Forza Horizon 6 review: A near-perfect road trip through Japan

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Get ready for a celebration 16 years in the making! Forza Horizon 6 is bringing the high-speed action to Japan, a dream location for car enthusiasts. After traveling the world for over a decade, the series has finally arrived in the center of car culture, and it’s everything fans have hoped for.

Playground Games consistently excels at capturing the unique car culture and spirit of each location in the Forza series, whether it’s racing through the British countryside or exploring the Australian outback.

Forza Horizon 6 continues to excel at creating a vibrant, connected world for car enthusiasts, where the focus is purely on enjoying driving.

The game’s Japan setting offers something for all kinds of players. What really stands out in Forza Horizon 6 is its dedication to letting you enjoy the game your own way.

The game is built to always offer you something to do. After finishing a race, you’ll naturally move onto new content and challenges, but you’re never pressured to do so. It’s a smooth, continuous experience without being restrictive.

After all, this is your road trip, and you’re free to explore Japan’s incredible sights and experiences however you like.

Forza Horizon 6 screenshots

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What is Forza Horizon 6 about?

If you’ve been attending the festival for a while, you’ll remember how this works. But for those who started playing with the Mexico-based game from 2021, it’s good to know that this latest installment brings back the Wristband system for unlocking content, which wasn’t included in the previous game.

You’re new to the Horizon Festival and your goal is to become a racing Legend. You’ll earn fame by winning races and exploring the open world, and finishing the main events for each wristband will help you climb the ranks to become a top racer.

Honestly, I was really missing a good story mode, and it’s awesome to have a proper campaign back after the Mexico stuff. But building your reputation in Japan isn’t just about finishing that campaign – there’s a whole other side to it you’ll need to tackle to really make a name for yourself.

Exploring Japan is a rewarding process with a unique unlock system. You’ll collect stamps by discovering hidden secrets throughout the country, and there are plenty to find!

Road trip

Japan is the most varied and interesting location Horizon Forbidden West has offered so far. You can explore everything from the bustling city of Tokyo and peaceful countryside, to snowy mountain ski resorts – and you don’t have to wait for the weather to change to experience different environments.

As I drove, I often stopped between areas to quickly tweak my car’s settings, or just to check out the cars people were selling along the road. I’d end up swapping vehicles if I found one that felt better for the terrain ahead – it was all part of the adventure!

I didn’t originally plan any of these side trips, but they were still fun. I could have driven a Porsche through the woods and decorated it with branches to reach my destination, or I could have simply skipped the journey altogether using fast travel.

Honestly, getting there was half the fun. I ditched my original ride and found this awesome, rally-prepped Stratos hidden in a chalet nearby. It was perfect for tearing down the mountainside to get to the next event – which, by the way, had a seriously cool, Gundam-inspired mech on display!

The scheduled race ended up being delayed for quite a while. We got too caught up discovering hidden cars and having fun with impromptu races against other players who were also exploring the open world.

The session didn’t feel like we were just going through the motions; it felt like we were truly experiencing a Japan designed for the pleasure of driving.

Fine tuning

Just as crucial as the game’s Japan setting is Playground’s knack for making driving feel smooth, realistic, and consistently fun. As you’d expect, everything works together seamlessly.

Playground Games’ take on Japan is stunning, both visually and technically. With 500 different cars to choose from – everything from old trucks to futuristic sports cars – it’s incredibly fun to experiment and you’ll constantly discover new favorites.

Now you can customize your car even more with new performance upgrades and visual options. Plus, you can show off your unique tuning work to other players at car meets and in your personal garage.

This new feature builds on Forza’s housing system, but unfortunately disrupts the game’s otherwise smooth and engaging experience. While the idea is impressive, it creates unnecessary friction for players.

I spent about an hour clearing out the garage, trying to get my cars positioned nicely for photos. It involved a lot of struggling with small decorations and a bulky camera, and ultimately, I gave up on the whole project.

Two for one

While not every new feature is a perfect fit, Forza Horizon 6 consistently delivers an exciting experience. It’s pure racing fun, appealing to both serious simulation enthusiasts and players who just want a quick, enjoyable arcade race.

The game offers two distinct experiences. You can focus solely on racing from event to event, or you can take your time exploring the open world and treat the races as a side activity – it really depends on what you prefer.

Horizon 6 welcomes players of all skill levels. It features a fantastic soundtrack, beautiful graphics, and strong multiplayer features that create a truly immersive experience.

If your main goal is to win races, Horizon makes it easy. It has a simple, straightforward menu you can access at any time, letting you jump directly into finding a race.

The game’s social features are a big part of the fun, offering things like convoys, spontaneous gatherings in the open world, and impromptu street races for hours of unpredictable entertainment.

Verdict

The latest Horizon game is a huge success in nearly every way, making it hard to see how the developers could possibly improve on it in the future.

Aside from a few minor technical issues, this is the perfect Horizon game. Playground’s latest racing title is incredibly fun and designed to be easy for anyone to pick up and play, without sacrificing depth or complexity.

For 16 years, Playground Games has been perfecting the Horizon series, and Horizon 6 is the first game where everything finally feels seamlessly integrated and polished.

Forza Horizon 6 isn’t just set in Japan – it’s a triumphant return to the series’ roots after beginning in Colorado, and the game is now considered one of the greatest racing games ever made.

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2026-05-14 15:21