’m doing in the game. Sometimes the right soundtrack can make a long drive through Japan feel just as enjoyable as the race itself.
  
  It’s the combination of the music, engine sounds and environmental audio that makes the driving experience feel more immersive. Whether you’re racing at high speed or simply cruising through the countryside, the soundscape does a great job of making you feel like you’re actually there.
  
  Driving & Handling | One of the things I enjoy most about Forza Horizon 6 is the sheer variety of cars available to drive and how differently they can feel from one another. Jumping from one car to the next can completely change the way you approach a race or even a simple drive around the map.
  
  The more powerful cars can be a real handful, with all that extra power making it easier to lose traction and spin out if you’re not careful with the throttle. Slower cars, on the other hand, feel much easier to control, giving you more confidence when steering through corners. That difference gives each car its own character and makes choosing what to drive feel like more than simply picking the fastest option.
  
  When selecting a car before an event, it’s always worth checking the recommended options if you already have one that fits the requirements. If not, purchasing a new car can be a good choice, especially when you’re looking for something that suits the event rather than simply chasing top‑end performance.
  
  That variety is a big part of what makes the driving experience so enjoyable. There’s always another car to try, and learning how each one behaves is part of the fun.
  
  
• Racing | There’s a great variety of racing events in Forza Horizon 6, with different car classes and road types keeping things fresh. Each event feels distinct, whether you’re racing a particular class of car or tackling a completely different type of road.
  
  When the race gets underway, it’s fast, frantic, and an absolute rush. There’s a real sense of speed as you weave through traffic, approach corners at high velocity, and fight to stay ahead of the competition. Difficulty and driving assists can be tailored to your preferences, with options like braking lines, automatic or manual gears, traction and stability controls, and more. It’s accessible to newcomers while still offering plenty of challenge for experienced players. The rewind ability remains a great addition; if you have it turned on, it can save you on many occasions, letting you correct mistakes without restarting an entire race.
  
  Events range from point‑to‑point races, where you’re racing from A to B, to traditional circuits with set laps. Beyond standard races, there are time trials and activities that break up the routine. Danger Signs launch you off ramps for the longest jump possible, while Speed Zones, Speed Traps, and Drift Zones push your car to its limits. Your best scores are recorded and compared with friends, adding a satisfying layer of competition that keeps you coming back to improve your results.
  
  
• Exploration & Open World | The map of Japan is huge, and I mean really huge. It took me well over 30 hours of driving around to visit every location on the map, and even after doing that, there are still plenty of reasons to head back out and explore.Whenever I start a new Forza Horizon game, one of the first things I like to do is simply drive off and explore, keeping an eye out for the bonus boards scattered across the map.
  
  Forza Horizon 6 has 200 of them to find, and they’re not all straightforward to reach. Some are easy to collect as you drive past, while others are positioned in much more creative locations, sometimes requiring you to figure out how to reach the top of a building or find the right approach. Collecting them also rewards you with XP, helping you level up as you explore.
  
  Forza Horizon 6 also introduces another collectible in the form of mascots. Each region has its own mascots to discover and collect, giving you another reason to explore areas you might otherwise drive straight past. Between the size of the map, the bonus boards, mascots, and the sheer variety of locations, there’s a lot to discover when you step away from the racing and simply explore what Japan has to offer.
  
  
• Side Activities | There’s plenty to do in Forza Horizon 6 beyond the traditional races, and I found the side activities to be a welcome change of pace. The Stories are a good example of this, with multiple chapters taking you to different locations around the map. When you select a Story on the map, you can see how many chapters are available and how many you’ve completed, with the goal of earning up to three stars in each event. Some involve day trips and exploring specific areas, while others have you joining a car convoy and experiencing something a little different from the usual racing events.
  
  There are also Jobs, where you pick up and deliver food to earn some extra credits. Elsewhere, you can take part in drag meets and car meets, while Treasure Cars challenge you to solve clues to track down the location of each vehicle. Barn Finds also make a return, and while some of them can be tricky to locate, they remain one of my favourite activities in the game. There’s something particularly satisfying about finally tracking one down and uncovering a car that’s been hidden away.
  
  You can also purchase houses and other real estate around the map, with these properties providing additional places to own and giving you the option to set one as your starting location whenever you load into the game. What I like about these activities is that many still put your driving skills to the test, just in different ways. A food delivery might have you racing against the clock, while a road trip could set you a target time or challenge you to achieve a certain drift score. They provide a nice change of pace while still keeping you behind the wheel.
  
