Forza Horizon 6 has made waves since its release, selling millions of copies across both PC and Xbox. Unfortunately, it hasn't been without issues, and this one is a big one.

Some players have reported a major bug that can wipe their entire save file. Up until now, Playground Games had remained largely silent on the issue, but we finally have an update, and the fix sounds more complicated than I was expecting.

While Playground Games hasn't explicitly confirmed the root cause of the issue, the details shared so far point toward a problem involving Xbox cloud saves, Gaming Services, and save synchronization between devices.

A fix is on the way for both Xbox and PC. Interestingly, Xbox players will need an entire system update to address the issue, while the PC fix has already begun rolling out through Microsoft's Gaming Services.

On Xbox, players can expect a system update on June 12, 2026. In the meantime, Playground Games recommends disabling Quick Resume for Forza Horizon 6 to reduce the risk of losing save data. To do exactly that, follow these instructions:

1. Highlight Forza Horizon 6
2. Press the Menu button
3. Select Manage game and add-ons
4. Navigate to Quick Resume settings
5. Choose Disable Quick Resume.

I've been thoroughly enjoying Forza Horizon 6. Driving around in my Warthog from Halo while hunting down collectibles has been an absolute treat. Fortunately, I've been playing on PC and haven't encountered any game-breaking bugs.

That said, I'm genuinely surprised to see this issue require a full Xbox system update to address. I can't think of any other games that have needed what is essentially an operating system-level fix to resolve a problem that's plaguing players. Still, the important thing is that a fix is finally here, and Xbox players won't have to wait much longer to get it.

With that said, let me know whether you've been enjoying Forza Horizon 6, whether you've encountered this devastating bug, or if, like me, your experience has been smooth sailing so far. Be sure to leave a comment and take part in my poll!

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Despite numerous affirmations that Fable was indeed coming this year, Matt Booty has unfortunately confirmed in a new Xbox podcast that the game has been delayed.

In the podcast, Booty states:

“We talked about Forza Horizon 6 and how the team at Playground is doing really well. Also doing really well on Fable. The game is in great shape. The team feels really good. We're excited about where the game is.

We want to make sure that that game has a window all to its own, so we are going to move it from this fall to February. And again, we really just want it to have its own moment to shine. And related to Fable, we will be seeing more of it in Showcase. So we're going to have plenty for people to see. It really is coming together well, exciting stuff, and then we're going to move to February.”

It's a shame to see, but with how packed this year already is, I'm sure many fans won't mind giving Fable a bit more time in the oven to ensure it's fully ready.

Alongside this announcement, Xbox also posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“This year is packed with incredible games for XBOX players to enjoy, from Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 to Control Resonant, Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Grand Theft Auto VI. In order to plan our game launches through the holidays, in a way that works best for players, we’re moving Fable to February 2027 so it can have the dedicated moment it deserves. We’re excited to be giving players a major new look at Fable, as well as our broader lineup, at XBOX Games Showcase on June 7.”

I'm personally more than happy to give Fable the time it needs, but what about you? Are you gutted, happy to wait, or didn't care much for Fable in the first place? Let me know in the comments and be sure to take part in our poll!

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Xbox and developer Playground Games' Forza Horizon 6 is officially out and available now to everyone who's purchased the Premium Edition and has Early Access, and players around the world are racing to enjoy everything its vast and vibrant depiction of Japan has to offer — driven, no doubt, by its wide array of sights to see, multiplayer activities to engage with, challenges to complete, and cars to unlock.

What's available at launch is only the beginning, however. On May 21 — two days after Forza Horizon 6's full release date and launch times on May 19 — Playground Games is introducing the arcade racer's first Festival Playlist, Series 1, dubbed "Welcome to Japan." Series 1 will include 10 new cars that you'll be able to earn, along with four of the 30 exclusive vehicles from the Car Pass ($30, included in Deluxe and Premium Editions) that slowly unlock with each passing week.

The Festival Playlist works by giving you various different events like races, stunts, and challenges to complete, which in turn award you points that unlock new cars for you (as long as they're available at the time), as well as other items like avatar cosmetics and car customization options. To engage with these, you'll need to get your first Wristband from the Horizon Festival, which you'll do after a few hours of gameplay.

Here's a list of all 10 of the new cars Series 1 will bring, including when they'll be available and the number of points you'll need to earn for them (according to a new blog post):

• 2008 Mazda Furai: May 21 – June 18, 80 points
• 2010 Nissan 370Z: May 21 – June 18, 120 points
• 1999 Toyota Altezza RS200 Z EDITION: May 21 – May 28, 20 points
• 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR: May 21 – May 28, 40 points
• 1997 Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec: May 28 – June 4, 20 points
• 1991 Honda CR-X SiR: May 28 – June 4, 40 points
• 2019 Subaru STI S209: June 4 – June 11, 20 points
• 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser Arctic Trucks AT37: June 4 – June 11, 40 points
• 1996 Toyota Starlet Glanza V: June 11 – June 18, 20 points
• 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5: June 11 – June 18, 40 points

With the exception of the 2008 Mazda Furai and the 2010 Nissan 370Z, all of the cars in Series 1 only require 20 or 40 points. Therefore, they shouldn't be too difficult to unlock, though the aforementioned pair of vehicles will require considerably more effort.

During the "Welcome to Japan" Festival Playlist, the following four cars will also be unlocked on the following dates for Car Pass owners:

• 1990 Nissan #12 Skyline GT-R (BNR32 Gr. A) JTC: May 19
• 2024 Koenigsegg Gemera: May 28
• 1972 Datsun #269 Attacking the Clock Racing 240Z ‘All Carbon Hill Climb Beast’: June 4
• 2008 Honda Civic Type R (FD2): June 11

All in all, there are plenty of new cars to look forward to in the coming weeks, with the additions expanding Forza Horizon 6's already huge car list and giving players further reasons to roam and adventure around Japan.

Want to jump in now ahead of the game's full launch? The Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition is discounted from $119.99 to $92.99 at Loaded right now, so take advantage of that deal while it's around. The $99.99 Deluxe Edition is $74.79 at Loaded also, and the $69.99 Standard Edition of the game is $54.39 at Loaded.

Are you planning to jump into Forza Horizon 6 the moment its out, or are you already playing with Early Access? Let me know in the comments, and in our below poll:

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Forza Horizon 6 is finally here, or well, the reviews are anyway. The game itself launches tomorrow, May 15, 2026, for those who purchased early access, while everyone else can jump in on May 19, 2026.

It’s fair to say that Forza Horizon 6 is a hotly anticipated game. After leaking early just a few days ago, which led to users who accessed the game ahead of launch reportedly receiving 8,000-years bans, we now know that maybe risking it all was worth it, as the game has scored quite well across the board.

As of writing, the game currently sits at 92 on Metacritic, and over here at Windows Central, my colleague Michael Hoglund reviewed the game, giving it a 90, stating:

“Forza Horizon 6 is the series at its most confident, most refined, and most fun. Everything that made the earlier games iconic is back, but with a slicker sheen and events that pop. If you love racing and want an open-world experience that’s equal parts heart and horsepower, Forza Horizon 6 is a no-brainer. It’s the top dog for a reason, and this chapter just cements it.”

Across reviews, there’s a pretty consistent message: Forza Horizon 6 is a fantastic game. I’d like to say I’m surprised, but quite frankly, I’m not. Still, I’ll show you some scores from elsewhere to help you make up your mind if you’re still on the fence:

• Insider Gaming: 100, “Banksy-level vistas of Japan are breathtaking”
• IGN: 100, "full of dense, authentic details and stunning driving roads"
• Game Informer: 93, “Forza Horizon 6 impresses at each turn”
• DayOne: 90, “Forza Horizon 6 is the best the franchise has ever been”
• EuroGamer: 100, “Playground Games does it again”
• DualShockers: 95, "one of the best racing experiences you’ll ever have"
• Gamesreactor UK: 70, “Horizon 6 disappointed me”

Reviews are also currently fairly consistent across both Xbox Series and PC, both maintaining around a 90 as of writing.

I’ll also jump into some positives and negatives to give you an even better idea of what you’re in for, starting off the positives:

• Amazing recreation of Japan
• Great performance and visuals
• Improved progression whilst being fun and approachable
• A lot of content to enjoy

Okay, now over to the negatives:

• Feels very similar to past games in the franchise
• Some reviewers disliked the progression
• Some activities and events lacked variety
• The game can start to feel repetitive after awhile

Overall, Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to be one of the best entries in the series, with many reviews praising the game for its long-requested setting, Japan, which offers a vibrant and immersive playground to drive around in with enough content to keep players busy for hours.

However, while most reviews agree that the setting is fantastic, some critics feel the game is too familiar to previous entries and believe the formula can start to feel stale after a while.

I’ve actually been wanting to jump back into a Forza game for the longest time. I don’t think I’ve properly played one since Forza Horizon 3 maybe way back in the day, so I’ll definitely be checking this one out when it releases, but how about you?

Will you be getting Forza Horizon 6 through Game Pass, buying the game outright, getting early access, or perhaps skipping the game entirely?

Let me know in the comments and be sure to take part in our poll below:

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Back in 2005, Forza Motorsport screeched onto Xbox with one goal: to be the king of driving sims. It was all tight corners, white-knuckle precision, and the kind of seriousness that made you sweat over every gear shift. Fast forward to 2012, and suddenly Forza Horizon bursts onto the scene, tossing the rulebook out the window and blazing its own wild trail.

Horizon ditched the stuffy closed circuits for sprawling vistas, sun-soaked roads, and the kind of festival beats that make your speakers beg for mercy. It absolutely nailed the open-world vibe.

I still get flashbacks to Test Drive Unlimited. I miss my Bugatti Veyron.

Over the next fourteen years, the Horizon series evolved from Colorado hillside racing to a globe-trotting celebration of car culture, each entry layering on seasons, stories, and social cues while never forgetting the pure, grin-inducing joy of flooring it through an ever-changing landscape.

Now, with Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games has taken its wheels to Japan and delivered what feels like the franchise’s most confident, culturally immersive chapter yet.

From the neon pulse of Tokyo to mist-shrouded mountside grounds, Forza Horizon 6 doesn’t rewrite history, but layers perfection on top of perfection to make the latest entry the most polished experience to date.

Forza Horizon 6: The landscape of Japan

A lifetime ago, or at least it feels that way, I took a trip to Tokyo and fell head over heels for the place. I talk about it so much that anytime Japan comes up, my wife hits me with her classic, "Oh, you’ve been to Japan? News to me!" sarcasm. She’s heard it all before, but I can’t help myself.

I’m not about to start swinging a katana around or anything, but I like to think I know a thing or two about Japan. So when I fired up the new Horizon, I was hit with that same jaw-dropping awe I felt the first time I wandered Tokyo’s streets.

From the blinding lights of downtown to the peaceful hush of the countryside, Horizon 6 bottles up Japan’s spirit and pours it into every fence post and skyscraper. The game’s DNA is now part neon, part street racer, and all heart.

Forget just hunting down XP boards; now you’re on the lookout for adorable mascots scattered everywhere. Every region’s got its own little critter begging to be flattened by your V8, and the squeaks they make when you do? Chef’s kiss.

Street races are now their own beast, totally separate from the main Horizon grind. These unsponsored, underground events feel like you’ve stumbled into Tokyo’s secret racing underbelly, and I’m here for it. However, I was caught off guard by two things. They’re not huge, but still something worth mentioning.

When I visited Tokyo, one of the things that struck me was the size of it. From the Tokyo Skytree, a 2080-foot-tall building, no matter where I looked, I failed to find the limit of the never-ending cityscape. Forza Horizon 6 fails to capture that scale, but for a game that’s looking to capture the essence of the entire country, I forgive them for not capturing that massive city nature.

One of the areas I thought we’d visit for sure was Mt Fuji, how could we not? I was surprised to find out we don’t get to visit the great mountain in the background of every older Godzilla movie.

But fret not, for I have a very sneaky suspicion that’ll end up being one of the DLC packs we’ll get for the game in the future. My last, and very real complaint, is the fact that there were no 7-Eleven gas stations. If you've been to Tokyo, you know this is a Japanese cultural staple!

Forza Horizon 6: Racing never felt better

Let’s face it, if you’re playing Forza Horizon, you’re not looking for the greatest simulation game on the planet. What you’re looking for is something to poke around in and have a blast doing. Forza Motorsport, iRacing, Assetto Corsa, and other like-minded titles are there for those who want something in a more realistic form.

For those of us who long for something between that and Need For Speed, Forza Horizon is what we play. And boy am I here to tell you does Forza Horizon 6 ever play, and it plays hard.

That fun feel is back and better than ever with what feels like a near-never-ending list of vehicles to choose from. Clocking in at over 600 vehicles at release, nearly 100 more than Forza Horizon 5 launched with, I’m still digging away at unlocking or paying for the best and coolest looking vehicles available in the game.

