Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 6 proves that you don’t need to know the difference between a Mazda and a McLaren to enjoy this Japanese automotive playground. The game launches you into a multi-biome race, putting you behind the wheel of a variety of vehicles to help you give you a sample of every type of race you will be partaking in. However, despite the breathtaking scenery that will keep fans busy for months, this latest entry continues to fail gamers looking for a deeply detailed and customizable experience.
The developers, Playground Games, updated vehicle textures to look better than ever. They also remastered the vehicle lighting models and rescanned many vehicles after years of community outcry. As a longtime Forza fan, I see a familiar but optimized visual experience in this entry.
The crafted world begs you to stop and capture the environment with the photo mode. As an automotive photographer, I find this virtual space rewarding. The game’s lighting engine and intricate vehicle details create a realistic experience. Framing the perfect shot scratches the same creative itch as shooting a real car meet. The photo mode is a fantastic tool to appreciate the map and the scanned cars.
The game’s campaign is based on collecting seven wristbands by completing the main story, a variety of road, dirt, cross-country, street racing, touge mountain passes and four character-based questlines.
- Regional daytrips: Where you escort NPCs or follow them on scenic “Day Trips” across specific regions of Japan.
- Yuji’s Auto: A questline focusing on garage upgrades and building high-performance machinery for a parade.
- Larry Chen’s Photography Quests: Where you take photos for a fictional magazine at the request of the Horizon Festival, with narration by internationally recognized automotive photographer Larry Chen.
- Drift Club Japan: Where you are given a variety of vehicles and told to hit a skill target while learning the history of the style or vehicle.
In all, it takes 24 to 48 hours of gameplay to finish. However, this story does not affect online progression. The true progression lies in the festival playlist. This weekly series offers about an hour of challenges and races. Players unlock new vehicles by completing events across the map of Japan during each season.
A screenshot of the map in Forza Horizon 6.
The 56-square-mile map is 1.5 times larger than Forza Horizon 5. For example, Tokyo City is five times larger than Forza Horizon 5’s Guanajuato, which was approximately 6 square miles. It feels massive. You will find yourself wanting to cruise with no aim or direction. During these drives, you will discover new parts of the map. The environment features 75 iconic landmarks and viewpoints, from iconic movie locations like Rainbow Bridge and Shibuya Crossing to Ruriko-ji Temple and Hirosaki Castle. These locations let you experience the history, car culture, and architecture of Japan.
The team did a great job updating most vehicles. However, famous Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) cars like the Toyota AE-86 still look similar to older Xbox 360 models. This poor graphic quality continues underneath the cars. The underbodies are flat images, even on the highest settings. Seeing a cardboard-like bottom ruins the magic of the game.
Also, the character customization is terrible, with a lack of adjustable character design and an emphasis on clothing rather than being able to create a unique character identity. This issue has plagued the series since Forza Horizon 3, with seemingly no vision to change this in the future. It is annoying that the developers have not improved it to match the car customization. While this is a letdown, it does not ruin the amazing work on the rest of the roster when it comes to environmental and interior details of vehicles.
The sprawling 56-square-mile map, the festival playlist, and the remastered vehicles create an unmatched virtual playground that is perfect for any car lover. This massive Japanese sandbox is one of the greatest Forza Horizon games of all time and is worth downloading on Xbox Game Pass or Steam.