Playground Games is finally going to Japan for Forza Horizon 6, bringing the frenetic open-world racing series to the location that fans have been requesting for decades.
Revealed in a trailer during Tokyo Game Show, the new racing game will include a large, varied chunk of the country from the iconic Mount Fuji to the streets of Tokyo City, the latter of which is inspired by the sweeping roads created for the prior game’s Hot Wheels DLC.
Speaking to GamesRadar at Tokyo Game Show 2025, Forza Horizon 6 art director Don Arceta explained that players will be able to experience the biggest map across the entirety of the Forza Horizon series when the game launches in early 2026. However, players won’t just be met with empty fields with the game also boasting the highest density in player activities.
“[Japan] is our biggest map yet,” they explained, “[and] also our most full.” Arceta explains that the team couldn’t just craft a massive map and not put anything in it. As the longest gap ever between Horizon releases at five years, the team has been filling every corner with something to do.
“Like, obviously, we can’t go bigger without filling it with things to do and see,” the art director explained. “And I think this map that we’ve created for Japan, or Horizon’s version of Japan, is big, but also dense. There’s always something around the corner for you to discover and see. But yeah, it’s bigger. I won’t put a number on it. It is bigger.”
A lot of this massive increase in scale comes down to the game’s interpriration of Tokyo City. As a veteran of the series, Horizon’s cities have always been rather weak due to their small scale. For Forza Horizon 6, the team is going bigger than ever, with Tokyo City being the most impressive city the team has ever made.
“I think people will be most surprised about the city, Tokyo city, because I think it is probably our most ambitious,” Arceta continued. “It’s really layered and complex. And I think players will just enjoy that space. It’ll be something new and fresh.”
Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled to release on PC and Xbox Series in early 2026 as both a premium purchase and in Xbox Game Pass. Additionally, the game is reportedly coming to PlayStation 5 at a later date.
