Japan, it seems, will finally become our home in Forza Horizon 6 — the developers from Playground Games have rolled out a new video on their YouTube channel, where they highlighted the local landscapes in detail.
In a recent video, we were shown just a crazy variety of zones: from snow—capped Alpine highlands and harsh mountain ranges to serene coastal areas and endless plains – apparently, the map will be as saturated as possible. The teaser confirms all the long-held dreams of fans about the Japanese setting.
Pre—orders for the racing hit are already open, and the price tags are quite expected for 2026 — the basic edition of Standard will cost $69.99, for the Deluxe version they ask for $99.99, but for the top Premium you will have to pay $119.99. It is the owners of Premium who will take the game into their own hands before everyone else – early access starts It’s already May 15th.
It is logical that Microsoft has not forgotten about its loyal users.
Subscribers of the Game Pass service (we are talking about the Ultimate and PC versions) will be able to break into Forza Horizon 6 immediately on the day of the official release – you don’t need to pay a penny from above, which is generally encouraging. As a result, we have a successful announcement that forces us to recalculate the days until May. We’re waiting for a full-fledged gameplay, that’s it.
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Release date, pre-order, price and Game Pass in 2026
Officially, X—Day is scheduled for May 19, 2026 – that’s when Forza Horizon 6 will land on board Xbox Series X|S PCs and consoles. But fans of the blue camp, in truth, will have to wait a little longer, because the PlayStation 5 release is scheduled for sometime in late 2026. The owners of Premium will pick up their keys 4 days earlier, namely on May 15th — a good loyalty bonus, you will agree.
The exact release date of Forza Horizon 6
The developers decided not to pull the cat by the tail and at the January Xbox Developer_Direct presentation they rolled out all the cards on the table.
Here’s what the graph looks like:
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May 15, 2026: Early start for the elite with the Premium Edition.
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May 19, 2026: Shared access on Steam and Microsoft Store.
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End of the year: Launch on PS5 — after everything falls into place on Microsoft servers.
Interestingly, this time the festival will unfold on the most gigantic map in the history of the series. By the way, we are promised rides through neon Tokyo, snow—covered Hokkaido and the picturesque slopes of Fuji – the scale, frankly, makes the iron nervous. And it is logical that for such a scale, the publisher has prepared several options for depositing money into the cash register at once.
Forza Horizon 6 Editions and pre-orders
The Playground Games team has opened pre—orders in three versions at once – Standard, Deluxe and Premium.
Game Editions Comparison
The best deal for those who plan to stay in Japan for a long time is Premium. Not only does it open the doors 4 days earlier, but it also essentially closes the issue of future DLCs. As a “bribe” for an early purchase, they promise a unique fleet, including a rare Ferrari J50 — it looks powerful, really. It seems that Microsoft is seriously intending to update sales records, because they also decided to raise prices in 2026.
The price of Forza Horizon 6 and Premium Edition in 2026
The price tags, admittedly, are biting now — welcome to the era of new AAA standards.
The money balance is something like this:
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Standard — 70 bucks (net base).
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Deluxe — 100 bucks (with a subscription for cars).
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Premium — 120 bucks (all inclusive + early access).
Of course, social media has already started to boil over due to the cost of four days of head start – Game Pass Ultimate owners, in fact, are persistently offered to purchase an upgrade to the “Premium” if they do not want to swallow dust behind the tail of the column on May 15. For those who play from specific regions like the Russian Federation, the situation will probably be resolved through good old-fashioned gifts and a change of digital permanent residence on Steam. In the end, it all comes down to your budget and willingness to wait, but there is another trump card up the publisher’s sleeve.
Forza Horizon 6 and Game Pass in 2026
For budget-conscious racers, the Game Pass remains a lifeline, albeit with a couple of caveats. The basic version of FH6 drops into the subscription immediately on the day of release — this is the base.
But it’s worth considering the nuances:
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No early access “for free” — wait for May 19th.
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DLC and large maps are not included in the subscription — they will probably have to be purchased separately.
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Do you want premium buns in Game Pass? Take the Add-on Bundle.
In general, the situation is very clear: if you just “watch”, then the subscription is enough for your eyes. But if you’re aiming for the top and want to grab the most content from day one, then the Premium Edition is the only way. It looks like 2026 is going to be a hot year for all those who like to burn rubber, so we are preparing wallets and updating drivers in advance.
