Forza Horizon 6 game preview: Tokyo drift
After years of fan demand, Forza Horizon finally heads to Japan for a world of neon-lit Tokyo streets, mountain passes and coastal highways
Playground Games’ open-world driving series Forza Horizon has built its reputation on letting players tear across loosely reimagined corners of the globe, including Australia, Great Britain and Mexico. The next stop is Japan, a long-requested destination that feels like a natural fit for the series’ mix of postcard beauty and high-speed escapism. A Forza Motorsport spin-off, Forza Horizon trades track precision for freedom and exploration. Its maps are designed less as faithful recreations and more as playgrounds, where sweeping views and dramatic shifts in elevation take priority over realism: velocity over veracity. Anyone who remembers racing through Edinburgh in Forza Horizon 4 will recognise the approach as familiar landmarks anchor the experience, with the geography tuned for spectacle. So while Mount Fuji looms large, don’t expect to be racing up its sides.
The Japanese setting promises to be the series’ biggest world yet. Tokyo acts as the main focal point, five times bigger than previous urban hubs, while seven distinct regions branch out into countryside, mountains and coastal roads. Dynamic weather and seasonal changes return, ensuring that the same stretch of road can feel radically different from one race to the next. As is always the case with this series, it really looks the part: colourful, fast and varied, with long sightlines so you can always appreciate the view. If Playground Games can match its technical polish with a fresh sense of discovery, this could be Forza Horizon at its most thrilling yet.
Forza Horizon is out on PC and Xbox Series X/S on Tuesday 19 May; released on PS5 later this year.