After many years of fan requests, the Forza Horizon series by Playground Games is headed to Japan. In 2026 Forza Horizon 6 takes racers to Japan on Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox Cloud, and day one on Game Pass. A PlayStation 5 release is also planned but it's coming at some point after it releases on the other platforms.
Microsoft shared a teaser trailer that gave fans a glimpse of the "gorgeous new world" that they will get to explore. Mount Fuji will be a prominent feature in Forza Horizon 6. There will be locations near "serene waters and urban environments" that you will get to explore and speed through. Of course, there will be plenty of cherry blossoms fluttering in the breeze.
In addition to the trailer reveal at Tokyo Game Show, an interview with Playground Games went up on Xbox Wire. A few choice quotes from the interview by art director Don Arceta and cultural consultant Kyoko Yamashita can be found below. New media, including actual gameplay, won't be revealed for Forza Horizon 6 until early 2026.
How Will the Game Reflect Japanese Car Culture?
With a huge history with cars all its own, choosing Japan as a setting isn’t just a chance to create a beautiful place, but to reflect that history as you play.
“While we can’t reveal any specific details quite yet, we will of course be following in the footsteps of Forza Horizon 5 in delivering a broad range of cars that players will know and love. Japan – of course – has a unique car culture all of its own, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to explore that in this game,” says Arceta.
“In Japanese car culture, the depth and diversity is astonishing,” adds Yamashita. “Kei cars and vans with cult followings, precision motorsport, drifting’s roots, and their passion for customization really stands out. It’s welcoming to different levels of enthusiasm and knowledge, which is exactly the kind of layered world I want players to feel.”
With a huge history with cars all its own, choosing Japan as a setting isn’t just a chance to create a beautiful place, but to reflect that history as you play.
“While we can’t reveal any specific details quite yet, we will of course be following in the footsteps of Forza Horizon 5 in delivering a broad range of cars that players will know and love. Japan – of course – has a unique car culture all of its own, and we’re excited to have the opportunity to explore that in this game,” says Arceta.
“In Japanese car culture, the depth and diversity is astonishing,” adds Yamashita. “Kei cars and vans with cult followings, precision motorsport, drifting’s roots, and their passion for customization really stands out. It’s welcoming to different levels of enthusiasm and knowledge, which is exactly the kind of layered world I want players to feel.”
Will Forza Horizon 6 Include Changing Seasons?
Since Forza Horizon 4, Playground has been developing open worlds that can change as you play, with true-to-life seasons that fundamentally alter the setting around you. Japan features some of the most well-known, beautiful seasonal changes in the world – sweltering summers, snowy winters and, of course, the iconic Sakura season, those precious weeks where cherry blossoms bloom across the country.
“Horizon players will be well acquainted with seasonal changes as a core part of the experience,” says Arceta. “For Japan, seasonal changes have a dramatic impact on the landscape and playable world, but also hold a deeper cultural meaning for the country and its culture.”
As such, in Forza Horizon 6, seasonal changes aren’t just about changing how the game looks, but how it feels:
“The team has also been able to build a system where seasonal changes truly inform the world – how spring, summer, autumn, and winter subtly shift tone, activity, and sound,” explains Yamashita. “The team is also really proud of the attention to everyday details: ambient audio like station chimes or summer wind bells that instantly place you without a caption. Those are quiet choices, but they carry a lot of truth.”
Since Forza Horizon 4, Playground has been developing open worlds that can change as you play, with true-to-life seasons that fundamentally alter the setting around you. Japan features some of the most well-known, beautiful seasonal changes in the world – sweltering summers, snowy winters and, of course, the iconic Sakura season, those precious weeks where cherry blossoms bloom across the country.
“Horizon players will be well acquainted with seasonal changes as a core part of the experience,” says Arceta. “For Japan, seasonal changes have a dramatic impact on the landscape and playable world, but also hold a deeper cultural meaning for the country and its culture.”
As such, in Forza Horizon 6, seasonal changes aren’t just about changing how the game looks, but how it feels:
“The team has also been able to build a system where seasonal changes truly inform the world – how spring, summer, autumn, and winter subtly shift tone, activity, and sound,” explains Yamashita. “The team is also really proud of the attention to everyday details: ambient audio like station chimes or summer wind bells that instantly place you without a caption. Those are quiet choices, but they carry a lot of truth.”
