Ever since Forza Horizon 6 was announced and the developers were finally taking the Horizon Festival to Japan, I was keen as hell to get behind the wheel, and after spending some time with it, this honestly feels like the freshest the series has been in years. Developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, the game absolutely nails the mix between arcade fun and car culture obsession, so regardless of whether you are into car culture, drifting, racing, or photography, Forza Horizon 6 will feel like it’s built for you.

This was always going to be a hard game for me to put down, knowing I could journey through Japan, and PlayGround Games have absolutely nailed that feeling of freedom again, but for some reason, this time around, it felt a little more personal and more connected to car culture in the heart of Japan. The new Collection Journal was something I found myself checking more than once, knowing I was ticking things off and building that journey even more.

The developers did a fantastic job splitting up the content from Horizon Festival and Discover Japan. One minute, you could be racing through the streets trying to unlock the next wristband and the next minute you could be flying over a mountain trying to hit XP Boards or hitting mascots to unlock more goodies. There was never a moment when I sat there thinking what I should be doing.

I’ve always been a big fan of the progression systems in Horizon games because you come in as a complete rookie you get the option of your first car and it’s you, the car and the open road and knowing you can just drive around as every race, drift zone, PR stunt and side actitvy all contribute towards the progression in the game makes it such a fun experience.

I liked the addition of the “What’s Next?” system, which lets you finish a race and then recommends another, so you don’t have to scan the entire map to find something to do. It took away that little bit of dead time searching.

The Horizon Festival events themselves are some of the best in the series. Horizon Rush events become extremely competitive as the game throws you into specific cars and expects you to learn their limits quickly, which I found myself retrying time and time again to shave some time off, which became weirdly addictive. You still have the traditional showcase events, which bring out the Horizon madness as we’ve seen before. You could be racing planes through the scenery or battling giant mechs, but I’m not going to spoil too much on that because seeing them for the first time is part of the magic.

It reminded me why I love the Horizon series so much, with that ridiculous cinematic flair that they add to break up the content a little. You still have your generic events in the festival as well, like the road races, which sometimes really stole the show with you blasting through the streets of Tokyo in some truly iconic JDM cars, which felt incredible, especially at night time with the reflections, neons, and traffic, which all brought the atmosphere together. It gave me the classic street racing vibes that we’ve all been begging for years.

The Dirt Racing and Cross Country events were solid as well, seeing the map from a different perspective and making sure you were changing as the handling changes on dirt were something you needed to keep in the front of your mind. It’s lowkey made me want to go to Japan, with the beauty of it all, which has been distracting while trying to focus on racing.

If you don’t feel like doing races, there is plenty to do outside of racing, with PR Stunts placed everywhere, and, like previous games, it turns into a game with your friends to get the highest score.

Being someone who loves handing the ass end of a car out the Drift Zones on the mountain roads quickly became one of my favourite things to do, and I can’t wait to get into some action with my friends with some tandem drifts.

The Trailblazers is quite a simple stunt: you just need to get from Point A to Point B, and the game does not care how, so I was sending cars through forests, fields, and places you definitely should not be putting cars. But hey, I got there in the end. Even the simple stuff, like smashing boards or setting times at the Drag Meets, kept pulling me away from some objectives and kept me busy doing other things.​

I liked that the developers did some research before building this game and really jumped into authentic Japanese car culture with things like Togue Battles being added. I might be biased, but to me, it is the coolest addition to the game. You get to fly downhill through roads inspired by places like Mount Haruna in some tight 1v1 races, which felt like it was straight out of Initial D. I also enjoyed the street racing at night. There was something about it that really brought the game to life, no barriers, just you, the car and some flares set up to let you know where you’re going.

Exploration, like previous games, is just as important as each region felt different, and coming across things like Barn Finds, Hidden Cars and Aftermarket Cars gave you a sense to really explore and work out what Japan was hiding. There is one vehicle in particular that anyone who loves cars will spend the time to find, but I’m not here to give spoilers, so get hunting.

If you are into upgrading, customising and tuning cars, which everyone should be, as it builds the entire experience. The system is similar to previous titles, so if you have played previous titles, you will slide straight into the action, and if you are new, it’s quite simple to get used to the system. I spend too much time sitting there tuning cars for drifting, street racing, rally driving or drag racing.

