Hands-on Preview of Forza Horizon 6 in Japan

Forza Horizon 6 Preview: Japan Is the Open-World Playground We’ve Been Waiting For

The rumours were true. After years of shouting into the void of Reddit wishlists, the Horizon Festival is finally touching down in the Land of the Rising Sun. I spent some time with an early build of Forza Horizon 6, and even though the Xbox Series S was locked at 30fps for the preview, the sheer "wow" factor of the visuals is on another level.

Whether you’re staring at Tokyo’s neon-drenched skyline or the quiet, snow-dusted ridges of the Japanese Alps, this is objectively the best-looking Forza yet. Mark your calendars: the festival opens May 19, 2026.

A Map That Actually Feels Alive

Japan’s terrain is a godsend for the Horizon engine. We’re looking at a massive grid of 662 roads carved into 74 distinct zones. The diversity is what really hits you, one minute you’re sliding through a shower of cherry blossoms in a tight alleyway, and the next you’re redlining it down a coastal highway or white-knuckling a mountain pass.

The Day 1 car list is sitting at a healthy 550 vehicles. Naturally, the JDM legends are the stars of the show here, but the European hypercars look just as surreal against the Japanese backdrop.

Chasing the Invitational

The gameplay loop hasn't been reinvented, but it’s definitely been polished. You’re still doing the classic mix of cross-country and road circuits, but the endgame has a new target: the Horizon Invitational. It’s a multi-discipline gauntlet that serves as the ultimate "prove it" moment for players.

A few quick takeaways from my hands-on time:

• The "Slow" Problem: If I’m being honest, the default chase cam feels a little sluggish. If you want to actually feel like you’re doing 200mph, you’ve got to switch to the cockpit or hood view. That’s where the sense of speed really lives.
• Drift Heaven: You can tell the devs leaned into Japan’s drifting heritage. The verticality is wild at one point, I drifted a continuous line from a skyscraper rooftop all the way down to street level.
• Instant Challenges: The "Head-to-Head" system is back, letting you challenge random drivers on the fly for those quick hits of adrenaline.

New Collectibles and Smart Features

The collectible hunt has been tweaked. Alongside the standard XP boards, you’re now hunting for Mascots. They’re these quirky, region-specific characters hidden around the map that lean into Japan’s "kawaii" aesthetic.

The biggest curveball, though? ANNA’s Auto-Drive. It’s not fast travel—it’s a literal "sit back and relax" mode. You set a pin, toggle the AI, and the car drives you there in real-time. Paired with the new Cinematic View, it’s basically a built-in "vibe mode" for when you need to grab a drink or just appreciate the lighting engine.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve played a Horizon game in the last decade, you’ll know the controls instantly, but the setting makes it feel brand new. Between the stellar soundtrack and the massive sense of discovery across the regions, Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to be the definitive racer of this generation.

Forza Horizon 6 arrives on May 19, 2026, and it looks like the definitive racing experience for the current generation.