Progression no longer feels like you’re just going from race to race. Instead of throwing the entire kitchen sink at you, Forza Horizon 6 locks much of the higher-end vehicle races to later stages.

As you progress through Horizon Events, the races that unlock will go from your D and C vehicle levels to B, A, and eventually S and the new ranking, R. Rather than picking your favorite McLaren from the start, players will be building toward those levels throughout the game's campaign, which gives that authentic career-building feel I felt was missing from the latest iteration.

The tone of a circuit race changes if you’re just picking some high-end track star every single time. Forcing players to stay within a specific class isn’t a step back, but an attempt to teach players that progression is meant to be meaningful and rewarding.

Not only are all event types back, but so are many more that players will be picking at for hours with friends. While I know most reviewers and creators haven’t been spending a ton of time in the event builder, some of the early ones I’ve seen are showcasing just how promising the feature from Forza Horizon 5 can be. What’s more, it can be done in multiplayer now.

In a session that feels more like a private match of Halo Forge, up to 12 players can co-create Lab Events in Forza Horizon now. Friends can now create together to make something amazing, awful, or hilarious to drive through.

Without tunes to choose from, I was forced to learn how to tune vehicles. From drag racing to grip machines, I learned the ins and outs (or at least, at a surface level) of what it means to make your vehicle the best it can be.

If you peek at the gallery below, you’ll see I spent way too much time battling other reviewers and creators. Sure, my scores will get demolished once the game goes public, but seeing familiar names below mine? That’s a flex I’ll cherish while it lasts. Don't worry, I'll share my tunes and vehicles in some upcoming guides!

In the spirit of competition, Forza Horizon 6 is also adding drag-racing events to multiplayer. In the past, players always lined up to race against one another and played on an honor system. Now, there’s a full-blown method of playing together with a scoreboard, disqualification for starting early, and everything else players need in a drag-racing event.

You can even moonlight as a food delivery driver. Yep, one of the side gigs has you zipping around, picking up takeout, and dropping it off to hungry NPCs. It’s not huge, but there are nine promotion ranks, and some even unlock new delivery rides. Who knew Forza would scratch my DoorDash itch?

Not everything’s a slam dunk, though. My biggest gripe? Some of the main Horizon Events. Sure, there are a few wild, super-Japanese races, but a couple of them just didn’t have that wow factor I was hoping for.

Too often, I was stuck racing against the same types of planes or on tracks that felt like déjà vu. Some set pieces were pure joy. One had me grinning like an idiot, but others? Not so much.

Another thing that might be seen as a positive, and forgive me if this was in a previous entry, but you can now rewind during skill events. I didn’t even realize this until I accidentally hit Y while shifting gears up a drift section, only to rewind back to a previous spot, where I retained the score I had at that moment.

So yeah, you can fix your mistakes mid-drift without restarting. Some folks will love it, but for leaderboard junkies like me, it feels a little cheap when you’re chasing bragging rights with your friends.

Forza Horizon 6: Building is now a thing

Got a lot of extra cash that you haven’t spent on a hundred cars? Time to pimp out your garage, or better yet, your own personal Estate. You get your own Playground to build whatever your heart dreams up. Stunt tracks? Go wild. Anime murals? Why not. Ultimate drift zone? Absolutely.

While some of the builds I came across have been rather lacking, as you can only do so much during a review before you have to move on and test the next feature, what I’ve seen so far has shown that the building tools are going to make Forza Horizon 6 extra special.

One build I stumbled into was a neon playground with giant ramps, bowling pins, and a volleyball the size of a bus. I can already see these features getting pushed to the edge of insanity, and I can’t wait to see what the community cooks up after launch.

Your Estate means your garage gets a makeover, too. I found a Halo Forerunner garage that looked incredible, until I loaded in and every prop did a super jump in the ceiling. Rest in peace, Master Chief.

Hopefully, things like this get sorted out over time, because I want more Forge in my Xbox games wherever I can get it. That, and the actual building tools feel a little fussy, especially in the garage. Unless I missed it, I couldn't snap walls in place to other walls — which, if it is there, means the scheme isn't very intuitive. If they aren't, how is it not there?

Forza Horizon 6: Stunning to feel, watch, and listen to

I know there’s this ongoing joke with the internet that graphics haven’t gotten any better with time. The worst example of this is people who keep posting gameplay videos of Battlefield 3, as if it holds a candle to Battlefield 6. Spoilers: It doesn’t.

I even recently saw a video on social media where players were comparing all the entries in the Forza Horizon series, including 6 to one another.

What especially caught me off guard was people saying none of them looked any better than Forza Horizon 3. I got a hell of a kick from that. Either those people have never touched a Forza Horizon game, or nostalgia’s got them in a chokehold.

The difference is night and day when looking at the surrounding areas. Not only that, but with every title, more of the environments have become destructive. In the newest game, I found myself plowing through entire forests without hitting any trees that couldn’t be toppled.

On Xbox Series X or PC, this is hands-down one of the best-looking racers I’ve ever played. Vibrant colors, real-time ray tracing, crowds that are steps above Madden fans (just don’t look too close in photo mode), the works.

The truth that graphics in general have started to flatline a bit is true. Diminishing returns is a thing as you get closer to photo realism, which is why we’re seeing companies like Nvidia push their latest lighting techniques. Forza Horizon 6 is not an exception to this rule, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been a nice array of improvements.

In years past, I always felt like performance was a major trade-off in terms of visuals. This time, I couldn’t tell whether I enjoyed playing on my Xbox Series X with a Vizio OLED or my RTX 5080 build on my 4K ASUS OLED gaming monitor. Sure, there were differences, but nothing substantial in the heat of the moment when all chaos is breaking loose while racing against.

On Extreme RT settings, I was reaching 90 FPS with Nvidia DLSS set to Quality at 4K resolution. On Xbox, I didn’t test the framerate with any "standard" methodology, but I didn’t notice any frame rate dips while playing in Performance mode. The entire experience, whether Xbox or PC, felt incredibly smooth.

Forza Horizon 6: Should you buy it?

If you’ve ever enjoyed a Forza Horizon, you already know the answer: yes, this is an easy buy.

Forza Horizon 6 is the series at its most confident, most refined, and most fun. Everything that made the earlier games iconic is back, but with a slicker sheen and events that pop.

Is it more of the same? Absolutely, but when "the same" is already this good, there’s zero shame in doubling down. Forza Horizon’s magic is alive and well, and the new additions just keep the party going without losing that signature vibe.

CoLabs and The Estate are unexpected standouts, adding a ton of replay value and giving even long-time fans something new to chase. This isn’t just content for content’s sake. It all fits and feels right at home in the world Playground Games has built.

I love that with the throwback progression, you don’t just jump right into the fastest cars. Working your way up makes every win feel earned, and every new race a real step forward. Not every Horizon Event will knock your socks off, although the thrill is still there.

So here’s the deal: if you love racing and want an open-world experience that’s equal parts heart and horsepower, Forza Horizon 6 is a no-brainer. It’s the top dog for a reason, and this chapter just cements it.

One of 2026's biggest games (and possibly its biggest Xbox game), Forza Horizon 6, is now under a week away from its planned release date, with fans of the beloved arcade racer franchise eagerly awaiting the new installment all over the world. It will soon be playable across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam, with day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass and full Xbox Play Anywhere support.

Aside from its release date, Xbox and developer Playground Games have kept more specific information like Forza Horizon 6's launch times under wraps — that is, until now. On Wednesday morning, the game's complete release schedule was unveiled, revealing precisely when you'll be able to play Forza Horizon 6 in your time zone.

You'll find all of that info in the graphic and tables below, including the title's release dates and launch times for both Early Access (available to Premium Edition buyers) and the full release across every platform and time zone around the world.

Forza Horizon 6 Early Access launch times

Forza Horizon 6 full launch times

The launch schedule for Forza Horizon 6 is quite simple compared to many other AAA game releases. In the US, the game is slated to go live on Xbox on May 14 (Early Access) or May 18 (launch) at 9:01 p.m. PT / 11:01 p.m. CST. However, in every other region and on Steam, it will release on May 15 (Early Access) or May 19 (launch) at 12:01 a.m. in your local time zone.

If you'd like to play the game early, preordering the Premium Edition for Early Access gets you on the road four days ahead of everyone else. It's pricey at $119.99, though there's an awesome deal for it that knocks the price down to just $92.99 at Loaded. There's also a sweet discount that lowers the cost of the Standard Edition to $54.39 at Loaded (from $69.99).

Notably, whether you have Early Access or not, you can also play earlier by employing the "New Zealand trick" if you're on Xbox. By changing your console's location to New Zealand in its system settings, you can jump in when it's midnight in New Zealand — 12-16 hours earlier than you'd be able to with your location set in the US.

Ultimately, Forza Horizon 6 is now just a few short days away, and based on how it's already a Steam Top Seller, I have no doubts it's going to be a colossal hit with players worldwide.

Are you excited to play Forza Horizon 6 soon? I'd love to hear from you, so let me know in the comments and in our poll below.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

The arrival of one of 2026's biggest new games — and what many expect to be the most successful Xbox game of the year — is now just days away. The title in question? Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games long-awaited and highly anticipated arcade racer sequel to 2021's Forza Horizon 5.

Set in the vibrant and varied landscapes of Japan with advanced driving simulation systems, cutting-edge visuals and audio, tons of cars to drive, and special new multiplayer features and gameplay activities, Forza Horizon 6 looks to be the most impressive game in the series yet, both from a technical and content perspective. Naturally, that's garnered plenty of excitement for it — and that's been reflected in its pre-launch sales.

Indeed, according to SteamDB data, Forza Horizon 6 was the best-selling paid game on Steam for the week of May 5 to May 12 (the day I'm writing this). It was ahead of other current top sellers like Subnautica 2 (releasing in Early Access this week) and Diablo 4 with its new Lord of Hatred expansion, well in advance of its own May 19 release date (with May 14 Early Access for Premium Edition buyers).

Notably, it even outperformed the "sales" of many free-to-play games, including Apex Legends, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, and Warframe, among others. The only one to beat it was Counter-Strike 2. Overall, it's done incredibly well Valve's PC gaming platform thus far, and it's not even out yet.

Interestingly, as I've been putting this article together, I noticed that Subnautica 2 has just now climbed back over Forza for the top spot on the Steam Top Sellers list. That's not terribly surprising given the fact it's coming out on May 14, and also because the wait for it has been agonizingly long and beset by legal issues; originally, it was supposed to come out last year. Still, it's noteworthy.

Something else that's notable is that both titles will be playable on day one through Xbox Game Pass, and either PC Game Pass or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate specifically. If both games interest you, I'd say it's not a bad idea to get a membership for a month or two to experience them affordably, though do keep in mind you'll lose access unless you pay for additional months.

Ultimately, it seems clear that Forza Horizon 6 is going to have a very strong launch, even despite the recent leak fiasco that saw the game's final build leak online and get cracked by pirates almost immediately. Microsoft and Xbox are threatening to hardware ban anyone found with an illegal copy of the racer, taking a fierce stand against piracy ahead of the game's launch next week.

It's got an MSRP of $69.99, but it's just $54.39 at Loaded. The $119.99 Premium Edition with Early Access included is also $92.99 at Loaded. Note that if you decide to preorder Forza Horizon 6 or have already, preloading is live now across Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Xbox on PC; for the unaware, that feature allows you to download and install the game before it releases so you can start playing right away.

Are you looking forward to playing Forza Horizon 6? Share your thoughts below.

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One of the biggest Xbox games of the year, Forza Horizon 6, is now just a week away from its May 19 release date, with Early Access to the title unlocking this week for Premium Edition owners on May 15. It's a time of widespread excitement and hype for what's expected to be one of 2026's best games, and an Xbox Game Pass hit too — but it's been marred by quite a disastrous leak of the Steam version of the title.

On Sunday, Xbox and developer Playground Games uploaded preload files for Forza Horizon 6 to Steam, but did so without encryption. This presumably led to pirates downloading and cracking the game and then leaking it early, enabling people to play the highly anticipated arcade racer early and for free on PC if they're willing to go digging for the build.

Of course, Microsoft was quick to correct the error and encrypt the build of the game that was uploaded to Steam, but the damage was already done, and cracked versions of Forza Horizon 6 are now out on the web. For at least one person that installed and played it, though, the banhammer has come down from the publisher.

As reported in a now-deleted post on the Forza Horizon subreddit, one fan who downloaded and played the build was hit with a ban for "cheating/unallowed modding," with an expiration date of 12/31/9999. That's, uh, checks notes, a ban length of nearly 8,000 years.

That's pretty rough — but rougher still is the fact that it's a hardware ID (HWID) ban, meaning it's not something you can easily get around by using a different account. As the name of the ban suggests, it works at the hardware level, preventing any account from accessing Forza Horizon 6 on the computer it landed on.

