Forza Horizon 6 respects Japan’s sacred spaces by making shrines and cherry trees indestructible

Forza Horizon 6 is not letting players smash through every part of its Japanese world. In an interview discussed by Insider Gaming, Playground Games design director Torben Ellert explained that most trees in the game are destructible, but cherry blossom trees are not because of their importance in Japanese culture. Temples, shrines and other cultural elements are also protected so players are not encouraged to drive through places of real-world significance. That may sound like a small detail, but it shows how game-world design has changed. Open-world racing games usually reward the fantasy of crashing through scenery, yet that freedom can become awkward when a setting includes sacred or locations. Ubisoft faced similar criticism around destructible shrines in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Playground seems to have learned from that wider conversation. For players, the result should still feel playful, but with boundaries that respect the setting. Forza Horizon 6 is a fictional distillation of Japan rather than a documentary map, but cultural care still matters. The strongest version of a Japan-set racing game is not just beautiful; it understands what should not become a bumper obstacle.