Forza Horizon 6 Review: Japan’s Open-World Racing Paradise Finally Arrives

The first time you crest a mountain pass at dawn in Forza Horizon 6, with Tokyo's skyline glittering in the distance and your engine echoing off the cliffs, you'll forgive a lot. But not everything. After years of fan petitions and wistful speculation, Playground Games has finally answered the call, taking the series to Japan for the first time. The result is a map five times larger than Mexico, a deep Touge racing system, and over 550 cars. It is, on paper, the most ambitious Horizon yet. But does the new setting and expanded scope justify the $69.99 price of admission, or does the formula feel too familiar? Our full review breaks down everything from the Wangan-inspired highway to the repetitive sidequests.

A Japan Like No One Else – The Map and Setting

The first thing that strikes you about Forza Horizon 6 is its sheer scale. The map spans Tokyo's neon-lit urban sprawl, the winding roads of the Japanese Alps, serene countryside villages, and the legendary looping highway inspired by the Wangan. At five times the size of Forza Horizon 5's Mexico, it is a landscape designed for exploration, speed, and discovery.

The atmosphere is impeccable. Tokyo at night is a sensory overload of blinking signs, crowded intersections, and rain-slicked streets. Drive an hour north, and you're carving through mountain passes with nothing but forest and fog for company. The visual diversity is the series' best yet, and the environment feels alive in a way that previous entries only hinted at. Fast travel is near-instant on Xbox Series X, with loading times under 10 seconds between events, making the vast map feel accessible rather than daunting.

Yet there are notable omissions. Players cannot race on Mt. Fuji, and there are no underground parking lots—two features that fans highlighted as missed opportunities. While the map is vast, these absences leave a slight sense of incompleteness, as if the developers spread too thin to tackle every iconic Japanese location.

Under the Hood – Cars, Customization, and New Features

The car list is robust, offering over 550-600 real-world vehicles with a heightened focus on Japanese manufacturers. Nissan, Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru are well-represented, alongside the usual international roster. But the real innovation lies in how you acquire them.

Aftermarket Cars are souped-up versions found scattered across the map, each with unique aero and performance upgrades. These encourage exploration and reward players who stray from the main roads. Treasure Cars add a puzzle element: nine hidden vehicles located using photo clues, turning car collection into a scavenger hunt.

Customization has also received a significant upgrade. Players can now own personal estates with customizable garages and private race tracks, a first for the series. The livery editor now allows decals on glass, expanding creative possibilities for those who enjoy cosmetic tuning.

These features are welcome additions, though they don't fundamentally alter the core loop. The garage system is a nice touch, but it doesn't revolutionize how you interact with your car collection.

Touge, Time Attacks, and Car Meets – The New Gameplay Modes

Where Forza Horizon 6 truly shines is in its new gameplay modes. Touge Racing captures the spirit of Japanese street racing culture: head-to-head battles on narrow mountain roads where precision and nerve matter more than raw speed. It's a welcome departure from the series' usual open-road blasts, demanding a different kind of skill.

The open-world car meets are equally compelling. Drop-in-drop-out time attacks and spontaneous gatherings create a living, breathing multiplayer world. You never know when a group of players will congregate at a scenic overlook or a city intersection for an impromptu race. The campaign progression is split into festival wristband tiers—starting with C-rank vehicles—and a "Discover Japan" track that rewards exploration and side activities.

Multiplayer improvements include addictive event menus and Car Meet locations, though the penalty system in competitive racing still needs work. Collisions are inconsistently penalized, leading to moments of frustration in otherwise thrilling races.

Sound and Performance – A Technical Deep Dive

Forza Horizon 6 is a technical showcase, but not without caveats. The sound engineering is a standout: engine sounds react to the environment, echoing in tunnels and shifting acoustics based on surroundings. It's a subtle touch that adds significant immersion.

The soundtrack leans into Japanese flair, with genre-driven radio stations featuring acts like BABYMETAL on Horizon XS. It's a smart cultural touch that enhances the sense of place.

Console performance is solid, with up to 60 FPS on Xbox Series X/S. On PC, the game scales impressively: over 200 FPS at 4K max settings with an RTX 5080, and smooth performance on an RTX 5070Ti after initial shader optimization. The Steam Deck runs at 35-40 FPS average, making it playable on portable hardware.

However, ray tracing is a disappointment. The implementation is uninspiring and marginal, failing to match the visual impact seen in other modern racing titles. For a game that prides itself on atmosphere, this feels like a missed opportunity.

The Familiar Formula – Criticisms and Missed Potential

For all its ambition, Forza Horizon 6 struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessors. The side characters are vapid, delivering trite dialogue that undermines the otherwise stellar world design. Consider the "Drift Challenge #47" near Kyoto: it's identical to the one in the Alps, just with different scenery. The sidequests are formulaic and repetitive, offering little variety beyond established patterns—fetch quests disguised as photography missions, time trials that feel like carbon copies of earlier events.

The core gameplay loop—drive, race, upgrade, repeat—feels iterative rather than revolutionary. While the Japan setting is fresh, the underlying mechanics have changed only marginally. The ray tracing is underwhelming, and the absence of Mt. Fuji and underground parking lots feels like a missed opportunity to fully embrace the setting.

Despite these criticisms, the game is a commercial success. Reports indicate it sold 500,000 copies on Steam a month before launch, demonstrating strong pre-release demand. The audience has clearly spoken: they want a Japan-set Horizon, and they want it now.

Should You Buy?

Forza Horizon 6 is a love letter to Japan that delivers on scale, atmosphere, and car culture. The Touge racing, open-world car meets, and massive map are standout features that will delight long-time fans. However, the formula feels increasingly familiar, with weak storytelling, repetitive side content, and uninspiring ray tracing holding it back from greatness.

Buy at full price if: You're a Horizon veteran craving a Japanese setting, or you love Touge racing and open-world car meets. Wait for a sale if: You're tired of the festival formula and want more innovation. Skip if: You're a newcomer—start with Forza Horizon 5 on Game Pass. Recommended with Reservations—a gorgeous trip to Tokyo, but one that carries familiar baggage.

Rating: 8/10