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Microsoft has officially confirmed Forza Horizon 6 will launch next year, but it won’t be coming to PS5 day and date with other platforms. The racing game community received disappointing news during Microsoft’s Tokyo Game Show 2025 broadcast on September 25, 2025, when Forza Horizon 6 was officially announced with a significant caveat for PlayStation players.
Microsoft has bad news for PlayStation gamers who were hyped to play Forza Horizon 6, the next entry in the popular open-world racing series. While the game promises an exciting journey through Japan’s breathtaking landscapes, PS5 players face an indefinite waiting period.
The official statement that has left PlayStation players frustrated reads: “Discover the breathtaking landscapes of Japan and become a racing Legend at the Horizon Festival in Forza Horizon 6, which will launch first on Xbox Series X|S consoles and PC in 2026, and PlayStation 5 post-launch.”
Forza Horizon 6 is in development for Xbox Series X|S and PC, with a PlayStation 5 release to follow sometime post-launch. This strategic decision represents a significant departure from recent multiplatform approaches, particularly considering the massive success of Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation platforms.
Many gamers are likely to be disappointed with Forza Horizon 6 skipping the PS5 at launch. Forza Horizon 5 was a huge hit on the PS5 when it was released earlier this year, so some people expected Microsoft to go forward and turn it into a multiplatform series from the start.
The success of Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation makes this decision even more puzzling. Forza Horizon 5 originally launched on Xbox and PC on November 9, 2021, before finally arriving on PlayStation 5 nearly four years later on April 29, 2025, demonstrating clear pent-up demand for the franchise on Sony’s console.
PlayStation community members have expressed their frustration across social media and gaming forums. 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, noted one community member on Push Square.
The sentiment is echoed by many who see this as a step backward in gaming accessibility. Weird decision considering how well Forza Horizon 5 is selling on PS5, highlighting the commercial success that makes the delay strategy questionable from a revenue perspective.
Forza Horizon 6 is a new game from Xbox Game Studios, so it will be available at launch on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. This provides immediate value to Xbox ecosystem users while forcing PlayStation players to wait and eventually pay full price.
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”, explains the obvious strategic thinking behind Microsoft’s approach.
Microsoft also recently announced Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 for PS5, and these releases are part of Microsoft’s strategy of launching its own games on rival platforms to bring in more money. However, the timed exclusivity approach suggests they’re balancing multiplatform revenue with ecosystem loyalty incentives.
Microsoft worked with cultural consultant Kyoko Yamashita to help ensure Forza Horizon 6 gets the details right. The cultural consultant explained their approach: “I love the coexistence of Japan: a neighborhood shrine beside a small workshop beside a neon arcade–traditional and modern on the same block. There is so much scope and inspiration to be explored with Japan, and the richness felt like a natural fit for this game”.
“From the neon lights and towering buildings of Tokyo City–one of our most detailed and layered environments to date–to the serenity and natural beauty of Japan’s rural and mountain areas, we think players will be blown away by the open world of Japan that we have built”, according to Playground Games.
“Japan features some of the most well-known, beautiful seasonal changes in the world–sweltering summers, snowy winters and, of course, the iconic Sakura season, those precious weeks where cherry blossoms bloom across the country”. The seasonal changes will have “dramatic impact on the landscape and playable world”.
The game will deeply integrate Japanese automotive culture. “In Japanese car culture, the depth and diversity is astonishing. Kei cars and vans with cult followings, precision motorsport, drifting’s roots, and their passion for customization really stands out”.
PS5 players may have to wait until late 2026 or sometime in 2027 before stepping into Horizon Japan. However, there are reasons to believe the wait won’t be as long as Forza Horizon 5’s four-year delay.
This time, Microsoft and Playground Games announced PS5 support from the very beginning, even enlisting Turn 10 Studios to help with the PlayStation port. This suggests a more organized approach to PlayStation development.
