Well.. It’s not Retro, it’s not a handheld, it’s not even a controller or Mini PC. Despite the fact that I really wanted to cover every other game in the series first, I’ve put 30 hours into Forza Horizon 6 over the last two weeks, and around a move, some controller testing, and plenty of late-night hours driving around Japan.
I really want to talk about this game to someone other than the guys in the Retro Handhelds Discord that always hear me gush about the Horizon franchise. So here’s my 30-hour, Forza Horizon 6 review described by a guy that doesn’t truly review games.
The Background
As a background, my first true experience with Forza Horizon was actually with the 4th game. With no background experience in it, I grabbed a copy from Best Buy while I was in college and absolutely dumped a Winter Break into it. I absolutely adored that game. From the weather system to the cars, to Timeless FM specifically.
This was a franchise that stuck with me harder than anything, because even offline, I could enjoy it whenever I wanted, and it was probably the thing I played the most while stranded in a basement alone during my two-week stint of having COVID-19. It’s essentially my comfort franchise, however weird that may sound.
But come 2026, I used my Steam Wallet to purchase the premium edition of Forza Horizon 6 for that early access, and off I went in my souped-up Toyota Tacoma.
The Vibe
If this is your first time hearing about Forza Horizon, I just want to say, “Welcome to Peak.” The team at Playground Games has had great taste for picking out locations for their games. From the mountains of Colorado to the fields of the UK and even the Canyons of Mexico, they know what they’re doing for location.
And when the world clamoured for Japan, they delivered in spades. Following past entries, you’re sitting in a Music and Car festival that seems to be worldwide and loved by everyone, and just like those games, you’re driving the cover car straight into it.
The world is bright, vibrant, and beautiful. With a map larger than the last, and more elevation to climb than you can shake a stick at, Horizon 6 has everything from big cities to dense forests and snowcapped mountains for you to stare at.
Admittedly, as I got further into the game, I started to let auto drive take me from one race to the next, purely so that I could slow down and actually enjoy the scenery. Despite the open rice field and beautiful Cherry Blossom trees, my favorite place to drive was the tight, dense streets of Tokyo City. Bringing back memories of Surfer’s Paradise from Forza Horizon 3, but now scaled up further.
and Music
Just like you can’t talk about Horizon without talking about cars, you’ve gotta talk about the music too. Horizon 6 features nine different radio stations, more than any other game in the franchise. All of which
have their own set of hosts that really bring more life to the world.
From Horizon Bass Arena and Horizon 1 Veteran Scott Tyler, to the synthwave of Horizon Wave from the fifth entry in the franchise, there’s something for everyone, and they’ve really tuned it to Japan this time.
During my time in Horizon 6, I spent most of my time in three stations. Pulse, Sub Pop Records, and Gacha City Radio. All three of which have their own vibes and cover “Dance”, J-Rock, and Alternative genres. The nice thing is that the Forza team has put up official Spotify playlists for every station, so rather than dig deep into a bunch of songs, I’ll simply put the link to their profile here instead. That being said, a few standouts for me include Ascend by Miami Nights 1984, Iguana by Man Man, and CatJammer by Snail’s House. Though there’s a ton to listen to, and a lot more I’d happily recommend.
They nailed the music this time.
The Cars
This time, you’re looking at a solid 619 cars within Forza Horizon 6, a huge number that’s only going to go up as the game ages. That being said, only 457 of those are going to be in the autoshow, as a bunch are buried in Barn Finds, Car Mastery, and of course, the dreaded DLC (that I bought).
If you don’t buy the DLC as I did, your first three cars are a 89’ Nissan Silvia K’s, a 94’ Toyota Celica GT-Four, and a 70’ GMC Jimmy, but absolutely lifted for the hell of it. As a heathen, I found my heaviest enjoyment out of the Forza Edition 1999 Dodge Viper, and 2019 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. But they weren’t all I used.
Since Forza Horizon 6 has a proper progression system with specific cars for their races, I got to spread my time out across a number of different vehicles. From destructively tuning my Peel P50 to Drag Race destroying potential, to Rally Driving in a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer (not the Welcome Pack version), and deciding to hate myself in a 2021 Toyota GR Yaris, I got to experience the highs and lows of the car roster in Horizon 6.