While there are HWID spoofers out there that attempt to bypass bans like this, I don't recommend trying to use them, as they're not always reliable and could be used as a vehicle to deliver malware to your system. The only surefire way to get around a HWID ban is to get a completely new motherboard for your PC; that's expensive, especially with how pricey PC components are lately.

Notably, as I was writing this article, Xbox and Playground Games actually commented on this issue publicly, asserting that the leaked build didn't come from Steam preload files (this seems unlikely if you ask me, given the timing of things) but vowing to strike anyone found with access to this build with "franchise-wide and hardware bans."

"We are aware of reports that a build of Forza Horizon 6 has been obtained prior to its release and can confirm this is not the result of a pre-load issue," wrote the developer. "We are taking strict enforcement action against any individuals found accessing this build including franchise-wide and hardware bans. We encourage fans to sit tight for the game’s release on May 19."

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but given the risk of hardware bans and potentially even getting banned from the entire Forza franchise, I strongly recommend that if you want to play Forza Horizon 6, you just wait a week to do so. It's got an MSRP of $69.99, but it's just $54.39 at Loaded. The $119.99 Premium Edition with Early Access included is also $92.99 at Loaded.

Are you looking forward to playing Forza Horizon 6? Let me know in the comments, and in our poll.

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.

Microsoft and Xbox have several high-profile first-party releases coming in 2026, ranging from Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day to the long-awaited Fable reboot. A title that has the potential to be the most successful out of all of them, though, is Forza Horizon 6 — the next big open-world racer from Playground Games that's now just days away.

Set in the diverse and beautiful lands of Japan with more refined driving mechanics, customization options, gameplay activities, and multiplayer features than any entry before it, I've gotta say: the game looks to be a terrific sequel to Forza Horizon 5, and a must-play for racing game fans. It's slated to release on May 19 — a week and a half from the time of writing — across Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Xbox on PC), and Xbox Game Pass, complete with Xbox Play Anywhere support.

Exactly one week ahead of the game's scheduled Early Access release date of May 15 exclusive to those who purchase the Premium Edition, Xbox and Playground Games have shared Forza Horizon 6's official launch trailer that you can watch here or below. Though short, it gives fans closer looks at several of the cars they'll be able to drive in action, as well as at the title's in-game environments and unique Japanese flair.

Notably, it also contains a clear nod to the late rally racer Ken Block who sadly passed away in 2023, famous for his gymkhana stunt racing videos. At 0:48, a driver carefully drifts close to the edge of a seaside road, just as Block did in his Gymkhana Nine video posted in 2016. Block collaborated with Forza several times since Forza Horizon 3, making the tribute all the more touching.

It's not the only reference in the trailer, however. Another comes right after at 0:58, when a Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86 and a Mazda RX-7 FD3S are neck and neck; these are the primary cars driven by the characters Takumi Fujiwara and Keisuke Takahashi in one of the first big races in the popular racing manga Initial D.

All in all, the trailer is just a good time from start to finish, with the short-and-sweet video showing off the vibrant natural landscapes and neon-soaked cities of Forza Horizon 6's rendition of Japan, along with plenty of different cars, stunts, and tense racing moments. I'm a huge fan of the vibe.

Given how popular Forza Horizon 5 was, I have no doubt that its successor will become a massive hit as well, and will likely end up being one of 2026's biggest and most popular games. It also wouldn't surprise me if it sold extremely well on PS5 when it comes to that system later this year (as confirmed by Forza itself), as Forza Horizon 5 sold incredibly well on Sony's console.

Ahead of its release date, you can preorder Forza Horizon 6 for $69.99, though you can get the Xbox and Xbox on PC version for just $54.39 at Loaded. The $119.99 Premium Edition that includes the Car Pass, Car Packs, future DLC, and four days of Early Access is also selling for only $92.99 at Loaded. Of course, the game is also coming to Xbox Game Pass.

Do you plan on jumping into Forza Horizon 6 when it launches in the coming days? What did you think of the launch trailer? Let me know in the comments, and vote in our poll.

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Forza Horizon 6 is only a couple of months away, and gamers are eager for it. With the lush setting in Japan, and the first simultaneous release across Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation.

Forza Horizon 6 is looking to have one of the largest, if not the greatest, launches in its history. Not to mention the car list.

Now, we have the recommended spec sheet for all gamers looking to pick up a copy on the Xbox PC Store or Steam. Guess what? It’s optimized for both Steam Deck and Xbox ROG Ally!

The PC feature list will include the following: NVIDIA DLSS 4, AMD FSR 3+4, uncapped framerates, ultrawide monitor support, ray-traced reflections, and global illumination.

As for PC settings, even GPUs from earlier generations can run Forza at 60 FPS.

• MINIMUM
  • CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen™ 5 1600
  • GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX™ 1650 / AMD Radeon™ RX 6500 XT / Intel® Arc™ A380
  • System RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: SSD
  • Windows Version: Windows 10/11 at least 22H2
  • Additional Notes: Graphical Preset: Low | Resolution: 1080 | *Target FPS: 60
• RECOMMENDED
  • CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-12400F / AMD Ryzen™ 5 5600X
  • GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 Ti / AMD Radeon™ RX 6700 XT / Intel® Arc™ A580
  • System RAM: 16GB
  • Storage: SSD
  • Windows Version: Windows 10/11 at least 22H2
  • Additional Notes: Graphical Preset: High | Resolution: 1440 | *Target FPS: 60+
• EXTREME
  • CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen™ 7 7700X
  • GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070 Ti / AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 XT
  • System RAM: 24GB
  • Storage: NVMe SSD
  • Windows Version: Windows 10/11 at least 22H2
  • Additional Notes: Graphical Preset: Extreme | Resolution: 4K | *Target FPS: 60+
• EXTREME RT
  • CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-12700K / AMD Ryzen™ 7 7700X
  • GPU: NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti / AMD Radeon™ RX 9070 XT
  • System RAM: 32GB
  • Storage: NVMe SSD
  • Windows Version: Windows 10/11 at least 22H2
  • Additional Notes: Graphical Preset: Extreme RT (Ray Tracing enabled) | Resolution: 4K upscaled | *Target FPS: 60+

Not going to lie, pretty happy that I'll be able to crank out native 4K 60 with my RTX 5080. Throw in a little DLSS Quality mode, and I'm sure I'll be hitting that sweet 120Hz+.

Xbox ROG Ally and Steam Deck compatibility

As noted by Playground, both the Xbox ROG Ally and Steam Deck will work with Forza Horizon 6. We don't know what those modes look like, but we can take a guess based on the minimum specs. Keep in mind, these aren't official but educated guesses.

Compared to a Steam Deck, an RTX 1650 is about twice as powerful as the handheld. So if you can hit 1080p 60 FPS on an RTX 1650, expect to hit around 40+ FPS on a Steam Deck.

As for the Xbox ROG Ally, it's actually on par with the 1650, possibly slightly better in some regards. Paired with the native VRR range, the Xbox ROG Ally will be a terrific handheld experience. Meaning the Xbox ROG Ally X should be even better.

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One of the big upcoming games Microsoft and Xbox showed off during last month's Xbox Developer Direct Showcase was Fable, a reboot of the fan-favorite RPG series that was a staple of the console's library in the OG Xbox and Xbox 360 days. Fable was very popular back then, though its popularity waned after Fable 3 underperformed, Fable Legends was canceled, and Microsoft ultimately shut developer Lionhead Studios down in 2016.

A decade later, though, Fable is back, with its reboot in development at Xbox Game Studios' Playground Games (which is also making Forza Horizon 6) and scheduled to release in Fall 2026 across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, PS5, and Xbox Game Pass. And when Xbox gave fans an extensive overview of its gameplay mechanics and RPG systems, the series' original creator, Peter Molyneux, was brought to tears by the showcase.

"When I was watching the Fable trailer, I just felt myself tearing up," Molyneux told IGN in a new interview. "I know that I could probably be slaughtered for saying that, but I am someone who cries frequently, and I felt incredibly emotional, and the reason I felt emotional was: F*** me. This thing that we created, it's going to live, it’s going to carry on. This world, which we loved creating so much, and other people loved, has a life."

"And for me, the saddest thing would be to see it diminish, which is one of the reasons I'm really going back to God games. So that was the overall emotion," he continued. "I thought it was really smart of them to retell Fable 1 rather than have the burden of continuing the Fable story. I loved seeing some of those references. I thought it was super smart to have the kid’s family turn to stone. I thought that was really smart. And so those were all the plus points."

Overall, Molyneux seems to very much enjoy the direction Playground Games is taking Fable in. The original games were defined by the deep reactivity of their fantasy worlds, slice-of-life gameplay elements to enjoy on the side, and unapologetically British comedy — all things the studio has committed to carrying into the reboot and elevating.

Ultimately, his only criticism of what's been shown so far is that he feels the game is a bit too "clean," with "all the angles being sharp and defined." He hopes to see more "dirtiness" in the world as we approach Fable's upcoming 2026 launch.

"I mean, if I was critical, which I think you want me to be, there was a slight antiseptic feel about it. But I mean, they've got months and months to build in that character and almost that dirtiness that you want in the world," he explained.

"I never thought Fable as being clean and all the angles being sharp and defined. It's more chaotic. It's more what Old England probably used to be, which was not straight lines, the place, it's more crinkling, and all the buckle belts on people are ridiculously large, and the boots and the hands ridiculously large because that is part of the character," he added. "So there’s a little bit more of that character, which I would probably foolishly and ridiculously ask for."

Even though he'd prefer to see Fable be a bit more down-to-earth and rough around the edges, though, Molyneux is still absolutely going to check out the reboot once it arrives.

"Absolutely. For sure," he said when asked if he's going to play. "Not as someone looking for the flaws and faults, but as someone who truly loves and adores that universe." And love and adore it he does; his new Masters of Albion God game coming in April is set in the world of Fable, with Molyneux taking advantage of the fact that "Albion can't be copyrighted."

How did you feel about what Xbox and Playground Games showed of Fable at the Xbox Developer Direct Showcase? Will you be checking the RPG reboot out when it launches this year, or does it not really interest you? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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One of Microsoft's biggest first-party Xbox franchises is the racing series Forza, with its publishing wing Xbox Game Studios releasing both the competitive sim racer Forza Motorsport and the open-world arcade-style title Forza Horizon.

Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games' next entry in the latter subseries that's coming to Xbox and PC later this year (and PS5 at some point after that), is scheduled to get a deep dive at the upcoming Xbox Developer Direct showcase on January 22. This is also when it's expected that Microsoft will reveal the title's official release date — but notably, a new leak may have just spoiled that detail entirely.

That leak comes from a post on X (Twitter) made by a fan who supposedly encountered a pop-up in Forza Horizon 5 advertising the sequel. It directly mentions a Premium Edition, and says that by preordering it, you'll get access to Forza Horizon 6 four days early on May 15, strongly implying a May 19, 2026 release date for the standard edition of the title.

The message also says that the Premium Edition will net you a Forza Horizon 6 VIP Membership (in Forza Horizon 5, this gave you exclusive cars, credit boosts, access to special events, and more), a Welcome Pack, the game's Car Pass, a Time Attack Car Pack, an Italian Passion Car Pack coming post-launch, and two DLC expansions coming down the line.

It also notes that all Forza Horizon 6 preorders will be rewarded with "a pre-tuned and exclusive" Ferrari J50 at launch, and that the game itself will feature over 550 cars to "discover the breathtaking landscapes of Japan" with in "Forza Horizon's biggest open-world driving adventure yet."

The pop-up looks quite official and very real, so there's a strong likelihood that it's not fake. With that said, it's entirely possible that it is fake, so take this information with a grain of salt as you would with any other leak.

The player that posted the screenshot says that "It appeared when I left the garage and before I started taking delivery of my car," but "did not appear when I tried again." The Windows Central team hasn't been able to get the pop-up to appear in Forza Horizon 5 either, suggesting that — assuming it's real — it was intended to go live in-game after Forza Horizon 6 was shown at Developer Direct, but erroneously appeared in this fan's game due to a glitch.

Again, assuming this launch day isn't fake, this leak has spoiled one of the biggest surprises that Xbox and Playground Games had to share during the Developer Direct presentation. Still, the news that it's coming in May will no doubt make many players very happy, as some believed it wouldn't release until the later months of 2026.

If it's received well, Forza Horizon 6 is expected to perform exceptionally well for Microsoft and Xbox as Forza Horizon 5 has. Since its release in 2021, the predecessor has sold incredibly well, stands as one of the most popular Xbox Game Pass titles, and was even the best-selling game on PS5 in 2025 — at least until Battlefield 6 showed up.

Like Forza Horizon 5 and all other first-party releases from Xbox, Forza Horizon 6 will be available to play on Xbox and PC through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one, with the game potentially coming to other tiers of the service later.

Do you believe this Forza Horizon 6 release date leak is real, or do you think it's fake? Are you excited to jump into Playground Games' next open-world racer? Let me know in the comments.