“Forza Horizon 6 will launch first on Xbox consoles and PC in 2026. With the excitement for this franchise on other platforms, Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios are also working together to bring Forza Horizon 6 to PlayStation 5 post-launch”, according to Microsoft’s official blog post.
Turn 10 is assisting in bringing Forza Horizon 6 to PS5, indicating dedicated resources are being allocated for PlayStation development, which could potentially shorten the delay compared to previous entries.
It’s unclear how long PlayStation players will have to wait for FH6. It could be anywhere from three months to a year of delay. Recent Microsoft releases have shown varying patterns:
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, suggests one community analyst.
In recent years, Microsoft and the Xbox gaming brand have moved away from exclusivity in an approach that favors accessibility for all gamers. And with that in mind, a shorter delay seems far more realistic.
Forza Horizon 6 will likely continue supporting crossplay and cross-progression once the PS5 version is available. The game is being built with a global community in mind, and Playground Games is committed to accessibility across platforms.
When FH5 came to the PS5 earlier this year, it fully supported both features, instantly connecting the new PlayStation player base to the larger Forza community. This precedent suggests PS5 players will eventually get the full feature set.
PlayStation 5 players may benefit from additional development time, potentially receiving enhanced features, bug fixes, and optimizations that weren’t available in the initial Xbox/PC launch. The delayed release could include PS5 Pro optimizations and additional content that launches post-release.
In fact, a report said Microsoft may bring all of its big games to PS5, suggesting this delay strategy represents an evolution of platform exclusivity rather than its abandonment. By confirming PlayStation releases upfront while maintaining timed exclusivity, Microsoft attempts to balance ecosystem loyalty with market expansion.
The strategy forces racing game enthusiasts to choose between immediate access through Xbox Game Pass or waiting for their preferred PlayStation platform. 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.
While waiting for Forza Horizon 6, PlayStation players can:
Some PlayStation players are reconsidering their platform loyalty. As someone who sold their XSX recently, I find it odd they are releasing first on a dead platform, while others note Dang, do I get it on Xbox now, or wait for PS5 since it’ll likely get some Pro upgrades.
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.
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 on their primary platforms initially.
The announcement has generated polarized responses. Xbox fans celebrate the return of timed exclusivity for major franchises, while PlayStation players express frustration at being relegated to secondary status despite demonstrated market demand.
FH5 and Indiana Jones have proved that games will still sell well on PlayStation, even if they’re late ports. This suggests Microsoft’s strategy of delayed releases doesn’t significantly harm long-term sales performance.
Even more interesting is that a FH6 Switch 2 port wasn’t listed at all. So that means the game currently isn’t being planned for the new Nintendo console. We didn’t get a lot of hints of whether there would be eventual support for the PlayStation 6 and even Nintendo’s Switch 2.
As for when gameplay will arrive, Microsoft said fans can expect to see the game in action in “early 2026”. Microsoft is going to be announcing more FH6 details in “early 2026″.
Forza Horizon 6 is coming in 2026. A more specific date has not been announced, but fans can wishlist the game now. The early 2026 timeframe suggests a first-half release for Xbox and PC platforms.
Forza Horizon 6’s delayed PlayStation release represents a calculated business decision that prioritizes ecosystem loyalty over immediate market capture. While PlayStation players face an uncertain waiting period, several factors suggest the delay won’t match Forza Horizon 5’s nearly four-year gap.
The upfront confirmation of PlayStation development, dedicated Turn 10 Studios support, and Microsoft’s evolved multiplatform strategy indicate a more structured approach to cross-platform releases. However, the indefinite “post-launch” timeline creates legitimate frustration within the PlayStation community.
For PlayStation 5 owners eagerly anticipating their next Horizon adventure, patience will be required, but Japan’s racing paradise will eventually arrive. The key questions remain: Will Microsoft learn from community feedback and shorten future delays? And will the enhanced PlayStation version justify the extended wait?
The gaming industry watches closely as Microsoft navigates the delicate balance between platform exclusivity and multiplatform revenue maximization, with Forza Horizon 6 serving as a crucial test case for this evolving strategy.