  
• Cars and Customisation | Forza Horizon 6 has an impressive selection of cars to choose from, with a great mix of modern performance cars, classics, off‑roaders, and everything in between. With so many different vehicles available, there’s always something new to try, whether you’re looking for your next favourite or something suited to a particular event.
  
  There’s plenty of freedom to upgrade, tune, and customise your cars, giving those who enjoy building and fine‑tuning their vehicles plenty to work with. Personally, I tend to leave my cars pretty much as they come. I enjoy jumping into a car and experiencing it for what it is rather than spending too much time tweaking every little detail.
  
  I like that both approaches are catered for. You can keep things simple and get straight onto the road, or spend as much time as you like creating a car that suits your own preferences.
  
  
• Progression & Rewards | Progression in Forza Horizon 6 gives you plenty of reasons to keep driving. As you play and complete races and events, you earn skill points through things like racing, drifting, jumps, near misses, and plenty of other driving actions, rewarding you for simply playing the game in your own way.
  
  Those skill points can then be spent on car mastery upgrades, with 16 different upgrades available for each car. These can include increasing the amount of skill score you earn, gaining an instant XP boost, or earning more credits from certain types of events. It’s a simple system, but I like that the rewards are tied to the individual car, giving you another reason to keep driving a vehicle rather than constantly moving on to something else.
  
  As you play and complete races and events, you’ll also earn Wheelspins, which can reward you with credits, new cars, clothing accessories, and even new horns for your vehicles. They add a nice element of surprise to the progression system, as you never quite know what you’re going to get from your next spin.
  
  The world map is also useful for keeping track of your progress. You can bring it up at any point to see the events you’ve completed as well as those you still have left to do. With so much happening across the map, it can start to feel a little bloated, but thankfully there are filters you can use to narrow down what’s displayed. I found this particularly helpful when I wanted to keep things simple and focus on a specific type of event.
  
  
• Photo Mode | Forza Horizon 6 also includes a photo mode, and I’ve honestly spent so much time in it. With such a detailed world and so many great cars to choose from, there are countless opportunities to stop and capture a moment. One feature I particularly like is the ability to instantly repair your car while in photo mode, meaning you can get it looking its best before taking the perfect shot.
  
  I found myself constantly changing my Xbox Home Screen with my latest captures, which probably says a lot about how much I enjoyed using it. Whether it was a great view, one of my favourite cars, or simply finding the right angle, I could easily lose a lot of time trying to get the perfect shot.
  
  
• Online Multiplayer | Forza Horizon 6 offers plenty of ways to play online with friends or through matchmaking to find other players. You can form a convoy and explore Japan together with up to eleven other drivers, taking part in events or simply cruising freely across the map. There’s also Horizon Play, which features nine different online modes to choose from, including The Eliminator, a battle royale where you try to be the last car standing, and Hide and Seek, where one player hides while five others search to find them. With a mix of competitive and light‑hearted modes, the online experience adds a fun social element and plenty of variety to the game.

Mixed & disliked!

• Let Me Skip | One small complaint I have is that some cutscenes can’t be skipped, particularly those found in certain side activities. They’re not a major issue, but when you’re ready to get back to the action, having to sit through the scene before you can continue can become a little frustrating.
  
  
• Showcases | The showcase events in Forza Horizon 6 are still enjoyable, offering cinematic races against unique opponents and vehicles. They’ve always been a highlight for me in previous Forza Horizon games, often delivering those unforgettable, over‑the‑top moments that perfectly capture the series’ sense of fun. This time around, they’re still well‑presented and exciting, but they perhaps fall just short of the spectacle seen in earlier entries. I found myself wishing for a few more of those truly standout moments that made past showcases so memorable.

• How long did I play the review before publishing? 40 Hours
• How long to beat the story? 25 Hours
• How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 49/57 OR 820/1000G
• How long to get 100%? | 80+ Hours
• You’ll love this game if you like these | Forza Horizon 5 and The Crew Motorfest

Score: 95/100

The Horizon Festival has never looked or felt better.

Forza Horizon 6 takes the series to new heights with its breathtaking Japanese setting, refined driving, and incredible attention to detail. Every time I’ve played, I’ve had so much fun exploring its world, capturing moments, and discovering new cars, and it’s a game I’ll continue to play for a long time to come. With its stunning presentation and endlessly enjoyable gameplay, Forza Horizon 6 still remains the racer to beat.

This review is dedicated to my dad, who recently passed away. While he wasn’t a gamer, he was a lifelong lover of cars, and his enthusiasm for car meets and the community around them has always inspired me. He was always up early every Sunday, eager to head out and share his passion with others. His favourite car was the MX‑5 Mark One, and I’ve featured it among my screenshots as a small tribute to him, a reminder of the joy he found in every drive.