Forza Horizon 6 is real. We all knew that, really, and I even covered rumors leading up to the announcement (which ended up being true). It still feels great to write it, though — Xbox unveiled Forza Horizon 6 at the Tokyo Game Show.

We only have a short teaser trailer to slake our Forza Horizon thirst right now, but it still confirms that fans are finally getting the location we've requested since the first Horizon game released back in 2012.

Japan is the setting of choice for FH6, and all the ingredients are here for this to possibly be the best open-world racing game of all time. I'm getting ahead of myself, though — here's what I want to see, and everything we already know about Forza Horizon 6.

I can't help but get excited over a teaser

You can check out the Tokyo Game Show 2025 teaser trailer above, but there isn't a ton to see at this point. The trailer takes us through the history of Forza's most popular series, starting with Colorado and heading to Europe, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and finally ending with the latest destination.

Then, subtlety be damned, the camera sweeps up, and we're met with a gorgeous vista featuring one of the most distinct natural landmarks in the world. It's Mount Everest! No, wait, this is Mount Fuji in Japan.

That's honestly not a lot to go on, but it's enough to get me on board the hype train. Forza Horizon 6 will take us to Japan on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox on PC via Xbox Play Anywhere, Windows PC via Steam, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Game Pass sometime in 2026, and we'll be learning more about the game starting early next year.

We didn't even see any cars, so I can't start on my next-gen Forza Horizon car list. So, why am I so excited? Because I know how seriously developer Playground Games takes adapting a real-world location to the fictional Horizon Festival, and there's a reason Japan has been so highly requested by the Forza community for years.

It's not just the sweeping landscapes and diverse rural areas, or the bustling urban environments packed with decades of history — it's Japan's rich car history, which could shape Forza Horizon 6 into a very different game than we've seen before.

There's a reason our first dive into the world of FH6 is this interview with the game's Art Director and Cultural Consultant at News.Xbox.com. I'm already impatient to see more.

I have big hopes for Forza Horizon 6

I love Forza Horizon 5, but I'll be the first to admit I haven't properly sat down to play it for a long while. I'm ready for the next chapter in the Forza Horizon series, and while we still have months (at least) to wait, I already know some of what I want to see in the next game.

It helps that Playground will be supported by Turn 10 Studios (of Forza Motorsport fame), which should help make FH6 the biggest and most ambitious of the series so far.

• Improved driving & world physics. This one is basically a given, thanks to the new ForzaTech engine that Forza Horizon 6 will undoubtedly be built on, but I still want to see proper upgrades to the driving physics and depth of environmental details.
• Deeper car customization. If Forza Horizon 6 is really going to embrace Japanese car culture, more options to customize our vehicles is a must. The Forza Horizon series' car customization has been a little lackluster for years now, so this is Playground's chance to completely change things up and give us more ways to flex our style.
• A different live service model. One of the reasons I stopped playing Forza Horizon 5 as much is how it felt like I was logging in every week just to complete a checklist and leave again. The weekly Festival Playlist had a tendency to become monotonous and repetitive, and FH5's monthly updates often failed to bring any meaningful changes or new content beyond a handful of new vehicles. I'd like to see Playground get more creative here, even if it means updates take a little longer to arrive.
• Three DLC expansions. I know I'm jumping way ahead of myself here, since we know nothing about FH6 and whether it'll get expansions at all, but previous Forza Horizon games have gotten two expansions and then nothing but cars and free updates after. It has never felt like quite enough, and I'd like to see Forza Horizon 6 push the bar even higher with a third beefy expansion after launch.

When it comes to the campaign, online content, driver progression, and the car list... I'll wait until I see what Playground has been cooking up. This game is bound to be massive, and should keep me pretty busy in the coming months as Playground and Xbox drip feed us information leading up to release.

Here's everything we know so far

Forza Horizon 5 is rapidly approaching its fourth birthday, and the open-world racing game has already enjoyed quite the journey... but Playground Games and Xbox Game Studios are surely working on what comes next, right?

Fans have been waiting for news of Forza Horizon 6 for ages now, and we even got a tease from Xbox's Phil Spencer that we may see the hotly anticipated sequel in 2026. Now, we have reason to believe we may actually see FH6 even sooner than that.

By "we," I mean Windows Central; here's the scoop.

Forza Horizon 6 could be announced this year

Reddit threads like this one have sparked new discussions of Forza Horizon 6 following a now-deleted Instagram post from an Australian car import company showing a Playground Games member digitally scanning a Kei (a class of ultra-compact Japanese vehicles) for FH6.

As Kei vehicles are rarely seen outside of Japan, the post revitalized hope that the Forza Horizon series will finally head to Japan for its next setting, a location that has been requested for practically every entry since the first game.

A lot of people and even websites have run with this, but the "leak" is admittedly weak; there's no concrete evidence that Forza Horizon 6 is set in Japan, only that it'll likely feature more Japanese vehicles. Of course, Windows Central has more to add to the story, thanks to our sources.

We've seen official, widely circulated documents strongly suggesting that Forza Horizon 6 is actually planned to be announced during 2025's Tokyo Game Show, an annual gaming-focused conference kicking off in Japan toward the end of September.

This year's TGS is set to be the largest in the event's history, and Xbox has already confirmed it'll be attending — and announcing. With the Tokyo Game Show focused on the Japanese gaming market, choosing to reveal Forza Horizon 6 here rather than at events like Gamescom only makes sense if the game is, in fact, set in Japan.

As always, these are still rumors and should be taken with a grain of salt — but it's definitely more solid than just a wayward Instagram post.

What can we expect from Forza Horizon 6?

Forza Horizon 5 has seen immense success since its launch in 2021, and has even been one of 2025's best-selling games after its fated arrival on PlayStation. The Forza Horizon 5 car list also numbers well over 800 unique vehicles, although that number has now stopped growing.

Yes, I knew Forza Horizon 5 was destined for greatness from the moment I reviewed it, but the signs have been here for months that Xbox is preparing to begin a new era of Forza. Forza Horizon 5 is no longer receiving new content, instead recycling its years of constant monthly updates as whatever comes next cooks in the background.

Now that we're reasonably certain FH6 will be announced sooner rather than later (likely with a 2026 release window), we can talk about what to expect. The obvious? Forza Horizon 6 will be built on the same, upgraded ForzaTech engine powering Forza Motorsport (2023) and the upcoming Fable reboot, so we can expect major visual upgrades.

I'm most excited for enhancements to the driving physics, though, as Forza Horizon 6 should be the deepest and most detailed Forza Horizon game yet.

The Forza Motorsport simulation racing franchise may be effectively dead after heavy layoffs at developer Turn 10 Studios, but we also know the remainder of Turn 10 is now focused on supporting Playground with Forza Horizon, so we can expect this game to be ambitious in scale and scope.

If FH6 really is set in Japan (and we're pretty confident at this point that it is), that'll hopefully fix one of the biggest issues many people have with the current entry. Forza Horizon 5 is the biggest and most beautiful Forza Horizon game of all time, but many racers claim the map (which is set in Mexico) is bland and boring.

A Japanese setting will hopefully result in a more engaging and interesting map for long-time play, and Japan has a thriving car culture that's just perfect for the Horizon Festival... but there is another change I really want to see.

Forza Horizon 5 enjoyed longer support than previous titles, but it also highlighted the weaknesses of the monthly updates centered around the Festival Playlist.

FH5's live service elements quickly grew repetitive, with the majority of updates feeling inconsequential apart from the addition of a handful of new cars. I'd like to see FH6 adapt a new approach to post-launch support with more varied and meaningful updates — even if they don't arrive as frequently.

Finally, what about platform support? Forza Horizon 6 is absolutely coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass on day one, but will PlayStation players get the chance to play?

Considering how successful FH5 has been on Sony's platform, there's zero chance its sequel won't also come to PlayStation consoles... I just don't expect it to be on day one. I expect we'll see Forza Horizon 6 arrive on PlayStation six months to a year after the initial launch (hopefully with actual cross-save support this time).

Hopefully, we'll get the answers to all of these questions and more when Forza Horizon 6 is (probably) announced at Tokyo Game Show 2025 in around a month.

During the latest round of mass layoffs and terminations at Microsoft (which affected around 9,000 people), one team at Xbox was hit particularly hard: Turn 10 Studios, the developers behind the storied Forza Motorsport simulation racing franchise.

Forza may be one of Xbox's largest and most renowned home-grown IPs, but that didn't prevent as much as 50% of Turn 10 from being let go. Since then, the future of Forza Motorsport has been looking bleak, and it didn't help that Xbox suddenly went completely quiet.

Finally, we have some news. Turn 10 Studios has broken the silence to share the plan for FM23 over the next few months — it's still not looking good for the series as a whole, but the game at least isn't being totally abandoned yet.

Revealed in a new blog post on Forza.net, Turn 10 is planning to support Forza Motorsport by slowly and permanently adding previously time-limited content to the game.

Forza Motorsport players will get a new Featured Tour added to the Career Mode around once a month, allowing players to complete all the included Series and earn the exclusive reward cars.

Progress will also be carried over from when the Tour was initially featured for a limited time, so players who couldn't finish in time can pick up where they left off. You'll still only be able to earn the featured reward car once, though.

Turn 10 is also adding Open Class Tours to the Challenge Hub, allowing players to also complete those series and earn those reward cars. The cycle will continue until Forza Motorsport eventually permanently includes all Featured and Open Class Tours.

The Challenge Hub will be home to driver suit challenges, as well, but those will apparently still be limited time.

The schedule for Featured Rivals events has been laid out until the beginning of Jan. 2026, too, giving players even more to do.

You'll notice, of course, that none of this is new. I'm glad we finally have an idea of what to expect for Forza Motorsport, but it does seem clear that the game is effectively in maintenance mode.

The writing is on the wall for Motorsport, long live Horizon

My colleague, Richard Devine, just recently wrote about how Forza Motorsport's legacy feels like it's fading into silence, but now we at least have something to work with. Turn 10 adding all the missing content back to the game is also infinitely better than simply dropping the game into an abyss.

That being said, Turn 10 has still basically been turned into a support studio for Playground Games and the Forza Horizon franchise, which is expected to debut a new entry in the next few years.

I'll take that over a full studio closure any day, especially since it means there's still hope that Forza Motorsport could one day return. Even as someone who personally far prefers the more arcade-like Horizon series, though, the fall of Motorsport leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

I enjoyed Forza Motorsport (2023) when I reviewed it and felt it had an incredibly strong foundation upon which to add new content, but the game failed to gain any significant momentum following its launch.

Flawed multiplayer and progression systems led to a discontent community, and the game sadly never managed to crawl out of that hole — even though Turn 10 actively responded to feedback and worked to make the game better update after update.

Whatever the cause, this is where we are now. It absolutely shouldn't have taken a month for fans to get a statement on the future of Forza Motorsport, but a commitment to return missing content is certainly better than "the game is dead now, sowwy."

Developer Playground Games introduced a new car look for Forza Horizon 5 on Monday, revealing a special green-and-blue livery designed to celebrate Xbox and PlayStation players enjoying the game across platforms.

Forza Horizon 5 first launched on Xbox and Windows PC back in 2021, with the game being ported to PlayStation 5 in April earlier this year as part of Microsoft's efforts to launch Xbox games across additional platforms.

Players everywhere can now grab the Lamborghini Revuelto Forza Horizon 5 Special Livery, which is clearly themed around Xbox green and PlayStation blue.

If you want to take a ride with this cross-platform celebration, you'll need to go through these steps:

1. Launch Horizon Realms
2. Win the Horizon Stadium Circuit race, obtaining the car.
3. Head to an outpost or house.
4. Open the Garage tab.
5. Select Designs & Paint, then Find New Designs.
6. Enter this Share Code: 687 884 132

Personally, I think this design is pretty fun, and I'll be sure to boot up Forza Horizon 5 in order to grab this livery. It would've been easy for the concept to look a bit cheesy, but the teams involved pulled it off.

As Xbox games go to other platforms, Xbox is taking over the PlayStation Store

Forza Horizon 5 isn't the only Xbox game to head over to PlayStation recently, with Bethesda Softworks' Indiana Jones also receiving a port in April, while The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered launched on PlayStation at the same time as Xbox and PC.

That strategy saw Xbox take over the PlayStation Store in April 2025, with Oblivion Remastered, Minecraft, and Forza Horizon 5 taking the first, second, and third-place spots in the U.S, respectively.

Looking ahead, the onslaught of game launches is continuing, with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 and Gears of War: Reloaded slated to arrive in July and August, respectively.

Forza Horizon 5 is currently available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC (via Steam and the Xbox app), and PlayStation 5. As an Xbox first-party game, it's also included in Xbox Game Pass.

Xbox's evolving multiplatform strategy just shifted again with the imminent arrival of Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation 5 and 5 Pro. Considering the Forza franchise has been an Xbox console exclusive since its inception in 2005, that's a big deal.

