Official: Forza Horizon 6 Is Going To Japan

Forza Horizon 6 was finally revealed during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show Broadcast and confirmed the location of the next game will in fact be Japan. A social media leak back in August already had people convinced of the Japan location, even though I believed the evidence to be a bit on the weak side. The more solid clue was a report from Windows Central that called it when it predicted that the announcement would come during Tokyo Game Show. Watch the official reveal below and then let’s break down the facts.

Forza Horizon 6 Teaser Trailer

Why Was Japan Finally Chosen?

Anyone who’s followed Forza Horizon games knows that the fans have been requesting Japan as a location since the very beginning. With each game in the series hopes have grown stronger for a Japanese setting but it didn’t happen, until now. So, why did the developers finally decide to pick Japan as the location for Forza Horizon 6?

According to a blog post on Xbox Wire, it was all about timing. “For a long time, Japan has been top of Horizon fans’ wish lists, so we’re excited to finally be bringing this much-requested location to players in Forza Horizon 6,” said Playground Games Art Director Don Arceta. “Japan has such a unique culture – from cars, to music, to fashion – that make it perfect for the next Horizon setting. As with any Horizon title, we want to make sure we do the country justice in terms of authentic representation and Horizon open world playability – and now is the right time to realize that fully for players.”

Part of that timing has to do with technical ability. Arceta suggests that Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios needed to wait until its game engine tech evolved to a point to which it could portray the country to the level that met a high standard. Part of that includes techniques learned from developing previous games.

“The beauty of Horizon games is that each one gives us learnings and ways to make the next even bigger and better,” said Arceta. “As well as taking player feedback into account, we’ve also been able to lean into more practical things – for instance, the Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels DLC has helped us develop the elevated roads of Tokyo City in FH6.”

Authenticity is Key

Anyone who plays Forza Horizon games knows how incredibly important the location is to the experience. It’s basically the co-main character next to the player. That means the developers go to great lengths to make sure a Horizon game is as culturally authentic to the locale as possible. To help them with the task in Forza Horizon 6, Playground Studios enlisted Kyoko Yamashita as Cultural Consultant. Yamashita is a cultural communications specialist who splits her time between Los Angeles and Japan.

She’s worked in both the gaming and automotive space with companies like Honda, Square Enix, and XSEED on her resume. She’s also a Porsche aficionado, so it seems that Playground Games certainly chose the right person for the job.

That being said, it doesn’t mean Yamashita had an easy task ahead of her. While Forza Horizon games strive to be as authentic as possible to their chosen locations, they don’t quite remake that location 1:1. It’s all about taking the most notable, culturally relevant, and interesting parts of the location and making it into a somewhat condensed representation of the best it has to offer.

For Yamashita, the best way to start was to take the developers to Japan and have them experience the country firsthand—with her guidance of course. “The trip to Japan demonstrated that the dev team were truly approaching Japan with the right level of curiosity and observation,” said Yamashita in the blog post.

“During our fieldwork in Tokyo, most of the group were first-time visitors. A few days in, someone said, ‘For all the energy here, it’s… quiet.’ That observation – organized chaos with surprising calm – told me they weren’t just looking; they were feeling the place. It’s the kind of insight you can’t fake, and it shaped later conversations about movement, etiquette, and sound.”

What About Japanese Car Culture?

While both Arceta and Yamashita could say plenty about how Forza Horizon 6 will present Japan and its broader culture, they couldn’t say as much about Japanese car culture specifically, as to not give too much away too early.

However, the pair did note that popular segments of Japanese car culture such as Kei cars and vans with “cult followings,” motorsports, the “roots” of drifting, and passion for customization will be represented.

Will Forza Horizon 6 Have Changing Seasons?

Starting with Forza Horizon 4, the game mechanic of changing seasons has become a staple to the series. It affects everything from gameplay to visuals and will be a major part of Forza Horizon 6.

Japan’s hot summers, snowy winters, and even Sakura season when the cherry blossoms bloom will be represented in the game. According to Yamashita it will even get more granular and detailed. “The team is also really proud of the attention to everyday details: ambient audio like station chimes or summer wind bells that instantly place you without a caption,” said Yamashita.

This is When We’ll See Forza Horizon 6 Gameplay

Currently the release for Forza Horizon 6 is vaguely set to “2026.” However, if I had to make an educated guess, I would expect the game to release sometime in the fourth quarter of 2026, likely right before the holiday season. That’s roughly a year from the reveal which can feel like an eternity, especially if you’re already at maximum levels of hype.

The good news is, we won’t have to wait as long to see Forza Horizon 6 in action. Gameplay is set to be revealed in “early 2026,” most likely around Spring, but possibly sooner. In the meantime I’ll be following things closely and will update you as things develop. In the meantime, how hyped are you for Forza Horizon 6?