Right before the Tokyo Game Show, Playground Games delivered the biggest tidbit to racing fans-a moment they’ve really been yearning for over the years. The biggest announcement, if you will: Forza Horizon 6 is really, indeed going to ladies and gentlemen in Japan in 2026! The announcement came from the official Forza Horizon Twitter, telling fans to pack their bags for the next Horizon Festival. And what followed was deafening hype with loads of very specific demands from the community.
So yes! After hitting places Colorado, England, and Mexico, the festival is finally entering into the lands of sun! A place that’s been sitting atop players’ wishlist for what has felt like forever. The tweet just said, “Pack your bags, grab your passport, and book those flights… the Horizon Festival is heading to Japan in 2026!” with a link to wishlist the game. That was it. No trailer. No gameplay footage. Sometimes that’s all it takes to send the internet to hysterics.
But the reply posts are a mixture of pure excitement and… a laundry list of wants to be fixed, essentially. The excitement is much alike a Christmas morning racket but everyone being able to shove in a particularly concrete list of instructions to make next Christmas better. HexoArc put it well: “Japan is literally the perfect setting. FH6 might end up being the best one yet.” And they’re not wrong. Imagine drifting on winding mountain roads near Mount Fuji, high-speed runs through neon-lit streets in Tokyo, and scenic coastal highways. It’s a car culture dream.
Assuming we’re on a roll here: The community has definitely pointed out some wish list improvements; they aren’t looking for blind celebration. Rather, the players seize the opportunity to pull the developers by the arm to explain what will make this game into a classic. User ScamanderSenju said: “Make a better progression system and more difficult, it is very boring to start the game with 2/3 cars S tier.” That is typical complaining with recent games—the sense of earning your way to the top cars feels a little bit diluted. Players want that good old grinding back, the feeling of building from zero.
And then the physics. Vicente Alfonso said it plainly: “I just request one thing: a little more realistic physics simulation.” Trying to find that happy medium for the Horizon series has forever been a challenge—asking for accessibility and fun while satisfying the simulation-arcade crowd wanting more weight and realism for their driving. Of course, within competitive circles, a clamoring is already heard for “a proper ranked mode,” as user IMPVLSE___ would put it. Competitive online play is a big thing for Horizon, while ranked mode deserves top priority.
Here, they set the talk about the setting warm: Japan’s a real win. User Hat3Asylum fully completed, “Japan is perfect for Horizon! Drifting Mt. Fuji, racing through Tokyo at night… can’t wait to see the car lineup.” This chat opens the car list for discussion. The potential for JDM legends is insane. We’re talking Nissan Skylines, Toyota Supras, Mazda RX-7s, Subaru Imprezas-The whole gang. One user, G59Diego, was already starting to get specific in his requests: “2001 subaru wrx sti bugeye????” Another, avianoir, begged vehemently, “PLEASE SPAM KEI TRUCKS INTO THE GAME I NEED 20 DIFFERENT ONES.” Japanese car culture is oh-so-much other putty from its small kei cars to its hypercars-and players hope that the game does finally embrace that.
My thoughts were about to derail. Now, let’s return to the hype; it needs to carry with it a little bit of console war drama. Two users started to question a PS5 release, one asserting, “I know it’s coming out for PS5 too,” and that sparked a short debate in the replies, with others insisting that Forza is a flagship Xbox franchise, and so, a PS5 release would almost certainly not happen. Just another display of how platform loyalties resurface without fail at times such as this.
There was also some weirdly negative commentary coming from Ch9seFan: “That sucks. All so a bunch of adult children can live out their DK fantasies on a mountain. Map gonna be tiny.” So, okay, dude, that’s really a rather specific and grumpy take on one of the most anticipated game settings ever. Most are just thinking in terms of awesome roads and breath-taking scenery. Then PromedeusEx felt uneasy about the release window implying why: “Why at same time as GTA?” Is that implying a clash with eventual GTA 6, but 2026 is so far off; a lot may change?
User Yt_crispadin came back with a rather interesting reaction said in Spanish: “Sólo enseñando eso, cómo podían dejar viéndolos a todos con ganas de más. Al menos tengo hype que por fin sea en Japón. Espero que la personalización esté a la altura y paren con tantos Forza Parts en muchos coches que no permiten hacerlos muy guapos.” That is touching on another big one—car customization. Players want deep and meaningful customization that goes far beyond the somewhat limited and oftentimes ridiculed “Forza parts” body kits.
Where does that leave us then? End up Japan-all the evidence points toward a major win for the community, which every location wanted. This release window of 2026… should give Playground Games a whole lot of time to think about all the things the players have been shouting from the rooftops: better progression systems, more realistic physics, ranked mode, and a car list worthy of Japan’s automotive scene. That potential is insanely huge. If the devs are listening to this initial backlash (and they usually are), Forza Horizon 6 could end up being the ultimate road trip. Ergo, the hard part: waiting two years-and two years long at that. Ugh.
