Forza Horizon 6 Announced, But Not on PS5 at Launch

That mountain got me so hyped I nearly fell off my chair!!

Yeah, although i still wonder why PlayStation didn't go forward and rather abandoned drive club; amazing game

I’m surprised it’s not releasing on PS5 along side Xbox and PC at launch. I wonder what the reasoning is for this as they would probably sell several million copies on PS5 alone. I’ll be playing it on Game Pass on Series X so it doesn’t affect me, just surprised it’s not going on PS5 day one.

Pretty much the only good thing shown, if it releases a few months later I may get it purely because it's set in Japan. Hopefully there's a lot of anime style decals and maybe even some official collabs. Will also be interesting to see what soundtracks they go with, imagine some Hatsune Miku 😂.

@Frmknst I'm sorry I don't understand what you're giving out about??
Tourists??
Bandwagon??

Strange it’s not day one on PS5.
I guess it’s to keep game pass ultimate in a sort of gets it first selling point.
Or maybe yet again Xbox are changing tactics, either way the usual Xbox not having an over arching strategy, more it depends on the game and weather 🤣

@MaccaMUFC I'm not surprised - its still a 'big' Xbox IP and Microsoft will still want to sell you Hardware or Subscriptions to play their games first.

It may only be 6mnths (like Indy) or longer, but they too will need Exclusives to try and get people into their platform. MS have several IP's that are Day1 on PS - Minecraft, Doom, CoD etc, but I doubt brand new Forza, Halo or Gears will be 'Day 1' on PS5 and I don't mean 'new' remasters of 'old' games.

I see MS's 'multi-platform' strategy as similar to Sony's PC strategy - the only difference is that Sony has 'fewer' Multi-platform IP's (MLB & Destiny) releasing day/date. Sony only has their Playstation platform where as MS has their own Console, PC and Cloud based Platforms. Therefore MS's games are on 'more' platforms Day/Date than Sony's but doesn't mean they'll be on every 3rd Party Platform (like Switch, Playstation) day 1 too.

I expect a lot of games will come to PS eventually - inc FH6 but I'd be surprised if EVERY game does - I can't see them going to the effort of porting Forza Motorsport to PS5 to compete directly with their established GT series and Loyal fanbase to that IP. Forza Horizon makes sense because there isn't many games like it.

It was not a great trailer, just a teaser for the new setting of Japan after showing the history of the Franchise, the regions its been set in before. But then they normally don't reveal anything until a few months before release. Its almost as if the leaks regarding the setting forced them to confirm it and nothing more... Yet!

Awesome news and not long to wait! 2026 is getting more and more stacked. I’ll play it on Game Pass and then all over again on PlayStation. Love it.

Wait, I missed the Xbox show? when was it?

I'm surprised that it will not be a simultaneous release on all platforms. I imagine that it will only be a few months before it is on the PlayStation. It'll probably arrive in time to coincide with the first big DLC, with the PlayStation getting the base game with the first DLC included. Then PlayStation will get all the later DLC too, but have to buy it just as they will on the Xbox...

Makes sense to get the revenue for Game Pass subscriptions first, then port over. I think this will also happen for other premium titles like Fable and Gears of War E-Day. Stuff like Marvel Blade, could be day one as licensed games need to generate more revenue. Certain AA style games like the Outer Worlds 2 will go day 1 as they are not real subscription drivers.

I don’t think people will get a lot of sunlight next year with both GTA and FH launching. I personally never got the hype for both franchises, but I guess this will be good for the industry.

@Oram77 it was 11am UK time, but don't worry you didn't miss anything.

I imagine that Forza Horizon 5 is still selling well, so they want to give it a bit more space to get more sales before launching this on PS5; it could also be the port started late so they need a few more months. I do prefer getting this than 5 though so I'm hoping the wait is like Indy.

I imagine it will probably be 4-6m later which is fine. MS benefits from the extra sales PS provides, but keeping the exclusivity as a temporary perk for Xbox players is a good balance.

@johncalmc I don't think Microsoft or Xbox are short of resources to port the game to playstation ha come on now✌️

@MaccaMUFC It's probably "priority" reason.
Xbox wants to have their big franchises (Gears, Fable, Forza Horizon 6) out next year. Which means that Playground will release 2 AAA games in one year. Which is a big ask. So I guess priority is Xbox and PC version for both games.

Will mess around with on the cloud then purchase the PS version day one. Hopefully the wait isn't too long!

Proper excited for it but still I maintain PORT HORIZON 4

Set in Japan.
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.

As someone who sold their XSX recently, I find it odd they are releasing first on a dead platform, that even hardcore Xbox fans from 2002 like me are offloading, and that no one is buying at the new jacked up prices.

I think the timed exclusivity window could be because of GTA6. Announcing the game today gives the impression of 1st half of 2026 release but the next news is in 2026 which makes me think it'll be January Developer Direct announcing release date for May/June 2026. Then release on PS5 in Fall/Holiday 2026 to avoid GTA6.

Credit where credit's due, I applaud Microsoft for being forthright about which platforms the game will release on so people can make an informed purchase. Unlike another company that refuses to commit either way despite a clear pattern emerging from previous releases...