Honestly, I'm not here to complain about FH5 abandoning its Xbox exclusivity or even to open up that particular can of worms. Forza Horizon 5 is a mature, popular open-world racing game with a massive online community, and it can only benefit from an entirely new potential player base.

The problem is that Forza Horizon 5 is missing something that should be the standard for any true multiplatform game, especially when you're a publisher who has to prove itself, like Microsoft. FH5 doesn't support cross-progression of any kind on PlayStation.

Cross-play but no cross-save, what does that mean for FH5?

Through your Microsoft Account, Forza Horizon 5 does support online cross-play between Xbox and Windows PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam, and PS5 will be seamlessly added to the pool when the game launches there in April.

That means you can race your friends around Mexico regardless of where they play. That's how it should be, and most modern multiplayer games embrace that mentality without issue.

FH5 also supports cross-progression, too, but only with the Xbox Play Anywhere version that spans Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC via the Microsoft Store.

With Xbox cloud saves, you can bring all of your progress from device to device, so you can play wherever and however you want without worry. Unfortunately, Steam has already been left out of the conversation there, although Microsoft is starting to turn things around with games like Avowed.

If you play Forza Horizon 5 on Xbox and then buy a Steam Deck handheld for mobile gaming, you're out of luck. You've probably already guessed considering this article, you know, exists, but PlayStation players are also drawing the short straw here.

It doesn't matter how many hundreds of hours you've poured into FH5, how much money you've spent, or how large your car collection has become — if you also want to play on PS5, complete with the platform-specific enhancements and feature support, none of your progress will come with you.

Brand-new players need not apply, but multi-device gamers should beware

If you only game on PlayStation and you're new to Forza Horizon 5, this doesn't matter to you... At least right now. After all, you're starting from the beginning anyway.

If you do ever decide to purchase a gaming handheld or level up your setup with a powerful gaming PC, though, everything you've accomplished on PS5 will remain trapped on Sony's platform.

Those are the players that are being hurt by FH5 lacking cross-save support. I'm one of them; I mostly game on my Xbox Series X, but I also have a powerful desktop PC and an ASUS ROG Ally X gaming handheld.

I love the Xbox Play Anywhere initiative because it guarantees my library and all my save files will travel between those devices, so I can choose if I want the comfort of Xbox, the visual fidelity of desktop, or the portability of handheld without worrying about anything else.

There are many thousands of gamers who are in a similar boat as I, but you can swap out the Xbox for a PlayStation. If they've already fallen in love with Forza on other platforms, it makes total sense why they'd be interested in playing again on PS5 — especially if they enjoy hunting trophies.

It just won't work like that, though, even if the precedent has already been set.

Other multiplatform Xbox games already support cross-save

You may believe I'm being unreasonable in demanding a feature that isn't possible, but it is and Xbox has already proven it.

Both Grounded and Sea of Thieves fully support cross-progression across all platforms, and that means Xbox, Windows PC (even Steam), PS5, and even the Nintendo Switch in Grounded's case.

The foundation is there thanks to Microsoft's account system, and multiple developers have already proven it can be done. Why is Forza Horizon 5 different?

FH5 has a lot of DLC, isn't that why there's no cross-save support?

Forza Horizon 5 isn't just a game, there's also countless DLC add-ons, expansions, and car packs. It's a massive game, and aside from the Xbox Play Anywhere version on the Microsoft Store, your purchases don't sync, either.

What if someone owns the full FH5 collection on Windows PC, and then only buys the base game on PlayStation? How would cross-save work then? Simple: you keep your progress, stats, and existing cars, but lose access to any content or persistent bonuses you don't own on that platform.

For example, you'd still own all the vehicles you earned from playing Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure, but wouldn't be able to access the Rally Adventure map on PlayStation without buying the expansion. You'd still get the special VIP Membership cars, house, and cosmetics, but not the increased rewards or daily wheelspins.

I'm not asking for cross-purchases, as nice as that would be in an ideal world. Players should just be able to keep what they've earned, especially if they're willing to buy the game on multiple platforms just to play the way they want.

Rant aside, FH5 comes to PlayStation in a few weeks

I won't breakdown the whole ordeal because we already have a dedicated news article detailing Forza Horizon 5 on PlayStation (including preorder information), but I'll provide the quick synopsis.

FH5 is now available to preorder on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Pro, with three available editions. Those who preorder the Premium Edition will be able to play as early as Apr. 25, 2025, while the rest of us will have to wait until Apr. 29, 2025.

It's not a simple port, either, as FH5 will be optimized for the PlayStation platform. There will be two modes from which to choose, with "Performance" targeting 60 frames-per-second and "Quality" targeting 30 FPS.

Those with the latest and greatest PS5 Pro will be able to enjoy increased visual fidelity and even in-game ray tracing.

Alongside FH5's PlayStation debut, all platforms will get the Horizon Realms update, which does feel a bit final for this live service behemoth. New challenges, more ways to play, and even new cars to collect will all be a part of the update. On top of that, Nissan fans will have a fresh car pack DLC to purchase if they want.

Microsoft's first party studios have begun hitting their stride finally, with Xbox launching game after game to widespread acclaim. Indiana Jones launched late last year, delivering the most authentic video game recreation of the franchise to date.

Also, Xbox's most recent title, Avowed, garnered positive reception from critics and fans alike, and Microsoft has sure-fire hits like DOOM: The Dark Ages in the hopper for later this year as well. Gears: E-Day, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Blade as well all paint a strong future for Xbox Game Pass in the long and near term. One of the most major anticipated upcoming Xbox games has been delayed, though.

We've been investigating rumors that upcoming action-RPG "Fable" from Playground Games of Forza Horizon fame has been delayed. Today, Microsoft confirmed that information to be true.

Speaking on the official Xbox Podcast, Xbox Game Studios lead Craig Duncan revealed that Fable has been delayed from its planned launch window of 2025, out to 2026.

Responding to Xbox's Tina Amini, Duncan described where Playground currently is with Fable progress. "We're really excited about [Fable's] progress and where Playground Games are. We previously announced Fable as 2025. We are actually going to give Fable more time. It's going to ship in 2026 now. While I know that's not maybe the news people want to hear, what I want is to assure people that it's definitely worth the wait."

Duncan lauded Playground Games' pedigree, noting the quality of Forza Horizon and the quality bar the studio sets for itself. Duncan described Fable as having "amazing gameplay" in the most "realized" incarnation of the world of Albion yet. The podcast video also featured some new footage of Fable too, offering a glimpse at the latest build. And oh boy, it sure looks immaculate. Definitely check that out (and it features the werewolf I previously teased on my Xbox Two Podcast a few weeks ago).

Not entirely unexpected

It's not entirely unexpected that Fable got delayed. The game is among the most expensive and most ambitious being developed internally at Xbox Game Studios right now. Playground hired in major talent from studios like Rockstar and CD Projekt RED to truly deliver a "AAA" RPG experience, which is something that has arguably eluded Microsoft since the Xbox 360 days, at least with regards to story-based character-driven games. Perhaps there's also the Grand Theft Auto 6 aspect. GTA 6 is supposed to launch later in 2025, and I suspect virtually every other AAA game in existence will want to avoid that launch window.

It's great to see the transparency either way, and hopefully we'll see Fable emerge as a true landmark moment for Xbox's first-party output. I do wonder what Xbox's ecosystem will look like as we head towards 2026, though.

Indeed, a lot of the discourse around Xbox of late has revolved around how committed, or uncommitted, Xbox is to the future of its own hardware ecosystem. Xbox's Tina Amini put the question to Craig Duncan himself during the podcast, and he offered a bit of a coy response.

Tina Amini asked Craig Duncan, "What should the Xbox community take away from the decision we've made to put games on more platforms?"

"I think it's good for gamers, good for our studios," Craig says. "Our studios make amazing games, we want our games to reach the broadest audience possible. If I think back to when I was studio head of Sea of Thieves, having Sea of Thieves on multiple platforms helps players play together. I think it's good for gamers, it's good for our studios to reach more players."

With respect to Craig Duncan, he didn't really answer Tina Amini's question about what the Xbox community should take away from it. It was a bit of an odd segment, where both parties avoided mentioning "PlayStation," and simply referred to "more platforms" instead.

Microsoft's messaging on the so-called "Latitude" Xbox strategy has generally been awful so far, with little effort made to convince Xbox fans that Microsoft's internal hardware efforts aren't gradually slipping by the wayside. Xbox hardware has declined almost quarterly for a couple of years now, with very little effort made towards marketing or promoting Microsoft as a hardware vendor.

RELATED: I don't play on Xbox for any single exclusive game, but for exclusive features

The Xbox community is fairly evenly split on the damage this could do to the desirability of Xbox hardware, which could lead to a departure of third-party developers down the line. There's little evidence of that happening today, but it's not difficult to extrapolate what might happen afterwards.

Either way, Microsoft is forging ahead with first-party Xbox console hardware, with Xbox lead Phil Spencer saying he wants hardware to win on "differentiation." With more money than ever subsidizing Xbox thanks to its support of PlayStation, perhaps there's a real chance the next Xbox platform could have some kind of "X factor" (lol) that will see it reach new audiences. If Fable does land as well as Microsoft hopes, perhaps it will lead to a bump in Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S sales too in 2026.

On the show, Craig Duncan also discussed Expedition 33, DOOM: The Dark Ages, South of Midnight, and other upcoming goodies Xbox fans do have to look forward to in the near term. Definitely check it out.

Forza Horizon 5 closed out the year with a double update, giving the team some time to return and prepare for the new year with more content. Well, it seems the plan may not be entirely what the community expected, as Forza Horizon 5's first update of 2025 may signal a shift in direction for the popular, long-running open-world racing game.

Forza Horizon 5's Midnight Muscle update brings back fan-favorite neon-lit content from a past Festival Playlist alongside two new cars, but it also debuts a different approach to future Festival Playlists. Now, players will vote on one of two past Festival Playlists to replay each month, suggesting that FH5 support is finally winding down as Playground Games turns to what's next. Of course, the studio has stated that there's still more content coming to Forza Horizon 5 in the future, so it's not totally done.

Quite possible the final full update for Forza Horizon 5

If you're expecting an ambitious changelog packed with new features, quality-of-life improvements, and more additions to the ridiculously large Forza Horizon 5 car list, I'm afraid the Midnight Muscle update is destined to disappoint you.

In fact, there's honestly not enough here to even do the bulleted list I usually do, so I'll skip that. First, the Midnight Muscle Festival Playlist brings back the extended night and neon-lit Evolving World features we saw in previous FH5 updates, with no new features to call its own. You're also looking at only two new vehicles to collect in the powerful 1995 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R and 2022 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock.

Outside of that, Playground Games has added two new features, with the latter clearly marking a downturn in official support for FH5 moving forward. Firstly, players will now be able to choose their own start screen cinematic from past events and Forza Horizon titles, with a shuffle option for those who'd rather be surprised each time they start the game. Secondly, future Festival Playlists won't come as surprises from Playground — instead, the community will now vote on one of two past Festival Playlists to return the following month.

The first vote will be between the Forza Horizon 5 High Performance and Forza Horizon 5 Italian Automotive updates, with voting opening in week 1 of Midnight Muscle and closing in week 4 (and the process will repeat each month). Playground will tweak each Festival Playlist as needed to reflect how the game has evolved over its life, but the intent behind this feature is obvious; Forza Horizon 5 support is winding down.

You can read more about the Forza Horizon 5 "Midnight Muscle" update on Forza.net, which arrives on Jan. 28 (with the Festival Playlist kicking off on Jan. 30).

It's not completely over yet

To be clear, Playground Games does state that "there's still more content coming to Forza Horizon 5," but it's not immediately clear what that'll look like. All we can say for certain is, with the community now voting each month for a past Festival Playlist to return (you can read more about this feature on Forza.net), FH5 isn't going to get the same monthly updates it has since its launch over three years ago.

Forza Horizon 5 may not get any new cars or features, instead treading down memory lane until it wanders so far into the past that only a brand-new Forza Horizon game can bring us back. It had to happen immediately, though, as Playground Games is undoubtedly working on a mysterious sequel powered by the same engine underneath Forza Motorsport (2023). Hopefully, we'll hear more about those plans later this year.

In case you missed it, Forza Horizon 4 also ended an era of its own, with the title becoming permanently delisted from digital storefronts as its licenses expired. It's probably safe to say that Forza Horizon 5 is still many years away from this happening, even if it won't enjoy the same healthy update cycle anymore.

What you need to know

• The end of 2024 is rapidly approaching, but Forza Horizon 5 still isn't slowing down.
• Today, Playground Games released the final update of the year for FH5, and it's actually a two-in-one.
• For December, Holiday Mix-Ups will bring two wintery stadiums and five new cars to collect.
• In January, players will get another new car, a fresh stunt park, and more ways to build in EventLab.

It has now been over three years since Forza Horizon 5 was released across Xbox and PC, and it doesn't seem like the game is going to stop getting new content and features any time soon. As we enter the final month of 2024, Playground Games has released the last update of the year for Forza Horizon 5. Horizon Holiday Mix-Up is now available to download on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC.

