Forza Horizon 6 just got its first gameplay trailer during the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 showcase, and fans are losing their minds. After over a decade of asking for a Japan setting, Playground Games is finally delivering. Here is everything that we can find in the latest Forza Horizon 6 trailer. Check out the gameplay and all the new features!
What’s Revealed in Forza Horizon 6 Trailer
So Japan is now your playground, and it’s the largest map in Forza Horizon history. You will be exploring everything from busy Tokyo streets to quiet mountain roads. Tokyo alone is actually five times bigger than any city in previous Horizon games.
From the trailer, you can see spots like Daikoku Parking Area, Gingko Avenue, and even areas inspired by Mount Haruna (the same mountain in Initial D). Now, let’s check out everything that was revealed in the Forza Horizon 6 trailer and the explanation from the Xbox Developer Direct 2026.
1. Over 550 Cars to Drive
When the game launches, you will have access to more than 550 real-world cars. This includes tons of JDM classics that fans have been waiting for. The trailer showed off some new additions, like the Toyota Chaser X100, Daihatsu Copen, and Honda Beat. The Toyota 2025 GR GT Prototype is the official cover car for Horizon 6.
All these cars come with improved engine sounds and better steering animations. You will get up to 540 degrees of wheel rotation. As you explore Japan, you can also hunt down special Forza Edition cars that come with extreme modifications already installed.
2. New Gameplay Features
Forza Horizon 6 introduces some fresh mechanics that change how you play the game:
- The Valley Estate – Your own mountain valley where you can build almost anything you want. You can place buildings, plants, and roads to create drivable areas.
- Customizable Garages – You can customize garages now. Change the paint schemes, hang up posters, and arrange your cars however you like.
- Car Meets – You can hang out with other players, trade paint designs, share car tunes, and swap vehicles.
- Touge Battles – One-on-one races against another player on narrow mountain passes.
3. Horizon Festival
The campaign starts with you as a tourist in Japan. You need to prove yourself worthy of joining the Horizon Festival as a rookie driver. While exploring, you’ll complete your Collection Journal and discover different parts of Japan. To join the Festival, you need to compete in the Horizon Invitational. After that, you climb through the ranks by racing progressively faster cars and earning new Wristbands.
If you make it to the top, you become a Horizon Legend. This unlocks access to Legend Island, an exclusive area reserved only for the best drivers in the game. Along the way, you’ll meet legendary racers from the Horizon Festival and experience stories rooted in Japan’s famous car culture.
4. Horizon CoLab
EventLab is getting a massive upgrade in Horizon 6. The new version is called Horizon CoLab, and it supports multiplayer building. You can create custom events anywhere in Japan with your friends in real-time. Once you finish creating, you can share your events for everyone to play.
5. Sound and Music Improvements
The developers remastered engine audio for a selection of vehicles and added more detailed surface interaction sounds to make cars sound better than ever. This game also has more music than any previous Horizon title, including exciting Japanese artists.
6. Multiplayer and Social Features
- You can play in Time Attack Circuits to compete for the fastest lap times.
- Participate in Drag Meets for straight-line speed battles.
- Earn new co-op LINK skills with other players by driving in sync.
- Compete in Spec Racing Championships where everyone uses the same car to test driving skills.
- Classic modes like The Eliminator (battle royale racing) and Hide & Seek are returning, too.
Forza Horizon fans have been begging for a Japan setting since the first game launched in 2012. Previous games took us to Colorado, Italy, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. All are great locations, but Japan was always the dream, because for racing game fans, Japan means everything (say hello to drift culture, legendary mountain passes, and so many iconic cars!)
The Forza Horizon 6 trailer looks super stunning. If you’ve been waiting for this, May 19th release can’t come soon enough. Are you ready to race?