@Dogbreath If it's so dead, then why is Sony releasing games on it?

@Questionable_Duck Sony aren't leaving money on the table. If they can shift a few hundred thousand copies of an old game on Xbox at £70 plus micro transaction sales, that's a tidy bit of revenue.

That's a whole lot different to launching a prime time, genre leading AAA title on a dying backwater system that will only be a small fraction of total sales.

You want the big explosive release on the top platforms.

Guess that means no GeoW-EDay Day 1 and no Blade Day 1 either. Only games I look forward to from Micky...

Yeah, like others im still not convinced on Xbox's strategy here (given the AAA nature of the game, and the state of the Xbox platform in general) - and I certainly think it confirms that we should not trust them with their we are multiplatform talk.

Maybe they are hoping that sales of FH5 indicate that they wont lose out by releasing later on PS5.

@Dogbreath If they can shift a few hundred thousand copies of an old game on Xbox, then that means Xbox isn't a dead platform. Simple as that.

If Xbox was dead, there would be no incentive for Sony to bring Helldivers 2 or any other game to Xbox whatsoever. No ifs, ands, or buts. Did you see Sony and Nintendo porting their games to the Dreamcast before Sega pulled the plug on it?

You can spin it as much as you'd like, by saying "well at least Sony isn't bringing their games to Xbox day-one!", but expect to see more first-party PlayStation titles on the "dead" platform known as Xbox in the future.

Also worth noting that more and more third-party developers, like Square Enix, are opting to release their games on Xbox day-one, rather than release it years later. Third-party support shouldn't be improving on a dead platform.

@Questionable_Duck you are getting hung up on semantics.

There is a difference between being a dead platform in terms of the lead platform for a timed exclusive release of a massive AAA game…

And…

Being a dead platform for being a dumping ground for old third party titles just to milk a few final bucks out of them.

The XSX is not a dead platform for the latter, but it absolutely is dead in the water for the former. That’s why I dumped mine.

This launch strategy will harm Forza, not help it.

@Dogbreath Yeah I was hoping this was day one for PS5 as I’ve decided to sell my XSX since I have a PS5 Pro. It will be less anxiety for me too deciding which platform to buy multi-plat games on.

Dang, do I get it on Xbox now, or wait for PS5 since it'll likely get some Pro upgrades.

@Dogbreath This is the first time I've heard that a platform can be dead or alive in two different ways. IMO, you're making this seem a lot more complicated than it actually is.

There is no such thing as something being a dead platform in one way, but not a dead platform in another way. Either it's a dead platform or a not-dead one lol.

I think you're confusing the weaknesses of a platform and its lower install base with the viability of the platform as a whole. Saying a platform is dead, all because it's not the lead platform for a timed exclusive release, is hyperbole at best, in my opinion.

The fact of the matter is, third-party support is currently better on Xbox than it has been in over a decade. If Sony is porting some of their old games to Xbox "just to milk a few final bucks out of them," then why didn't they do this during the 360 gen, when Xbox had a larger install base? If Xbox is on its last legs, wouldn't it make more sense for Sony to not support the platform at all and just let it die, so that they can convert the existing Xbox owners into PlayStation users?

Lastly, I don't think Forza Horizon 6, a new installment in a series that's done incredibly well on Xbox and PC alone for 2 decades, is going to be harmed much by releasing on PS5 a few months later. FH5 and Indiana Jones have proved that games will still sell well on PlayStation, even if they're late ports. Ironically, a day-one game like Doom: The Dark Ages seems to have sold worse on PS5 than either of those two titles. By doing a slightly staggered release with a highly-anticipated title like FH6, MS can get people to double-dip on both PS5 and Xbox/PC.

@Frmknst what are you babbling on about now?

I love forza horizon 5 although I just tend to jump in and out of it at the moment. I'll most definitely purchase this as soon as its available but I do wish forza motorsport was ported instead as that would have been more up my street. At least I'll have project motorsport in November to whet my appetite for my sim racing needs. I recently installed drive club again and I'm just gobsmacked that Sony never wanted to make a native ps5 version for this but we all know why and that's because whilst GT7 is a pretty spectacular racing game drive club was superior in just about every department and Sony can't have that can they? They could have at least kept servers running for it..

I can totally see why the PS5 version isn't there at launch. It’s basically “why wait for it to appear on PS5, when for only $$$ per month, you can get it on day one on Game Pass, along with x amount of games”. I don't mind waiting though. I had a Series X and never got my moneys worth out of it. What has surprised me is that they don't seem to be releasing Forza Motorsport for PS5. I know it wasn’t a great game at launch, I didn't enjoy it much, but I read it’s improved a lot since then. I also know the dev team was laid off but, the game exists, they’ve announced additional events, it’s not a massive amount of work to be ported over, and the money they’d raise from PS5 sales could well pay for maintenance, make a tidy sum and give the title a second chance.

@MaccaMUFC It's not difficult to work out why they aren't releasing on PS5 at the same time genius.
It's to sell more consoles and to make more money for Xbox first, it's also a day one game pass release too. Now how hard was that?