This isn't quite like normal content updates, though, because the Forza developers deserve their own break over the holidays just like the rest of us. So, Holiday Mix-Up is actually two updates in one, spanning all of December and January. The first half focuses on holiday festivities and some exciting new cars, while the more modest "Extreme Horizon" half in January will bring one new car and some other interesting features.

While I'm here, I also want to remind all of you that Forza Horizon 4 goes end-of-life on Dec. 15, 2024, meaning you have less than two weeks to buy the game and all its DLC before they permanently disappear from digital storefronts. One of the best ways to do that is to pick up Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition (Xbox & PC) for $19.99 at Amazon, which includes a huge amount of content.

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A total of six new cars across two months of wintery fun

With December being dedicated to "Horizon Holiday Mix-Up" and January to "Extreme Horizon," you'd expect a ton of new content — but this list isn't going to be terribly long.

• Five new cars with Horizon Holiday Mix-Up. First, Forza Horizon 5 is getting five new cars in December, with four being Festival Playlist reward cars and the fifth being a reward for completing a limited-time event between Dec. 5-12.
  • 2006 Mercedes-Benz E 55 AMG Wagon
  • 2014 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
  • 2021 Bentley Flying Spur
  • 2024 Nissan Z Nismo
  • 2022 BMW M5 CS
• One more car with Extreme Horizon. In January, FH5 players will be able to collect one more new car as part of the Festival Playlist.
  • 1965 DeBerti Design Chevrolet C10 "Slayer"
• A whole lot of Stadium makeovers. During December, the Horizon Stadium will alternate between two festive themes, with the first and third weeks being the Winter Wonderland Stadium and the second and fourth weeks being the popular Ice Rink. In January, players will get to explore the Stunt Park once again.
• More EventLab content. Creators rejoice, the EventLab is getting four new build stubs permanently added to the Forza Horizon 5 map with the arrival of Extreme Horizon, giving you more locations to build your masterpieces.

Playground Games also teased Feb. 2025's content update, Midnight Muscle, which will bring back the extended nighttime, add new reward cars and events, and let players customize their start screen experience.

I'll never say no to more themed Festival Playlists and new cars, but Holiday Mix-Up does feel pretty tame for being a dual update. I hope that the Playground Games team gets a ton of rest through the holidays and kicks it into high gear for 2025, as Forza Horizon 5 updates have felt pretty familiar from month to month lately (new cars, new Festival Playlist, new Stadium, new EventLab props). Although, I'll admit getting some Halo content in FH5 was pretty cool.

Whatever happens next year, the Forza Horizon 5 car list is already easily one of the most impressive vehicle rosters of any racing game you can play today (or have ever been able to play, honestly), and it does seem like it will continue to get bigger in the future. In the meantime, Forza Horizon 5: Horizon Holiday Mix-Up is now available to download for all players, and you can check out the full changelog at Forza.net.

Also, here's your final reminder that Forza Horizon 4 is set to be permanently delisted from digital storefronts on Dec. 15, 2024, and that includes being removed from Xbox Game Pass. If you want to keep the game to play forever, you'll want to buy it before then, like getting Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition (Xbox & PC) for $19.99 at Amazon.

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Forza Horizon 5 took millions of racers to the diverse Mexican landscape, and it enjoys monthly content updates adding new cars, races, and features. Three years after its release, and FH5 is still going strong. Many fondly remember the game that came before, though, and for that title the future isn't looking as positive. Months after it was announced, Forza Horizon 4's end-of-life date is mere days away.

Released in Oct. 2018, Forza Horizon 4 brought the legendary open-world arcade racing series to the United Kingdom for the first time. FH4 was a huge success for Xbox and Playground Games, and performed well during its three-year tenure before Forza Horizon 5 arrived. Now, another three years later, and FH4 is set to be permanently delisted from all digital storefronts on Dec. 15, 2024, meaning right now is your last chance to buy the game and add it to your library forever.

And I do mean right now — you can buy Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition (Xbox & PC) for $19.99 at Amazon, an 80% discount that includes the base game, its two DLC expansions, and a ton of DLC cars and perks, but that sale ends on Dec. 12, 2024, according to Xbox.

The end of an era, and signs of things to come

Forza Horizon 4 was released on Oct. 2, 2018 for Xbox One and Windows PC, and enjoyed regular content updates and car additions until July 2021. Credit where credit is due, that's already a much longer life span than the three Forza Horizons that came before it, and FH4 has continued to be available and playable for more than three years since. Its delisting means the close of an era, but it's not all bad news.

Racing games like Forza are often subject to eventual delistings because it costs a lot of money to license the car brands and official music that go into these games. For most of Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport, that meant shutting down four years after release, with content updates ending two years after release (to make way for the next entry).

Forza Horizon 4 enjoyed updates for an additional year and has been available to purchase for three more on top of that, though, which bodes well for Forza Horizon 5 — a game that shows zero signs of slowing down over three years after it released in 2021. There's no information on when FH5 will eventually be delisted (as it surely must), but it's still getting new cars (and even new music) every month.

As for Forza Horizon 4, what exactly does "end-of-life" mean? Well, Xbox Game Studios and Playground Games will permanently delist FH4 from all digital storefronts, including the Microsoft Store and Steam, and the game will be completely removed from Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and other subscriptions it may be a part of. All Forza Horizon 4 DLC will also be delisted.

This does not mean Forza Horizon 4 will become unplayable. Those with physical copies or who already own the digital game will be able to download and play FH4 like normal and into perpetuity, with access to all their content. Basically, you need to own the game before it's delisted on Dec. 15, 2024, or you won't be able to play it (unless you buy a digital code or physical copy from third-party retailers).

That gives you two weeks! This is the time to pick up the base game, expansions, car pass, and any other DLC you were missing before Forza Horizon 4 disappears. A great place to start is buying Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition for $19.99 at Amazon, which includes most of the game's content and DLC.

What you need to know

• The next Forza Horizon 5 update may be called "Track Day," but there's an awful lot of Halo going on here.
• Playground Games has detailed what's coming in this update, and it includes the biggest single drop of new EventLab props in FH5 history.
• Players will be able to design their own Halo themed racetracks and maps, and three Halo songs are also joining the soundtrack.
• If you need to know more than just "there's Halo now," this update also drops four modern Porsches into the Festival Playlist.

I suppose it was too much to ask for Playground Games to reveal the spooky-themed Forza Horizon 5 update one day after Halloween already ended, but I'll take this. Forza Horizon 5: Track Day is official and starting next week, and this update may be the most spartan yet. No, I don't mean basic and simple — I mean actual Spartans.

The next Forza Horizon 5 update boasts the largest single EventLab prop drop in the game's history, and it's all Halo. Of course, a new Festival Playlist is also arriving with four new reward cards (spoiler, they're all modern Porsches), and the Oval Track is returning to the Stadium once again. Let's dive into it all, shall we?

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Did you ever want to race a Porsche down a Forerunner highway? Now you can.

I won't waste any more of your time. Here's everything coming in the Forza Horizon 5: Track Day update next week.

• Four new cars. The Festival Playlist is securing four new reward cars this update, and they all hail from the same manufacturer. There's no Car Pack DLC this time, but the community should be pretty happy with these additions.
  • 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 R
  • 2023 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
  • 2023 Porsche 911 Rallye
  • 2023 Porsche 911 Turbo S
• Brand-new Halo props. The Xbox Game Studios family has come together again with another great collaboration. This time around, Playground Games has added the largest-ever EventLab prop pack to Forza Horizon 5, and every single prop is Halo-themed. There are 71 Halo props in total, letting players design their very own Halo racetracks and maps.
• A few new songs. The Halo fun doesn't end there. The Forza Horizon 5 soundtrack is securing three official Halo songs with Halo Theme Gungnir Mix (feat. Steve Vai), Installation 04, and The Trails.
• The return of the Oval Track. The Stadium is enjoying another Evolving World makeover, and this time the popular Oval Track is returning for another round of high-octane asphalt racing.
• A new Festival Playlist. As always, Forza Horizon 5: Track Day also features a new, themed Festival Playlist with a ton of rewards, including all four of the Porsches added in this update.

We're not getting a massive pile of new vehicles to add to our garage, but that's not a bad list for an update.

It'll be really interesting to see what the many talented FH5 community designers are able to accomplish with all the new Halo props. The EventLab is about to be filled with unique new racetracks and maps that we've never seen in Forza before, and it should be a lot of fun.

While the arriving cars only number four in total, they're all brand-new Porsches. That should make a lot of FH5 players happy, who are often asking for more modern cars, and Porsche has been a long-time staple of the Forza franchise. All-in-all, the Forza Horizon 5: Track Day update does seem pretty solid, and players will still be able to take advantage of the Horizon Backstage feature added in the last FH5 update.

Forza Horizon 5: Track Day is likely dropping on Tuesday, Nov. 5 for Xbox and Windows PC, but the actual Festival Playlist won't kick off until that Thursday.

What you need to know

• Playground Games has revealed the 'Back to the 90s' update for Forza Horizon 5.
• This update features four classics from the 90s, but also a new feature for car collectors.
• Horizon Backstage is returning, allowing you to add previous exclusive Festival Playlist reward cars to your garage.
• There are also plenty of fixes and some new achievements for the Hide and Seek game mode.

Playground Games has announced the plan for 2024's spooky season, and it's sadly not a horror-themed update for Forza Horizon 5 (maybe we'll see it at the end of the month). Still, we do have news on what the next release will be for FHD, and it's dubbed 'Back to the 90s.' Yup, it's another nostalgia-filled update, but how exciting this release is will depend on who you ask.

The update news comes courtesy of the latest Forza Let's Go! stream from Playground Games, and lets us know that a variety of fixes and improvements, four new 90s-era cars, and a returning feature that car collectors will love are all heading to Forza Horizon 5 across Xbox and PC in the near future.

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A way to catch up on what you missed

Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the meat of today's announcement. Here's what's coming in the Forza Horizon 5 'Back to the 90s' update.

• Four new reward cars. As always, four new cars are joining the Forza Horizon 5 car list, and they all share a common theme. Can you guess what it is?
  • 1990 Aston Martin Lagonda
  • 1996 Subaru SVX
  • 1997 Toyota Soarer 2.5 GT-T
  • 1998 Mitsubishi FTO GP Version R
• Horizon Backstage. A fan-favorite feature is also returning with Horizon Backstage coming to Forza Horizon 5. This feature will allow players to claim previous Festival Playlist exclusive reward cars they missed and add them to their collection.
  • The Horizon Backstage rotates on a weekly basis, normally showcasing two cars
  • The community will vote on one of two pairs each week to be featured
  • At first, though, six cars will be available through the Horizon Backstage shop
  • Players will need Backstage Passes, a new in-game currency, to purchase these cars
  • One Backstage Pass will be offered as a Seasonal Reward each week, and players can also purchase one other Pass for 1,000 Forzathon Points each week
• New achievements. Forza Horizon 5 recently got a Hide and Seek mode, and in addition to a bevy of fixes and other changes Playground Games is adding five new achievements (worth a combined 130 Gamerscore) related to the game mode.
• A new Festival Playlist and more. The Festival Playlist is, of course, getting a makeover with the Back to the 90s update, with a ton of themed challenges, events, and races.
  • Players will also be able to hunt down the new VHS Collectible, unlock the 90s Cosmetic Outfit, and earn up to three new Badges

That's it! The Back to the 90s update joins the more modest releases we've seen for Forza Horizon 5 recently, and there's no new Car Pack DLC to add even more vehicles to the car list. Hopefully, we'll see some more exciting updates for FH5 in the future, but this will still be a great update moving forward for those eager to fill out their collection with all the cars they missed.

It also gives the community some more control over the Festival Playlist Seasonal reward cars, since the one that was normally a "random" car will now be a Backstage Pass for the cars the community votes on. I'm glad there are now achievements for the Hide and Seek mode, too, as it felt odd when none were added alongside the new game mode. In any case, the Forza Horizon 5 'Back to the 90s' update will be dropping soon, and its Festival Playlist will be kicking off soon after.

If you're curious what's coming next, Playground Games teased the 'Horizon Track Day' update coming next month, which will feature new cars, cosmetics, collectibles, and EventLab props.

What you need to know

• Playground Games recently teased a new Hide & Seek game mode for Forza Horizon 5, and it's coming very soon.
• The next update, arriving early next week, includes the interesting new way to play with fellow racers as well as four new cars.
• Three of the four new cars come from Japanese manufacturers, which is a popular category for many players.
• The Stadium is also enjoying a fresh round of Evolving World goodness, and is becoming a maze for the duration of the next Festival Playlist.

