Forza Horizon 6 opens Premium Edition early access in Japan-set style

Forza Horizon 6 is now live for Premium Edition players, giving early-access drivers their first full trip through Playground Games’ long-requested Japan setting. The full launch follows on May 19 for Xbox Series X/S and PC, including Game Pass access. Early impressions have already been extremely strong, with critics praising the fictionalized Japan map, the car list, the atmosphere and the sense of place. This is not just another Horizon location swap. Japan has been one of the most requested settings in the series for years because it naturally supports neon city racing, mountain roads, drift culture, cherry blossoms, rural scenery and a deep JDM car fantasy. The pressure was enormous. Playground also appears to be treating the game as a more structured live-service platform, with Series 1: Welcome to Japan starting on May 21 and weekly seasonal rewards following after launch. For players, the early-access period is the first real test of servers, progression, PC performance and whether the Japan map lives up to years of fan imagination. So far, it looks like one of Xbox’s biggest 2026 wins.