@Dogbreath @Questionable_Duck Evidence to strengthen your statement that everyone is offloading their Xboxes like you have would be good.

@MaccaMUFC very likely it was meant as Xbox exclusive some time ago. But that pivoted in this year. They cancelled Forza Motoraport and moved Turn 10 team to Forza Horizon, and how it seems from xbox blog post, Turn 10 is working on PS5 port, but it will ot be ready on time.

@MaccaMUFC Microsoft wants to give Xbox owners the illusion of a brand by delaying its release to the paying PS fan base. Makes subsidized gamepass a little more special I reckon. But share holders will very pleased when it launches on PS.

Japan is overused in gaming.

@Dogbreath, there are around 30 million Game Pass subscribers, 30 million Xbox Series consoles sold, and millions more on PC. Xbox is far from a "dead" platform. It has reasonably chosen to get the most money out of Game Pass subscriptions first before porting it over to PS5. Sony did the same with Helldivers 2, and it's what any sensible business would do.

My main question:
Will there be a physical disc?

Everything is set in Japan now. Japan, Japan, Japan. Every RPG, soulslike, silent hill F, assassins creed's last entry. Remember when world war 2 was getting tired for shooters and there was outcry for change? thats where we are at with all this Japan stuff now man. Still way more Japan themed games yet to release too

@johncalmc Not a weird decision at all. When you take into account that Xbox raised all the prices of their dust collectors, I mean hardware sku's, maybe they feel that should reserve some exclusives, even if they're timed, to see if some people will be dumb enough to pay those prices for their paper weights.

Since the game is only a year away, a CGI trailer is strange but the later release for the PS5 strikes me as a reasonable move though it might suck for people who primarily play FH online competitively..

In the broadest strokes more platforms equals more technical headaches. Not that such problems can’t be solved with time but it’s perfectly reasonable for developers to choose to focus and given who signs their checks not including Xbox on their highest priority list isn’t in the cards.

I mean I’ll probably still be finishing Forza horizon 5 which I jump back to occasionally by the time this comes to ps5. I can wait there’s loads of other stuff to play and the GT7 update looks decent.

Shame we don’t have driveclub or project Gotham any more to mix the driving game scene up a bit though.

@BAMozzy Yeah it certainly makes sense when you put it that way, I just doubt it would help shift Xbox consoles but it could help increase game pass subscriptions for those who can’t wait. Regardless of the game releasing on PS5 at a later date it’s still going to sell millions of copies, Forza Horizon 5 is proof of that.

@Antb73 Like I said above, I doubt even a new Forza Horizon game would shift many consoles, if any at all, considering Xbox console sales have been on a sharp decline for some time and also the fact FH6 will be on Game Pass day one, sales will be severely affected. Genius.

@MaccaMUFC Its not just Consoles - they get money from PC buyers who get a license for Windows and can sell Subscriptions without needing to sell the Console. If you have a decent PC, why buy an Xbox - you can immediately join Game Pass, buy from Microsoft (and get Play Anywhere versions) and be part of the Microsoft 'Xbox' ecosystem without owning an Xbox.

Sony use 3rd Party PC platforms and don't have their own (yet). So they need to sell hardware to get you into their ecosystem - which is the whole point of Exclusives. FH6 may well sell well on PS, but MS want to incentivise buying an 'Xbox' - not only because those games are releasing 'first' there, but you can also Sub to Game Pass and play it (and many other games too). However, if you 'still' prefer to play on PS, the game will eventually come and be more 'expensive' as a 'new' release compared to Sale Prices on Xbox/PC. Its not just FH6, but Gears, CoD, Outer Worlds, Flight Sim and whatever other games MS release - all on Game Pass so presents 'better' value to tempt Console gamers - even if they just buy a Series S or PC just for playing these games on Game Pass instead of paying $70+ to play on PS.

Even if Xbox hardware will never be #1 best selling hardware because its 'optional', it is still important to MS so Exclusives do matter. Its still the ONLY console you can play those games Day/Date and the only Console with Game Pass so it will help sell some Hardware. But some may choose to Sub to Game Pass on PC/Cloud or just buy the game on PC rather than also buy a Console.

@HaveTheSauce That game was fantastic the only problem was the launch it was a disaster. But even at 30FPS it looked fast.

@darylb24 how many full priced subs and its not all for one game Gamepass.

@Flaming_Kaiser Sorry, I don't understand what you mean?

@Ricky-Spanish Tourists. You know, people who visit somewhere on a tour.

@Orpheus79V Seriously 😳😂 I know what a tourist means but I have no idea in what context he means it!!
Sounds to me like he likes Japan and Japanese culture and is afraid that loads more people will like it now because loads of games coming out are set in Japan and that will lessen his enjoyment of it because of reasons???
🤷🤦

Crazy, CRAZY unlikely idea, but...with Microsoft Flight Simulator getting PSVR2 support, what if FH6 is delayed for Playstation to allow PSVR2 support at console launch?

No, I don't think it's likely...but I can dream big crazy dreams.

Sweet! Literally drove that road on Monday, the town is called Kawaguchiko.
Can’t wait for this!

@MaccaMUFC they need a reason to have keep gamepass relevant