During Gamescom 2024, one of the smaller announcements stashed alongside the deluge of major reveals and updates was a short teaser for Forza Horizon 5's newest game mode: Hide & Seek. Exactly as the name suggests, this pits five Seekers against one player who has to hide and elude their hunters for the duration of the match. It's an interesting addition to the Forza Horizon 5 formula, and it's coming alongside the next major content update.

I'm not alone in that I already tend to do my fair share of hiding from the world in real life, and now I can do it as a car.

You can check out the latest Let's Go! stream above for all the information, but I'll summarize for those who don't have time to sit through an hour-long stream. The next content update is known as Forza Horizon 5: Hidden Horizons, and brings four new reward cars to the refreshed and thematic Festival Playlist, the Hide & Seek game mode, and more.

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Survive long enough to reach the End Zone, if you can

The 'Hidden Horizons' update is definitely on the modest size, largely riding on the back of the new Hide & Seek mode. It's still an exciting addition, though, giving players a completely new way to enjoy FH5's multiplayer. There are also a couple of other changes and new features, too, so let's dive in.

• Hide & Seek mode. In Forza Horizon 5's new game mode, five players will spread across an area as Seekers, while one player will do their best to avoid the Seekers as the Hider. The Seekers win by filling up their detection meters by staying close to the Hider, while the Hider wins by evading the Seekers until the End Zone is revealed and making it to that End Zone.
  • The Hide & Seek mode has its own progression system with unique Accolades for players to earn
  • Seekers and hiders will have different pools of cars from which to pull, giving seekers distinct performance advantages if they should discover where the hider is
• Four new cars. As always, the Forza Horizon 5 car list is expanding once again with four new cars, which will be exclusively rewarded through the new Hidden Horizons Festival Playlist.
  • 1991 Toyota Chaser GT Twin Turbo
  • 1995 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III GSR
  • 2013 Volvo C30 Polestar
  • 2022 Subaru WRX
• Exclusive gift car. All players who sign into Forza Horizon 5 following the release of the Hidden Horizons update will also receive an exclusive car through the Message Center, being the custom 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Jordan Luka 3 Motorsport Edition.
• Horizon Stadium Maze. Forza Horizon 5's Evolving World is affecting the Stadium in a brand-new way, this time transforming it into a vertical maze with plenty of hiding places, ramps and platforms, and awesome photo opps.
• A new Festival Playlist. It should come as no surprise that the Festival Playlist is getting updated with an all-new series of themed challenges, races, and events, this time centered around the new Hide & Seek game mode or Maze. Players will also have the chance to hunt for the new Detective Tank Collectible (which is being added to the EventLab) and earn a new outfit.

These new features are accompanied by a fresh batch of car model fixes and bug squashing, but there's nothing particularly exciting in the changelog. The Forza Horizon 5: Hidden Horizons update officially releases for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Xbox and PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming on Sept. 10, 2024, with the Hidden Horizons Festival Playlist kicking off on Sept. 12, 2024.

Playground Games also teased the next FH5 update, which will be dubbed "Back to the 90s" and feature new cars, Badges, Accolades, and more. We'll have to wait until next month to know what the future holds for Xbox's best racing game, although the new Hide & Seek game mode may keep you busy until then.

What you need to know

• It's that time again — Xbox's flagship open-world racing game, Forza Horizon 5, is getting another update with new content.
• The "High-Performance Dailies" update focuses on new cars everyday people can actually own and drive, but can still dominate the track.
• Four new asphalt race routes are also being permanently added to the game with this update.
• It's a more minor content update, but it's available starting today with the Festival Playlist kicking off later this week.

A new month, a new Forza Horizon 5 update. Playground Games has dropped everything we need to know about High-Performance Dailies, the latest content update injecting fresh cars into everyone's favorite open-world racing game on Xbox and PC. As the name suggests, this update doesn't feature any supercars or unobtainable legends. Instead, FH5 is adding modern cars that everyday people can actually buy, drive, and race.

You can check out the latest Let's Go! stream from Playground Games to get a walkthrough, but I'll include all the information you could possibly need on Forza Horizon 5: High-Performance Dailies below so you don't miss a thing. What should you expect? New cars, new races, new Festival Playlist challenges.

• Four new cars. As always, let's start with the newest additions to the ever-growing Forza Horizon 5 car list. The new arrivals are modest this time around, as there's just four Festival Playlist reward cars and no new Car Packs or DLC. Still, all of these cars are modern and driven by thousands of people in the real world.
  • 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat
  • 2022 Ford Focus ST
  • 2023 Ford Fiesta ST
  • 2023 Toyota Camry TRD
• Four new race routes. Forza Horizon 5 is giving players new ways to test their latest rides with four permanent race route additions to the game. These are all asphalt sprints, and will be available in Horizon Open and Horizon Rivals from Aug. 13 and in the open world from Aug. 15.
  • Cloverleaf Sprint
  • San Juan Sprint
  • Rocosa Sprint
  • Valle del Rio Sprint
• Another Collectible and Outfit. The list of extras is short in this update, but it's not nonexistent. We're getting:
  • The Business Suit Tank Collectible to discover and smash in the open world
  • The new Artist Outfit to unlock through the Festival Playlist
• A refreshed Festival Playlist. It should come as no surprise that the High-Performance Dailies update also comes with a new Festival Playlist complete with matching challenges and races, including some for the Back to School season. It's here you'll earn your new cars.

Playground Games is also including a fresh batch of bug fixes and improvements, but there's not much here to write home about unless there's a specific car fix you've been waiting for. You can check out the full changelog at Forza.net for that small list.

Even better, the Forza Horizon 5: High-Performance Dailies update is rolling out today for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows PC, as well as Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

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An update for the regular people with awesome cars

Look, I love being able to sit behind the wheel of a multi-million dollar supercar and race across Mexico at 200+ MPH, but I also fully understand the hordes of people that desperately want more "regular" cars in Forza. This update is people for those players, as it includes four cars that aren't only new (as in, released in the last few years), but are also reasonably obtainable by ordinary people.

They don't sacrifice on performance, however. These are the high-performance variants of these cars, including the sweet new 2023 Toyota Camry TRD sports sedan with a 3.5L V6, improved suspension, and lots of aero. I know plenty of people will jump on customizing a new Ford Focus St for rally racing, too, and the Dodge Durango SRT is a ton of fun when transformed into a ridiculous off-roading monster.

It's a good follow-up to the last Forza Horizon 5 update that added a coffee shop for car meets, and continues FH5's trend of being one of the best Xbox racing games you can play.

Playground Games finished things off by teasing the next Forza Horizon 5 update, Hidden Horizons. There will be a new game mode, more reward cars, an update to the Evolving World with the Stadium Maze, and the return of Pathfinder. Look forward to it!

What you need to know

• Playground Games is the studio behind the massively popular Forza Horizon franchise. 
• Playground Games expanded by opening a second studio in 2017, before then being acquired by Microsoft in 2018.
• Playground Games is also working on a new Fable game, which is slated to arrive at some point in 2025.
• According to an update on Playground Games' LinkedIn page, the team has expanded to three studios.

The teams behind some of the biggest Xbox games are getting even bigger. 

Playground Games now encompasses three studios, as seen on the company's LinkedIn page. This third studio is apparently assisting with the development of Fable, the upcoming reboot of the classic light-hearted Xbox role-playing game series. 

"Today, Playground has three world-class studios in Leamington Spa," the company description reads. "In our original HQ, we continue to support and grow the huge, vibrant Horizon community. In our new studios on the other side of town, we are excited to be developing Fable, a new beginning for the legendary franchise."

We've reached out to Microsoft for comment.

Playground Games has grown into an Xbox powerhouse

Playground Games first opened in 2010, with the studio collaborating with Microsoft and Turn 10 on Forza Horizon, an open-world spinoff of the Forza Motorsport franchise. Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, Forza Horizon prompted multiple sequels, with Playground Games expanding with a second studio in 2017 before being acquired by Microsoft in 2018. The team's latest game, Forza Horizon 5, passed 40 million players earlier in the year.

While Forza Horizon 5 continues to be supported, much of Playground Games' focus is on the upcoming Fable, a reboot of sorts that brings players back to the whimsical, legendary world of Albion, with longtime Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal is providing support on the project. A new trailer during the Xbox showcase earlier in the year teased some of the action and characters that players can expect to encounter.

Fable is currently slated to arrive at some point in 2025 across Xbox Series X|S consoles and Windows PC. Like all Xbox first-party games, it'll be available day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Analysis: Good to see additional investment

The last year has been brutal for the gaming industry, and the teams at Xbox are no exceptions, with cuts that saw the closure of three Bethesda studios and layoffs at Activision Blizzard King. 

Even so, I'm happy to see there are teams that can expand and grow. Playground Games has done an amazing job with Forza Horizon, reaching new heights with every new entry as the games continue to garner more players and more critical praise. With two studios apparently working on reviving the iconic Xbox RPG, I have complete faith Playground can do similar great work with Fable. It's one of my most-anticipated games of next year alongside other titles like DOOM: The Dark Ages. 

As a reminder, Forza Horizon 4 is reaching end-of-life status later this year, but you still have a few months to buy it and keep it forever, even after it's pulled from online stores.

What you need to know

• Developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, Forza Horizon 4 first launched in 2018 to critical acclaim and commercial success. 
• Like prior Forza games, Forza Horizon 4 is reaching "end of life" status, meaning the game will be delisted from digital stores and removed from Xbox Game Pass on Dec. 15, 2024. 
• Anyone who purchases a digital or physical copy of Forza Horizon 4 will continue to be able to play the game after it is delisted.
• Forza Horizon 4 is on sale for Windows PC players via Steam right now, with an Xbox store sale coming on July 14, 2024. 

A phenomenal game is leaving storefronts later this year. 

Forza Horizon 4 is set to be delisted from the Xbox Store and Steam on Dec. 14, 2024, at which point it will also be removed from Xbox Game Pass, Playground Games and Xbox shared on Tuesday. Like with prior Forza games that have been delisted, this is due to licensing agreements with various partners whose support was required for the game, as relates to music tracks and specific cars being included. 

Anyone that has purchased Forza Horizon 4 (digitally or physically) will continue to be able to play the game after it's delisted. Different discounts will be available in the lead-up to the game's delisting, ensuring players have a chance to buy Forza Horizon 4 at a heavily-reduced price before it's no longer available. A Steam sale is live right now, while an Xbox sale will be available on July 14, 2024.

Additionally, anyone that has played Forza Horizon 4 through Xbox Game Pass and purchased some DLC that is still subscribed to the service as of today will be receiving a game code through their Xbox messages in the coming weeks. 

Will you still be able to play Forza Horizon 4 multiplayer?

Yes, Forza Horizon 4 will still be playable online and with full multiplayer functionality after it is delisted. While it is possible the game servers will eventually be turned off, that's not going to be the case for some time. 

It is important to note however that Series 77, which begins on July 25, will be the last Festival Playlist. Once it ends on August 22, there will no longer be a Festival Playlist. This means that Series 77 is your last chance to earn the following Achievements: A Creature of Habit, Stunt Puller, Cashing In, and Perfectionist.

Forza Horizon is one of the biggest brands for Xbox

Initially built by Playground Games as a spin-off of the mainline Forza Motorsport franchise, Forza Horizon quickly grew as a juggernaut for Xbox, with Playground Games and Turn 10 working together on the ForzaTech engine to power both franchises. This engine is also being used for the Fable reboot, which is being developed by a second studio at Playground Games and is slated to launch in 2025.

Each Forza Horizon game has been critically praised with incredible regularity and reliability, and Forza Horizon 4 reached 24 million players by November 2020. Its successor, Forza Horizon 5, launched in 2021 and has reached over 34 million players as of several months ago, player counts that cement Forza Horizon as one of the biggest Xbox brands. 

As a far more recently released game, Forza Horizon 5 remains available for purchase, and is also available in Xbox Game Pass. 

Analysis: A titan is going to sleep

Forza Horizon 4 is a fantastic game, one of my favorites of 2018. While it's certainly a bit sad to see that it's finally going to be delisted, this isn't anything new when it comes to Forza games due to the licensing agreements that go into these titles. Fortunately players have a healthy heads-up as to when the game will no longer be available, so if anyone hasn't bought it yet, this is the time to make sure you can keep it forever. 

In our review of Forza Horizon 4, my colleague Richard Devine wrote that "As it stands today, Forza Horizon 4 is the best racing game you can get on the Xbox One. As ever, it's not trying to be a simulator, but the combination of real-world vehicles, not entirely arcadey physics and a big open playground packed full of entertainment is hard to beat."

What you need to know

• Legendary rally driver Ken Block recently passed away in a snowmobile accident.
• Ken Block's famous Hoonigan vehicles feature prominently in Forza Horizon 5 and previous Horizon games.
• To honor the driver, Playground Games is gifting the 1965 Hoonigan Ford Mustang "Hoonicorn" and Ken Block's racing suit to all Forza Horizon 5 players.
• Additionally, the upcoming Series 18 update will also honor Ken Block with in-game content.

