Six years into this console generation, Forza Horizon 5 is currently a strong frontrunner for my favourite game released during it, in terms of both hours played and enjoyment. You can imagine my excitement therefore, to learn that Forza Horizon 6 would be releasing on PlayStation 5 the same year it dropped on Xbox and PC. Having played all previous Horizon titles on release day, buying their biggest edition and piling hundreds of hours into them, I made the decision to wait for Horizon 6 to come to PS5, my preferred console, before playing it. The months zipped by, and aside from a statement from its developer, Playground Games, confirming it was definitely still on track to release on PlayStation this year, we received nothing but silence.
That was until the beginning of October rolled around, and the rumours the game had been pushed into 2027 started to spread, followed a day later by Playground Games sheepishly confirming this now to be the case. I had been itching to play the new Horizon for months at this point, so the news I’d have to wait another three and a half was extremely frustrating. Or it was at least, before I decided enough is enough and just bought it on my Xbox Series X. Because fuck waiting.
Best decision I’ve made all year.
The map is positively gigantic, with seemingly endless things to see, events to engage and breathtaking vistas which made me audibly gasp on a couple of occasions. Even when you move up a rank and unlock new events, showered generously across the region, it never feels overwhelming. I often don’t know what to do next, but that’s simply because I’m spoiled for choice and raring to go. I’ll never forget heading towards a danger sign (big stunt jump) nearby I had spotted on the map, heading down the dirt track leading to it only for the world to fall away as I suddenly found myself accelerating wildly down a steep decline, culminating in launching off the ramp at the end into sheer oblivion. Scoring three stars, the best possible result, was a very satisfying bonus!
My biggest, and so far, only issue with Forza Horizon 6 so far is its opening. Usually the Horizon games will begin with a bold and exhilarating sequence highlighting different aspects of the host country, Japan in this case, as well as the cars you’ll be using to explore it. These introductions have never failed to amaze historically, until now, but after getting through a brief lacklustre showcase reel of tourist hotspots and having my hand held through the first hour of gameplay, everything which has followed has been an immense joy to play.
Clocking in 20 hours played during my first five days with the game, it’s pretty safe to say I’m immediately addicted to this juggernaut of open world racing perfection. I implore anyone who already has both an Xbox and a PlayStation who has been patiently waiting; take this as your sign to just play the game now. Buying it digitally for Xbox via shopto.net (not sponsored, just where I buy my digital gaming credit) will save you almost £40 on the Premium edition compared to the price on the PlayStation store, so not only do you get to play it immediately, you save a wad of cash as well. What’s not to like?!
Or just play it on Xbox Game Pass, I suppose..
I’d be very surprised if anything surpasses this to become my favourite game of this year, and not just because I stubbornly don’t want to give that title to Grand Theft Auto 6.
As I’ve officially missed the Xbox review boat at this point, I will be gradually working towards reviewing it before Horizon 6 finally drops for PlayStation in January. With the gift of time on my side, I’ve decided I will not even start drafting my review until I have accumulated over 100 hours of play time. Until then I’m keen to get immersed back in Japan, so thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for my Forza Horizon 6 review coming to Respawning UK later this year!
Written, edited and images captured by Alexx.
There’s No Safety in Silence.