TOKYO – The highly-anticipated next installment in the beloved racing series, Forza Horizon 6, was officially unveiled at the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2025. A cinematic teaser trailer confirmed years of fan speculation by announcing the game’s setting as Japan and its release for 2026.
The brief but impactful trailer, which concluded Xbox’s showcase, celebrated the franchise’s history with quick cuts of previous game locations before revealing the stunning new setting. Players were given a first look at the incredible scale and beauty of the new map, which promises to blend the serenity of rural Japan with the dynamic energy of its urban centers. The reveal was punctuated by a breathtaking shot of a sports car drifting down a touge-style road with the iconic Mount Fuji looming in the distance.
A Deep Dive into Japanese Culture
Forza Horizon has always been praised for its authentic portrayal of a country’s unique automotive and cultural identity, and Forza Horizon 6 aims to elevate this approach. The teaser trailer itself was filled with subtle nods to Japanese culture, including a “maneki-neko” (lucky cat) figurine and a prominent display of the kanji for “Legend” (レジェンド).
Playground Games’ Creative Director confirmed that the team has been working closely with a cultural consultant to ensure the game’s world feels lived-in and respectful. The new map will not be a one-to-one recreation but rather a curated blend of diverse Japanese environments, from the neon-lit streets of Tokyo City to tranquil villages and cherry blossom-lined highways.
“We wanted to build a world that is more than just a backdrop,” the director explained. “We’ve worked hard to capture the coexistence of the traditional and the modern—the neighborhood shrines and the bustling arcades—and that will be reflected in every corner of the game.” The game is expected to place a heavy emphasis on Japan’s distinct car culture, a key driver behind the community’s long-standing request for the location. This will include celebrating everything from “kei” cars and vans to the underground drifting and tuner scenes.
The Collaborative Development of Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios
While Playground Games remains the primary developer of the Horizon series, the announcement underscored the close collaboration with Turn 10 Studios, the creators of the more simulation-focused Forza Motorsport games. This partnership is a cornerstone of the entire franchise, with both studios sharing the powerful ForzaTech game engine to ensure a consistent standard of graphical fidelity and physics across their respective titles.
In a landmark move for the franchise, it was also announced that while Forza Horizon 6 will launch first on Xbox Series X|S and PC, a post-launch release on PlayStation 5 is also planned. This multi-platform strategy highlights a new era for Xbox Game Studios and showcases the deep technical partnership between Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios, which are working in tandem to bring the franchise to a wider audience than ever before. This collaboration not only facilitates the porting process but ensures that the core gameplay experience remains intact across all platforms.