A trusted insider has shared new details, narrowing down the release window for the highly anticipated Forza Horizon 6.
Forza Horizon 6 is already locked in for 2026, with Playground Games taking the festival to Japan and launching first on Xbox Series X|S and PC, then later on PS5. That is the official line from Xbox so far, along with confirmation that the game will be on Game Pass on day one.
Beyond that, the studio has kept things pretty quiet. We know the map is set in a condensed version of Japan, with Tokyo and Mount Fuji as key landmarks, and that this will be the biggest and most packed Horizon map to date.
At the same time, Rockstar has now moved Grand Theft Auto 6 to 19 November, 2026, which reshapes the back half of that year in a big way. That instantly raised new questions in the community about release dates for other titles, one of which is, of course, the new Forza Horizon 6.
Fans have been wondering if the GTA 6 delay would impact the release of Forza Horizon 6 in any way. Well, now it appears we have some insight on that front.
Forza Horizon 6 Release Date Update
This new information comes from well-known and credible insider Nate the Hate, who has correctly reported on insider information on a ton of projects in the past. In a reply on X (Twitter), a user asked Nate if the GTA 6 delay makes a first half of 2026 window more likely for Forza Horizon 6. Nate replied that the first half of 2026 has been the target and still is.
It is not the first time he has talked about that window either. Nate has previously suggested that Playground was aiming at an early 2026 release for the new Horizon game, instead of pushing it to the usual holiday season slot. So his latest post is more of a repeat than a new claim, but it still gives fans something to hold on to while they wait for official news.
Of course, this is still unconfirmed. Internal dates move all the time, and we have seen many games slip at the last minute. So it is important to take this with a grain of salt until Xbox or Playground Games actually puts a date on a trailer or blog post.
During the Tokyo Game Show reveal, Xbox exec Matt Booty said the teams at Playground Games and Turn 10 have “poured their hearts into Forza Horizon 6, bringing Japan to life like never before” and called Japan the most requested location since the very first game. He also promised that Microsoft will share more about the game next year.
Playground Games has a strong track record with the Horizon series, and with Xbox treating this as a major 2026 release, it is clear the studio is under pressure to get both the game and its timing right.
What do you think about all of this? Do you like the idea of Forza Horizon 6 arriving in the first half of 2026, or would you rather see Playground take more time? Share your thoughts.
