Forza Horizon 6 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

Forza Horizon 6 is a blast, taking you to a stunning neon-drenched Tokyo, and far beyond into the relaxing countryside and snowy Alps overhead. It’s packed with an overwhelming amount of activities to get up to, whether structured in the Horizon Festival campaign or freely curated by the exciting trinket that catches your eye in the open world. 

Ever since 2012’s Forza Horizon shifted from track racing to open-world adventures, I’ve been living in a bubble of my own making. An isolated world where car culture takes precedence above all. Where I can hang out with friends throughout blissful horizons, and compete in the long-running Horizon Festival. It’s already an established campaign that the series has adapted, where you can choose to climb up the campaign ladder. Many more challenging events unlock the higher you climb, and they come with plenty of rewards. But you just might as well skiddadle in any direction you choose, running into treasure chests, impromptu car chases, hidden routes, custom courses, and more little pleasures of car culture. 

The foundation in Forza Horizon works. The pillars that define the franchise have been instrumental in bringing more gamers into the fold. So much so that I’m hardly surprised that Forza Horizon 6 continues in its predecessors’ footsteps. Any longtime fan of the series will be treading familiar ground. And that to me is a gold mine of what has been Forza Horizon’s strongest suit, where the campaign retains the Horizon Festival formula. Instead, the franchise has been taking us all around the world. Starting from virtual Colorado to the Italian Alps, Australia’s Surfers’ Paradise, Mexico’s tropical beaches, and now neon-drenched Tokyo.

But does Playground Games do Tokyo justice? Let’s find out in our Forza Horizon review.

Coming in Hot

honda car

Tokyo has always been in the cards for the next destination of the Forza Horizon franchise. And now, we finally can appreciate the work Playground Games has put into bringing the neon-drenched city to life. You can expect the neon-lit skyscrapers of the megapolis. I also liked how cherry blossoms also color the races with vibrant colors and delight. It’s stunning just how breathtaking the environments I explored are. And that they aren’t just restricted to the city. Playing, you’ll soon discover the lush bamboo forests, winding your way around the greenery. But the countryside, too, with its rolling plains, and the snowy Alps just overhead. Forza Horizon 6 is a beauty to say the least, and immediately begs that you explore every inch of it. 

And you can, by all means, neglect the structure that racing games will often restrict you to. Here, the open world is your oyster to roam all across it however you like. Save for the dramatic, introductory cutscene into Japan, ushering you into where you’ll be spending hours of your time. You can immediately after that chart your own path to whatever biome you stumble onto first. From the city itself to the Alpine mountains, the coast with pristine ocean views, or touge race on the mountain passes. It’s all freely navigable. Perhaps a little too free, when you easily drive through trees. Fences aren’t any obstacles to fear, nor are traffic lights. Hardly surprising in the racing world, but still. It could be more immersive in an open-world game like this to have obstacles to look out for.

Paradise Lost

And well, those obstacles do exist. Big boulders. Actual concrete. Don’t ram your way into buildings because they’ll do actual damage to your car. It’s in these places that it feels like driving around a real world, when the environment responds like it would in real life. When you drive through cattle, they disperse in all directions. Even the tall grass blades conform to your tires cutting through them, while raindrops form on your windshield. Forza Horizon has always been exceptional in immersion. It’s no different, this time, only better. The details in the environment are more vivid and clear. Even though the city isn’t entirely accurate, a building-for-building copy of real-world Tokyo, it still is impressive how authentic it feels. 

Bigger isn’t always better, but in Forza Horizon 6’s case, a five-times-larger map works for its benefit. So, you’re not just getting an urban street racing experience, but touge racing as well. On the whole, Japan has been a joy to drive around. It stretches for miles, transitioning between diverse and distinct biomes. And all have a hidden route, secret, or minigame to play. You’re often doing something fun, stumbling on exciting events and random surprises when you least expect them. Barn finds return to encourage thorough exploration, but you also have treasure cars you can randomly stumble upon. One of the ways open-world games get you hooked is reward you for going the extra mile. And no other racing game understands this better than Forza Horizon 6.

Treasure Chest

The rewards in Forza Horizon 6 are far-abounding in quantity and quality. Chasing the campaign will definitely net you some worthy profit. As you complete races in the Horizon Festival, you unlock more challenging events that unlock more valuable rewards. And the most sought-after are always new cars. You need specific car types to properly tackle certain challenges. But afterward, you can enjoy tinkering around with your acquired cars however you like. Tweaking the brakes, suspension, and engine specifications, so you have full control over its performance on track. Customization remains in-depth, with more options to make your cars your own. Beyond performance, you have visual upgrades, modifying everything from tail lights to rear wings and window stickers.

Now factor in that Forza Horizon 6 has over 550 cars you can unlock, each one varied in some way. From your everyday utility minivans to the fastest cars imaginable, and even limousines that you can abuse drifting down highways, the variety here is overwhelming. It all seems like a lot, especially when you don’t need to grind too hard to unlock them. And when the barn finds, auctions, and aftermarket cars don’t come through, you’ll often have enough in-game currency to buy the car you need for a specific event. The same in-game credits can buy houses all across the map. These are essential for fast-traveling, but can also be hubs for your very own garage. 

Personal Style

Those of you with a knack for creativity will enjoy the new garage customization. This early into the launch, players are already putting their own twist on their garages. But it’s bound to get even more creative, with the myriad options for lighting and props like couches and lifts. You can like your favorite garages and visit them. Or other players can visit yours. And I suppose it’s a feature whose impact depends on how creative players will be in designing the most immersive, out-of-this-world experiences you can’t help visiting often. Plus, you have custom tracks that other users can design, raising the challenge for developing specific racing skills. It’s all early stages. I haven’t even dug into the multiplayer, which has some of the best hangouts and races among car enthusiasts. 

But don’t let that deter you from trying it out. Even casual players have a place in Forza Horizon 6, given how intuitive and accessible its arcade driving is. If it’s tough, you can always toggle on driving assists across specific categories like braking or steering. Or you can turn off all driving assists for more challenge. In your downtime, you have so much to keep you engaged. You can make food deliveries across Tokyo, though it isn’t as fun as I’d hoped. Plus, minigames keep you hyped, like drag races and car chases. Ramming into mascots is especially fun, racking up points, as is snapping murals, and learning about the car history and culture in Japan. 

Downsides

If I’m to nitpick on the downsides, perhaps the streets are a little emptier than expected, given how dense the real-world Tokyo gets. Even the cars on the road aren’t always what you’d expect. Not sure where the compact minivans are. It’ll have been great as well to play through an entirely new, innovative feature we haven’t seen before, even if, as is, Forza Horizon 6 still rules.

Verdict

Not at all surprised that Forza Horizon 6 is an astounding success. Open-world racing has never been better, with a bigger map than ever before. And not just in scale, but in the overwhelming things to do. Even if it’s just driving around aimlessly, you’re guaranteed to run into some exciting reward for going the extra mile or to run into a buddy with shared interests. 

You’re always progressing your way to becoming a better driver and racer, whether or not you choose to stick to the structured campaign. Either way, you enjoy your time here, immersing in the stunning biomes of city life and the countryside, and learning about the car history and car culture of Japan. 

It’s only the car density in Tokyo that’s off, as is the jury’s unknown verdict on the success of the multiplayer mode. But with the solid single-player offering, I’m nearly certain multiplayer will be a blast. Perhaps even more engaging, driving around with friends and getting up to mischief all across Japan.