Highly anticipated: The next installment in one of the most popular racing franchises of all time, Forza Horizon, has been announced. Forza Horizon 6 will be set in Japan and is arriving on PC and Xbox first in 2026. A PlayStation 5 version will be released sometime "post-launch."
There has been a slew of rumors claiming that the next Forza Horizon game would be set in Japan. Aptly, it was at the Xbox showcase at the Tokyo Game Show where Microsoft confirmed Forza Horizon 6 would indeed be set in the land of the rising sun.
Xbox exec Matt Booty said that developers Playground Games and Turn 10 have "poured their hearts into Forza Horizon 6, bringing Japan to life like never before." He added that Japan has been the most-requested location since the very first game.
The previous Horizon titles have been set – in order – in Colorado, Southern Europe, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.
Forza Horizon 6 will be released in 2026. Booty promised that Microsoft will be sharing more details next year ahead of its launch.
Joe Skrebels, Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief, spoke to Playground Games about the upcoming game and the Japanese setting.
"For a long time, Japan has been top of Horizon fans' wish lists, so we're excited to finally be bringing this much-requested location to players in Forza Horizon 6," said art director Don Arceta. "Japan has such a unique culture – from cars, to music, to fashion – that make it perfect for the next Horizon setting. As with any Horizon title, we want to make sure we do the country justice in terms of authentic representation and Horizon open world playability – and now is the right time to realize that fully for players."
It's also noted that part of the reason why Japan was chosen is because of technological advancements. Gaming hardware and software is now powerful enough to represent the complexity of Japan's futuristic cities and beautiful landscapes accurately.
Arceta adds that after so many previous Forza games, the developers now have plenty of experience in creating unusual designs. He cites the Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels DLC as helping the team develop the elevated roads of Tokyo City in Forza Horizon 6.
It was also confirmed that Japan's enormous car culture will be represented in the game – alongside the usual massive selection of vehicles. Seasonal changes will return, too, altering not only the look of the game but how the world feels, apparently.
It seems that we won't be seeing any actual gameplay of Forza Horizon 6 until next year, but there's already a lot of excitement surrounding this next entry.