Barn Finds and Wheelspins
Buying cars isn’t the only way I get to grab new vehicles. Barn Finds are back, along with Treasure Cars, though I’ve mostly grabbed the Barn cars. As you explore the map, you unlock more Barn Finds, and after destroying half a forest, you can stumble blindly across a barn, unlocking a dirty, dusty car that will be perfect for restoring and racing. My favorites are the 1998 Penzoil Nismo Skyline GT-R and the 1962 BOAT of a Lincoln Continental.
If that’s not your thing, Wheelspins are back, and they aren’t nearly as stacked as the last two games. If you’re lucky, you’ll win a car from them, but so far, all I’ve gotten is a 1991 Honda Beat, and even then, I don’t know if that’s from the wheelspin. And as a side note, if you buy all of the clothes ahead of time, they seem to disappear from the wheelspins mostly.
and Controls
This is…a long review. But I want to talk about the controls. While the vehicles control similarly to past Horizon games, they seem to bring a bit more of the Motorsport control into them as well. I suck at explaining controls, but steering feels tighter. It follows my control with ease, but doesn’t make me feel like I’m a legend drifting through every corner.
I have to show my ability in driving my Ford Lightning, without accidentally driving off the bridges or slamming into the much more populated traffic. Breaking and accelerating feel right, but also out of control if you’ve put all your points into acceleration on a car that can’t handle it. I’m still getting used to off-road handling as I finish up my Speed Zones, but as a whole? It feels more challenging, but even better than Horizons of a bygone era.
and AI
Last in the full review part. But the AI is interesting. Similar to past games, they use Drivatars, which gather driving data from actual players and put them into your races. They’re usually pretty good and competitive. Until they aren’t. Everyone’s heard of Bowie Knife99 and their rambunctious behavior.
But I’m also talking about moments where your opponents just miss a turn and fly off into the ether. Horizon 6 is where I’ve seen the most cars get reset for missing checkpoints, and it’s not close. I love the Drivatar system, but this time around, they just feel a little more… Stupid.
But that’s probably why a certain Stubborn Pixels kept ramming into the side of me at a turn.
The Progression
Wristbands
They brought back the wristbands. If you want to unlock more races, you need to climb the rankings. Rather than be a celebrity or the festival showrunner, you’re simply a tourist racing in the Horizon Festival to show how good you can really be. From road races to cross country, and full-on dirt, you can race any way you want to show what you know.
As you climb your wristbands, you’re unlike Horizon Showcase events and Horizon Rush events. The Showcase events are the classic “race an airplane” or “race a giant Gundam”. Maybe not classic, but a spectacle instead.
Rush, on the other hand, reminds me of the Dirt 3 point events where you’re racing tight and narrow “built from the ground up” stages to go as fast as you can. And if you’re really good, you can see a rocket blast off in the meantime. Complete all the wristbands, and you’ll make it to Legend Island.
Explore Japan
If the races aren’t your thing, there’s an entire side progression for Horizon storylines, map exploration, and delivering food. Explore Japan is the side where you smash mascot statues, buy houses, decorate your garage, but get pictures of every last car you can while you discover all 10 regions Japan has to offer.
Admittedly, I’ve only gone through the food delivery and photography-based stories in Horizon 6 so far. But my desire to capture 3 stars in everything will keep me coming back to this and the Horizon Festival for months and years to come.
If you want something to do in Horizon 6. They have it.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot I didn’t cover in this. From the Online Play and Festival events, to Drift Zones, Trailblazers, and Car Customization. Again, I’m not a proper game reviewer, but I want to gush about what I’ve enjoyed. Car Customization, while impressive what others have done, is not for me.
And personally, I enjoy the offline aspect of backdoor car purchases rather than the FOMO Horizon Festival can bring. Though they’ve properly fixed it for offline use this time around.
While not for everyone, Forza Horizon 6 is like a 9.5 out of 10 for me. From the cars to the vibe to the music and the story. It’s nearly perfect. Maybe the player models suck, but in a racing game. Who cares? Forza Horizon 6 is already a top 3 Horizon game for me. Right behind Colorado and the UK. If my Retrospective of Horizon 1 had anything to say, it’s my obvious love for the Franchise. And this is included in it.
Now, maybe I can get into the retrospectives of the rest of the series. Hopefully, in shorter articles than this.
