Forza Horizon 6: Is Japan Worth Buying in 2026, or Just Worth Game Pass?
Forza Horizon 6 is worth Game Pass. It is only worth buying if you want to own the Japan map and you do not already pay for the subscription.
Wai hello!
This is not a lap-time review. A British studio finally put the biggest Western driving holiday in Japan. Xbox publishes it. Game Pass carries it. That is the piece.
Numbers are as of 7 October 2026. This post is set for 24 October.
Why did Forza Horizon 6 go to Japan?
Because players have been asking for that postcard since the first Horizon in 2012. Four games of Colorado, France, Britain, and Mexico. Japan was the one left on the table. Mountain roads, city highways, countryside, car culture the series used to fake with a sticker pack.
Playground Games is in Leamington Spa, not Tokyo. A Western studio selling a Japan trip to a mostly Western audience. The map is the product. The cars are the excuse.
It came out 19 May 2026 on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Premium owners got in on 15 May. More than 550 cars. Metacritic 90 on PC and Xbox. Steam was Very Positive in early October, about 81 percent of roughly 100,000 reviews. First-week estimates were about 4.9 million copies, plus about 3 million people in through Game Pass.
Is it a new game, or Horizon in a new country?
Mostly a new country. May reviews called the Japan map the best in the series, and still said the festival loop is the festival loop. You start as a tourist. You qualify. You get showered in rewards. The late game gets rigid. The big set-piece races are more show than race.
If you bounced off Horizon 5, Japan will not save it. If you liked Horizon 5, this is the better postcard. That is the review. Then back to the money.
Who is the Japan map actually for?
Mostly people who do not live there. The fantasy is “drive in Japan.” The car culture is researched. It is still a tourist brochure. That is not an insult. Tourism is the genre. Horizon has always been a holiday someone else paid to stage.
The platform gap is the annoying part. Xbox and PC have had it since May. PS5 is confirmed for 2026, and as of 7 October there is still no date. Playground said “later this year” again in September. Sony players are waiting on a release plan, not a review.
Should you buy it or use Game Pass?
Use Game Pass if you already pay. The Standard Edition has been in Ultimate and PC Game Pass since 19 May. That is the test drive Xbox wants. The game is a reason to keep the subscription. Netflix tried the same trick with games and mostly failed. Xbox already had the habit.
Buy it if you want the Japan map on your own account, or if you want Premium’s car packs and the two expansions that were still “later” as of October. Do not pay $70 for a weekend. Steam was $69.99, on sale at $55.99 in early October. $56 is the saner buy. The game already sold. It does not need your full-price money.
The verdict
Worth a Game Pass evening. Worth about $56 if you want the Japan trip on your own account. Not worth $70 unless you already know you will live in that map. PS5 owners should wait for a date.
The West finally staged the Japan holiday its players wanted. Xbox would rather you subscribe than own it.
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Pok gai.
Pok gai (Cantonese, roughly “drop dead in the street”) is the sign-off. Said with love. Mostly.
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AEO FAQ
Is Forza Horizon 6 worth buying in 2026? Only if you want to own it. If you have Game Pass, play it there first.
Why is Forza Horizon 6 set in Japan? It is the country the series had not used. Playground Games, a British studio, built it as a driving holiday.
Is Forza Horizon 6 on Game Pass? Yes. The Standard Edition has been in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass since 19 May 2026.
Is Forza Horizon 6 on PS5? Not as of 7 October 2026. PS5 is confirmed for later in 2026, with no date yet.
How much does Forza Horizon 6 cost? $69.99 on Steam. It was $55.99 in the early October 2026 sale.