Forza Horizon 6 review for PC, Xbox Series X

There’s two things that go together like peanut butter and jelly: Japan and the racing scene. Fans of the Forza Horizon series have been to the UK, to Italy, to Mexico, and beyond, and now we’ve made our way to the east with this latest entry. It was only a matter of time til we found ourselves drifting through the city streets of Tokyo, and Playground Games really gave it their all to deliver. With new music to cruise to, an insanely large roster of cars to drive and tune, and some of the most enjoyable racing yet, Forza Horizon 6 is eager to show you what it has to offer.

I’m no racing game professional, so you’ll have to forgive my surface-level knowledge of Horizon 6 on a mechanical level, but I’ve played a good bunch to get a feel for the game. On a base level, cars feel like they’ve made the handling generally better across the board. On top of some nicer, smoother handling, the brakes in Forza Horizon 6 feel a bit better, making those quick slowdowns for tight turns feel better than before. Going back to Forza Horizon 4 and 5 beforehand just to get a reminder of what those games feel like, this latest entry really is a noticeable improvement. It’s a little weird to say, given how much Playground Games really has nailed this gameplay already, but it’s still somehow an improvement. The tuning system is just as great as before so feel free to go hog wild modifying everything about your car to your specific desires.

We’ve obviously seen all the hype around this game’s Horizon Festival taking us to the Land of the Rising Sun, right? Well if you had any concerns about the map, you’ll be happy to know it’s fantastic. You’ve got your sweeping rice fields, mountainous trails, city streets, and so much more to explore and experience while racing through Japan. The roads aren’t as constrictive as the real place, likely due to the fact they’re keeping them larger for multiplayer racing and whatnot. It’s a bit of a bummer that everything is a little larger than it should be, but it’s made up for by how fun navigating the world is.

Drifting around mountain corners or speeding down tunnels feels, looks, and sounds the best it ever has with Forza Horizon 6. From the hums of the engines to the squeals of the tires and the echoes of the long tunnels, this really is the most immersive Forza Horizon game yet. Just don’t stare at the human models too much, you might get ripped right back out of it. They’re noticeably out of place, even if they don’t spend very much time at the center of anything. The dialogue hasn’t really improved either, so if you already disliked the dialogue and characters of the previous couple games, you won’t find any meaningful differences here.

Outside of the characters themselves though, Playground Games has crafted a fantastic sound system to surround your ears with. The music helps with it too, offering a whole bunch of new tracks to jam out to. There’s new stations as well, including the Gacha City Radio for that all-in experience on Japan’s music culture. From bands like ONE OK ROCK to Creepy Nuts to YOASOBI on the Japanese side to Rise Against and Sleep Theory on the Western side, there’s tracks for everybody.

Forza Horizon 6 is genuinely the biggest, fastest Forza yet and Playground Games wants to make sure you know that. Between all of the varied races and tracks, the collectables, and the progression, this really is Forza at its best. Even the wristband progression is back from the classic Horizon games, so if you were clamoring for some good old Forza Horizon, you’ve really got it.

Say what you want about Xbox and its library, they really came out swinging hard for the fences with Playground Games and Forza Horizon 6. It’s an extremely gorgeous title with tight racing, a soundtrack that’s sure to please anybody (and this is before any added stations from future updates like Epitaph in 5), and a fantastic set of roads to race on. If you’re looking for more Forza Horizon in a new locale, it doesn’t get any better. I have no idea what other arcade racers may be coming up to bat any time soon, but Playground Games and Xbox have the slot locked down hard. It’s gonna be real hard to beat this rendition of the Horizon Festival.

Note: Xbox Game Studios provided us with a Forza Horizon 6 code for review purposes.

Click Here to buy Forza Horizon 6 on Amazon