Whether it’s the many years after Forza Horizon 5 launched, the many months since Forza Horizon 6 was announced, or the many other months since it was revealed, the game of waiting has finally come to an end. Forza Horizon 6 is now live on Xbox Series X/S and PC worldwide. It’s already off to a roaring start on Steam, becoming the biggest Xbox Game Studios launch ever, with millions of players already recorded in-game.
But what makes it so special? Amid all the critical praise – Forza Horizon 6 is currently the highest rated game of the year on Metacritic and Opencritic – it’s worth remembering that its predecessor was equally beloved. What elevates the sequel beyond just “open-world racing sim but Japan”? Let’s delve into the ten ways that it does better than Forza Horizon 5, and there’s no better place to begin with than…
Progression Actually Feels Earned
If the Horizon Festival felt more like a carnival in Forza Horizon 5 – presenting a buffet of cars, events and paths to choose from with little restriction or consequence – Forza Horizon 6 brings much-needed structure back into the equation. Instead of a renowned competitor, you stat as a tourist – a relative newcomer to Japan, who must not only qualify for the Horizon Festival but also earn the right to access faster cars. This is possible through the Wristband system, which introduces tangible goals to work toward. Yes, you’ll still be presented with an array of cars to choose from – more on that shortly – but at least there isn’t that feeling of receiving every single supercar within hours of minimal effort.
Better Structure With Wristbands
Speaking of the Wristband system, it’s more than just a means to gate your progression. It defines your place in the world – your journey in becoming a legend and accessing the appropriately named Legend Island. Beyond providing a much more tangible endgame to indulge in (including The Goliath, spanning a whopping 53.1 miles), it offers something to work toward—a persistent goal, even as you take in the sights and uncover everything magical about Japan while being rewarded for it.
Exploration and Goals
All too often, open-world games devolve into simply checking off items from a list. Go here, complete this event, clear this Speed Trap, destroy this sign, and so on. And while many of the same activities make their way to Japan, there is a more definitive purpose to discovering them, thanks to the new Collection Journal and Stamps. You’re not just happening upon a new location and raking in the XP, but also admiring landmarks, photographing the environment and adding all those little achievements into your journal. The rewards are nice and all, but that feeling of discovery feels more prominent than it did in Forza Horizon 5.
Improved Fast Travel
Of course, there’s the other side of exploration – fast travel. Whereas Forza Horizon 5 requires buying properties and then smashing all the fast travel boards to eventually make it free, Forza Horizon 6 takes a different approach. There’s no cost at all, right from the start, but fast travel is only available on previously discovered roads. So even if you’re just picking a direction and driving to nowhere, it feels like you’re doing more than just defogging the map. And if you discover any interesting content, it’s much easier to return to it later.
A Land of Contrasts
Variety is the spice of life, especially in an open-world racer where you want to offer a bit of everything. Mexico achieved that purpose pretty well, but Forza Horizon 6 raises it even further. Beyond Tokyo City, which the rest of the world revolves around, Japan offers a stunning contrast at every corner. Snow-capped mountains and rural roads quickly give way to quiet suburban neighborhoods and winding paths perfect for high-stakes Touge battles. The fact that Japan itself is a stunning contrast of the old and new, the traditional and the new-age, only feeds this further, presenting a stunning degree of variety.
The Best Urban Driving Yet
Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention Tokyo City because there’s simply been nothing like it in previous Horizon games. Even though Forza Horizon 5’s Guanajuato is fairly large, Tokyo is five times larger, presenting a diverse range of sights across its four districts and unparalleled urban exploration. One moment, you could be barreling down narrow roads to deliver food; the next, you’re participating in street races to the backdrop of neon signs. And that’s before accounting for the sheer amount of layers, lending a unique sense of verticality.
Car Meets and Cultural Exchange
Despite the many ups and downs of Forza Horizon 5’s multiplayer, you have to give it credit for trying to encourage more social play, especially with convoys and the introduction of EventLab. Forza Horizon 6 leans into the community aspect much more, courtesy of Car Meets – in-game locations like Okuibuki and Daikoku, where you can actually meet other players and show off your vehicles. It’s more than just bragging rights, though – the entire experience exposes you to new designs (which can be downloaded) and yet-to-be-discovered vehicles. Even if you’re not actually making any new friends, the indulgence in car culture is unmistakable.
The Sounds of Japan
Seeing Japan is only the first step – you also need to hear it in all its glory for the full experience. So, beyond the revamped engine audio and acoustic modelling, Forza Horizon 6 also uses field recordings from across the country, complete with different seasons. Then there’s the music, which offers a heaping helping of Japanese artists – ZUTOMAYO, Yoasobi, KANA-BOON, Ado, and the legendary Hikaru Utada, among others. All of this contributes to the ambience in different ways, and it truly feels like something special.
Customization And Player Ownership
Circling back to the whole “Discover Japan” aspect of the exploration, Forza Horizon 6 also allows you to go further beyond, letting you effectively make it your home. While Forza Horizon 5 had garages to purchase, the customisation in 6, especially with the ability to craft your own base through the Estate, is on another level, especially when inviting other players over. Customisation has also gone improved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the long-awaited addition of window liveries, on top of the hundreds of new options to personalise your vehicles.
“What’s Next” UI Page
What’s the point of all this content, especially the vast array of multiplayer modes, when the user interface doesn’t make it easy to discover? Forza Horizon 6 circumvents this with the “What’s Next” page. It’s a handy guide for those confused about the next steps to take on their journey, especially en route to becoming a Horizon Legend.
Make no mistake: Forza Horizon 5 is still one of the best racing games on the market and a remarkable open-world title in its own right. Mexico is a fantastic setting, lovingly brought to life and rendered in gorgeous detail. But with fans craving a new destination that both looks and feels like nothing else, it’s great to see Forza Horizon 6 deliver on that promise and elevate the franchise as a whole to new heights.