Folks, the long-awaited Japan-based Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to be something special. Amidst a slew of new content from Playground Games—including a fresh gameplay trailer and a developer diary—we’re finally starting to see what the game will look like. Most excitingly, it will release on May 19, 2026.
We’ve known since last September that Horizon 6 was going to Japan, but for longtime Forza fans, this will feel like fourteen years in the making. Since the very first Horizon game from 2012, which was set in Colorado, fans have practically begged for a Japan edition.
For many (including your humble author), taking the franchise to Japan was the world’s biggest no-brainer. Perhaps too much of a no-brainer. Thus, hardcore fans had to suffer through a decade of pain as Horizon went to Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Mexico rather than Japan. No offense to any of those countries—but c’mon.
Breaking Down The Gameplay
Digging into the trailer and accompanying developer’s diary, there are plenty of juicy details about Horizon 6. Maybe most importantly, the new Toyota GR GT will act as the Horizon 6 cover car. Secondly, several real-world locations will be featured.
The famous Daikoku Parking Area and Ginkgo Avenue have almost direct renditions, while versions of the Mount Haruna mountain pass (home of Initial D) and Tokyo’s Shuto Expressway are massaged for better gameplay. There may even be an Ebisu Circuit-style track hidden in the map, according to the trailer.
As far as car spotting goes, it looks mostly like the Horizon 5 car list. That said, there are new additions like an X100 Toyota Chaser, Daihatsu Copen, and Honda Beat in the trailer. Horizon 5 had an X100 Toyota Mark II, so it’s not a huge departure from the norm, though the inclusion of the Copen and Beat likely means a few more Japanese-specific cars for the game.
In total, a whopping 550 cars will grace the game.
Locations, Locations, Locations
Photo by: Forza
Photo by: Forza
There are also a few new gameplay mechanics to explore. Players will get an entire mountain valley called “The Estate” to themselves, open to limitless customization. While the developers were unclear on the exact gameplay, it seems you can place buildings, plants, and roads to create your own drivable map. Other players can also visit the map you create.
Garages are now customizable as well, with different posters and paint schemes. A new car meet feature, centered around Daikoku, will be the place for players to trade paints, tunes, and cars. My personal favorite is the new “Touge Battle” mode, where you can battle another player 1-on-1 on a mountain pass.
Oh, and you can finally include windows in the livery editor.
Photo by: Forza
Most importantly, the game looks beautiful and seems to have faithful map design. The mountain roads featured in the trailer look appropriately twisty and narrow, almost like Fujimi Kaido from Forza Motorsport 2023, which is itself a heritage track from the original 2005 Forza Motorsport.
With its May 19 release, we won’t have to wait much longer to finally play the Horizon we’ve been asking for. It’s shaping up to be something special, especially in the ashes of Forza Motorsport.
Motor1’s Take: It’s been a long time coming, but we finally got our first official look at the upcoming Forza Horizon 6 in Japan. Given the detail shown in this trailer, we can’t wait to explore it for ourselves.
