Playground Games has shared new details on the campaign structure for Forza Horizon 6, outlining how progression, exploration, and cooperative play will shape the experience when the game launches on May 19 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a PS5 release planned for later this year.
Set in Japan, Forza Horizon 6 resets the player’s status within the series. Rather than arriving as an established champion, players begin as a tourist aiming to join the Horizon Festival. Progression centers on earning Wristbands by completing Horizon Qualifiers and the Horizon Invitational, gradually building a reputation to become a Horizon Legend.
Festival events are structured around specific car requirements across Road, Dirt, and Cross Country races. As players earn additional Wristbands, new themed events unlock, introducing faster and more specialized vehicles. Hypercars, for example, cannot be used in Festival races until players obtain the Purple Wristband later in the campaign. Completing races, PR Stunts, and Skill challenges contributes toward the next Wristband milestone.
Once a race is completed, players can access the Race Customizer for that event. Options include adjusting Drivatar count up to 11, season, weather, time of day, lap count, traffic, and other parameters. Car Themes can be selected to match specific classes or restrictions, and individual vehicle eligibility can also be customized. When playing in a Convoy, the leader’s event settings apply to the entire group.
Progression is punctuated by Wristband Events, including Showcase races and the newly introduced Horizon Rush mode. Horizon Rush features obstacle course-style challenges set in locations such as Tokyo City Docks, Sotoyama Ski Resort, and Irokawa Space Center. Players aim to complete courses as quickly as possible while tracking split times to improve star ratings and leaderboard standings.
Earning all seven Wristbands unlocks access to Legend Island, an exclusive endgame area featuring the Legend Island Circuit and the Colossus, described as the longest Goliath-style event in the series, looping the entire map via the freeway network.
Alongside the structured Festival progression, Discover Japan offers a parallel system focused on exploration. Players earn Stamps for activities such as photography, side jobs, car collection, Horizon Stories, Touge Battles, and night Street Races. Stamp collection contributes to unlocking Player Houses with customizable garages, Barn Find rumors, and The Estate, a mountain valley area where players can build and decorate in the open world.
All campaign progress across both Horizon Festival and Discover Japan is tracked in the Collection Journal, which also stores photographed images and rewards players with cars, credits, and cosmetic items for completing challenges.
For the first time in the series, Forza Horizon 6 supports cross-save across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5, and Steam, allowing campaign progress to transfer between platforms.
Forza Horizon 6 launches May 19 on Xbox Series X|S and PC, with Early Access beginning May 15 for Premium Edition owners and those who purchase the Premium Upgrade through Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass. Pre-orders are available now, with early purchasers receiving a pre-tuned Ferrari J50 as a bonus.