The visual customisations were honestly a godsend. Finally, being able to add window stickers to cars is something we’ve been asking for as a community over the years, and it’s here, allowing you to make your builds a little more personal and avoid a generic build. The one thing I really wish they’d expanded on more was exhaust customisation.

I wanted more options to really push that ricer / JDM style aesthetic, and honestly, Playground, where’s the neon underglow? It should have been included; it was a massive missed opportunity, considering the game is built around Japanese Car Culture, there are currently 550 cars to choose from in the catalogue, so there is something for everyone.

The customisation doesn’t stop with the cars; they’ve now added customisable garages, and I might have spent more time on this than I would like to admit. Being able to fully customise your garage space, display vehicles and share layouts online feels like something that really ties the game together. I found myself changing cars around, reorganising the area, going out and coming back, and doing it all again to build the ultimate space.

I was surprised by the Estates system, which gives you the freedom to build pretty much whatever you want, from custom racetracks to small drift tracks to hangout areas. I’m keen to see the community getting involved with this one. I can already see the Australian community making some sick burnout pads for some limiter-bashing goodness.

Having early access to the game meant I couldn’t really check out too much of the online stuff, but like previous games, if you just want to cruise, you can jump into a party and cruise to your heart’s content.

You also have the options of obviously doing races together, drag meets, and the Horizon Stunt Parties are back, which were always a favourite for my mates and me.

The LINK skills are cool, as they reward you for driving in a party or for throwing the car sideways down some mountain roads in a tandem drifting session, which now rewards you with some skills points to spend on cars, which adds that community drive we all thrive on.

The controls in Forza Horizon 6 feel incredibly refined and responsive, whether you’re casually cruising through Tokyo or fighting for grip whilst doing a downhill Togue Battle. Every car feels noticeably different behind the wheel, and the updated steering animations, alongside the improved handling model, make driving feel better than ever. The drifting felt super smooth and predictable without losing that feeling that you’re not completely in control of the vehicle.

Throwing the car at top speed down a highway and threading the needle in traffic had me gripping the controller tighter. Everything was fine-tuned and polished with the controls. I was also appreciative of how customisable everything was when it came to driving assists, remapping options and difficulty settings, which was an absolute breeze.​

Visually, the game is absolutely stunning and easily the best-looking game in the Horizon series. The art style leans heavily into the contrast between modern-day Japan and traditional Japan, and it worked brilliantly.

You could be blasting through Tokyo, with the neon-lit streets glowing pink and blue under bright city lights, or drifting along peaceful mountain roads, with nothing but moonlight or sunlight as your saviour.  The colour palette constantly shifts, which keeps the world feeling alive and not repetitive.

The environments are packed with variety, which kept exploration feeling fresh for me the entire time. Every region felt handcrafted with its own personality. The visuals supported the entire experience quite well. It’s not just an open-world game; it sold the fantasy of living inside the Japanese car culture.

There is honestly nothing quite like starting up a Mazda RX-7 and hearing that iconic rotary brap echo through the streets, firing up a 2JZ in a Toyota Supra and hearing that deep, aggressive roar, or pushing a Subaru hard enough to hear that unmistakable boxer rumble bouncing off the mountain walls. Forza Horizon 6 absolutely nails its sound design, and it is one of the biggest reasons I got so immersed in the title.

The improved engine audio makes every car feel unique, whether it’s the turbo fluttering through tunnels or tyres screeching on late-night drifts. There is something for everyone’s ears. The game’s soundtrack never disappoints, fitting perfectly with the radio stations and ensuring the energy matches Japan’s electric feel.

Forza Horizon 6 feels like a love letter to Japanese car culture, and honestly, the best Horizon games I’ve played since Horizon 3. Regardless of whether I was drifting down mountain passes, hunting hidden cars, building my dream car collection or blasting through Tokyo in a heavily modified Mazda RX-7, the game constantly gave me reasons to keep playing. It feels less like a racing game and more like actually living inside a giant car culture playground, and that’s what makes it so hard to stop playing.

Written by: Hayden Nelson