The passionate racing community was recently devastated by the news that Ken Block, proficient rally driver, YouTube star, and founder of the Hoonigan racing team, suddenly passed away in an unfortunate snowmobile accident. Ken Block and his Hoonigan vehicles were frequently featured in racing games, including the Forza Horizon series, and Playground Games is honoring the driver in the coming weeks.

Revealed in an in-game community message, all Forza Horizon 5 players are being gifted both a 1965 Hoonigan Ford Mustang "Hoonicorn" vehicle and the Ken Block Race Suit and Helmet Vanity Items, which can be redeemed immediately from the Gifts tab. Additionally, Series 18 of the Forza Horizon 5 Festival Playlist will honor Ken Block with exclusive in-game content and activities for players.

The unnamed Series 18 update, which should dominate most of March 2023, will include features like:

• A new "#43" Player Badge, paying homage to the racing number under which Ken Block spent his career
• New Accolades inspired by Ken Block's illustrious racing career
• A variety of Festival Playlist events featuring Hoonigan vehicles
• The new "Go Fast Risk Every Thang" Forza LINK message
• The 2016 Hoonigan Ford Focus RS Gymkhana 9 RX, offered as a reward car for a Seasonal Championship

The community response to Forza Horizon 5 honoring such a prominent figure in the industry has been positive, with players praising Playground Games for taking time to remember one of rally's most legendary drivers. Anyone can go and redeem their in-game gifts now, but the dedicated Ken Block content will have to wait until the arrival of Series 18.

Playground Games is hosting its next Let's Go! stream on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, which will go over the Series 17 update coming in the near future. Not much is known about the update coming before the Ken Block-inspired release, other than that it'll be themed after Japanese Automotives and will see the much-awaited arrival of the 2023 Nissan Z to the game. Playground Games is also working on creating a tribute video for Ken Block featuring clips and videos from the Forza Horizon community to be included in the next Forza Monthly stream.

Forza Horizon is one of Xbox's best racing games, owing in no small part to its vast collection of cars — including legendary racing vehicles, like from Ken Block's Hoonigan — and its constant stream of post-launch updates and additional content. It'll be interesting to see how the game continues to evolve into the future, especially as many wait for the release of Forza Motorsport (2023).

What you need to know

• Several Playground Games members, including Forza Horizon 5's creative director, Mike Brown, have left the team to form their own studio.
• Maverick Games is a brand-new, UK-based, independent games studio focused on creating open-world, 'AAA' titles.
• The studio wants to empower its developers to take creative risks and be passionate about what they make.
• Few details are available on the studio's first game, but Brown hinted that it may not be a driving game.

Playground Games is often foremost in conversations discussing the most talented and valuable teams in the Xbox Game Studios family. The developer is responsible for the Forza Horizon open-world racing franchise and the upcoming Fable reboot, and now it seems that Playground Games is giving rise to a brand-new, independent studio made of its former staff.

Mike Brown, most recently known as the creative director for Forza Horizon 5, has departed Playground Games alongside several other team members to form Maverick Games, a new UK-based studio focused on creating 'AAA', open-world titles for consoles and PC. The studio, which also includes Harinder Sangha, a well-known studio leader coming from Sumo Digital, wants to shed the established rules of the industry to empower its developers to take bold, creative risks.

"It is a truism that you can be creative, or you can be cautious, but you can't be both," Brown stated while discussing Maverick Games. "You either decide to mitigate risks, which limits creativity, or you embrace risks, which releases creativity. We are going to build a team where we really encourage them to take creative risks, to try new things, and really celebrates that as part of our culture."

Maverick Games is currently comprised of only 10 developers, but the plan is to expand to as many as 140 members in the future, with Sangha, the studio's new COO, wanting diversity and collaborative creativity to be major focuses for recruitment.

The studio is based in Leamington, UK alongside many other prominent teams in the industry, will cultivate a hybrid office / remote work environment, and has reportedly secured enough funding from a London-based investor to steamroll its first major project. "The team that we've got, the set-up that we've got, gives us confidence and security," Brown told GamesIndustry.biz.

Details on Maverick Games' first project are understandably scarce, at the moment, although it's hinted that the Forza Horizon veterans may not be cooking up a competitor to the best Xbox racing games. "I'd definitely describe myself as an open world guy first, rather than a driving guy," Brown hinted.

We know the game will be aiming for premium, 'AAA' quality in an open-world setting, and will seek to cater to the way people consume media today. "...We need to build our games where we are always addressing every player, always giving them something to do, never letting them to get to that bit in a game where it's just going to repeat for 15 hours until you get to the credits," Brown explained. We also know that the game will be developed for "consoles and PC," suggesting that Maverick Games may not follow in Playground Games' footsteps as an Xbox exclusive developer.

Maverick Games is likely years away from having a project ready to show to players, but you can follow the Maverick Games Twitter or head to the Maverick Games website to keep up to date with the studios' latest news. The studio is also going on a hiring spree to get everything up and running, and flesh out its team with the talent necessary to bring Brown's vision to fruition.

Windows Central's take — A promising new studio, with exciting potential

With industry leading talent, a clear vision for work culture and creativity, and leadership that brought us one of the best Xbox games in Forza Horizon 5, Maverick Games clearly has everything it needs to succeed, even in an uncertain, tumultuous economic environment. It'll likely be a long time before we see anything concrete from the up-and-coming startup, but Maverick Games is an exciting addition to the string of new studios that have appeared in recent years.

I especially have a lot of respect for Mike Brown, who played a huge role in creating one of my favorite games of 2021, and to whom I've spoken on multiple occasions. I already can't wait to see what Maverick Games is able to accomplish, even if it means Playground Games' Forza Horizon team just lost some of its best talent. Whatever Maverick Games tackles for its first project, I just hope I can play it on my Xbox Series X.

What you need to know

• Forza Horizon 5 regularly receives new content through its Festival Playlist and Series updates.
• On Monday, Playground Games held a stream to share what's coming to FH5 in the upcoming Series 4 update and beyond.
• This includes the community-wide Horizon World Cup, in which players use cars from their favorite region to win races and championships.
• There are also brand-new cars from China coming in the Festival Playlist, new additions to the Car Pass, and much more.

Forza Horizon 5 is already one of the most beloved entries in the busy racing game genre, but it's also in a constant state of evolution. On Monday, members from the Playground Games team behind Forza Horizon 5 kicked off another Let's Go! stream to share what's coming next to the game. The Series 4 update is right around the corner, and will feature new cars, a community-wide racing-focused event, bug fixes, and much more.

Forza Horizon 5 manages to continually change over time via the Forza Horizon 5 Festival Playlist. The Festival Playlist introduces a new Series every four weeks, with different challenges, events, cars, and much more. For Series 4, the focus is all about racing and celebrating your favorite cars from different countries. The next Festival Playlist Series begins on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, and will include plenty about which for players to get excited. Here are some of the highlights:

• Horizon World Cup. A community-wide event will begin and end with Series 4 of Festival Playlist. Dubbed the Horizon World Cup, the event is a competition between different countries and the cars hailing from those countries. Players can route for their favorite country by driving cars from those locations in Seasonal Championships, Playground Games, and more.
  • The countries participating in the Horizon World Cup include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America
  • Each time a player completes a Festival Playlist Event (like a Seasonal Championship or Playground Games), the country from which their car originates will earn a point
  • At the end of Series 4, the country that has accumulated the most points will unlock a reward for the entire community
• Festival Playlist cars. Forza Horizon 5 is all about cars, and Series 4 is no different. Four brand-new cars can be earned by completing the Series 4 Festival Playlist, including:
  • 2012 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
  • 2013 Wuling Sunshine S
  • 2015 MG MG3
  • 2016 NIO EP9
• Car Pass cars. The Forza Horizon 5 Car Pass DLC nets players a new car every week, meaning four new entries are arriving throughout Series 4.
  • 1992 Mazda 323 GT-R
  • 2005 MG XPower SV-R
  • 2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic
  • 2021 Volkswagen Golf R
• Showcase remixes. For the first time, the FH5 Festival Playlist is remixing Showcase Events for players to enjoy, both at the open and the close of the Horizon World Cup.
  • Buggy and the Best is getting remixed with a new car and music, and is slightly more difficult
  • On a Wing and a Prayer is getting remixed with a new car, music, and time of day, as well as differences in the world
• Other changes and additions. There are plenty more great changes and additions coming in the Series 4 Festival Playlist update, including:
  • More of a focus on street racing than PR Stunts (because of the Horizon World Cup)
  • New Vanity Items and Car Horns, including a gifted race suit for each country competing in the Horizon World Cup
  • Chinese (Simplified) voiceover support for all dialogue
  • Editable Route and Event Blueprints in Eventlab
  • A ton of bug fixes for a variety of issues including Accolades, Festival Playlist changes, Horizon Open, and more
• Series 5. Playground Games also teased some of what players can expect from Series 5, including:
  • ASL & BSL interpretation support
  • A focus on PR Stunts instead of racing

Forza Horizon 5's Series 4 Festival Playlist content update should be arriving to all players within the next few days, with Series 4 officially starting on Thursday. With the Horizon World Cup and the addition of Chinese manufactured cars for the very first time in a Forza Horizon game, Series 4 is shaping up to be an excellent addition to one of the best Xbox racing games you can play.

In other news, the latest gift car in Forza Horizon 5 is a 1961 Jaguar E-Type decked out in a Chinese Lunar New Year-inspired livery. Any players who log in to FH5 starting today can redeem the exclusive car for free from the in-game Message Center.

Forza Horizon 5 is now available for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. It's also available through Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

What you need to know

• Gavin Raeburn is a prolific game developer involved in franchises like DiRT, GRID, and Forza Horizon.
• He co-founded Playground Games with Trevor Williams back in 2009, which Microsoft later acquired for Forza Horizon.
• Announced today, Gavin Raeburn is leaving Playground Games, replaced by Trevor Williams as Studio Head.

Forza Horizon is one of Microsoft's most successful franchises. Even during the darkest days of the Xbox One generation, Forza Horizon stood out as a bright star defiantly launching to critical acclaim and big sales success. Now bigger than Forza Motorsport itself, Forza Horizon is one of Xbox's most cherished franchises, serving tens of millions of players across the world with its expansive take on open-world arcade-style racing. The latest entry Forza Horizon 5 takes place in Mexico, and has already raced into pole position as the franchise's most successful entry yet.

Announced today, Microsoft and Playground Games revealed Gavin Raeburn, who has served as Studio Director and co-founder for the past 12 years, is leaving the company. General Manager and partner co-founder Trevor Williams will step up as Studio Head in Raeburn's place. Microsoft's CVP of Forza and Fable, Alan Hartman, shared the below message with us.

Gavin Raeburn is something of an industry legend, having worked on cult classics like The Equalizer for the Commodore 64, all the way up to Codemasters' TOCA Championship, DiRT, and GRID. Raeburn left Codemasters to co-found Playground Games in 2009, and built what has since become one of Microsoft's most important studios, if not its most important studio this side of Minecraft.

Playground Games continues work on Forza Horizon 5, likely building DLC expansions as we've seen from previous entries. Playground is also working on a reboot of classic Xbox RPG franchise Fable, soaking up developer talent from the likes of Rockstar Games and CD Projekt RED to make it happen.

There's no information about where Gavin Raeburn might be headed next, but we suspect Fable won't be the last time we see the Raeburn brand grace the credits of a major game launch.

Forza Horizon 5 is available now for Xbox and PC, or as part of an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

Forza Horizon 5 is one of the most successful and iconic first-party Xbox exclusives, with this expansive open-world "simul-arcade" racing game attracting tens of millions of unique players. When I reviewed Forza Horizon 5 in Nov. 2021, it seemed inconceivable that the Forza Horizon franchise would ever make the leap to competing console platforms, but times are changing alongside Xbox's multiplatform strategies.

Now, Microsoft is releasing more of its previously exclusive Xbox titles to PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, and the lines for what's acceptable to port are blurring more every day. The Forza franchise has been Xbox-only since its inception in 2005, but that's set to end. Forza Horizon 5 is officially coming to PlayStation 5 at some point in the future.

The PS5 port for FH5 is the product of a partnership between Forza Horizon studio Playground Games and Panic Button, a studio well-known for porting AAA games to other platforms. With Xbox's intent to preserve its future through higher-margin endeavors and its newfound position as the world's biggest video games publisher, this move does make sense... Even if it'll inevitably frustrate hardcore Xbox fans.

You can wishlist Forza Horizon 5 for free at Store.PlayStation.com now. No release date has been confirmed yet.

What you need to know

• Fable is an upcoming action-RPG being developed by Playground Games.
• According to Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty, this will be a "high-quality release."
• Booty also mentioned that Playground is bringing older concepts alongside new ideas.
• Fable is being developed for the Xbox Series X and PC.

The reveal of the long-rumored Fable reboot from Playground Games closed out the recent Xbox Games Showcase. While many fans are excited the franchise is officially coming back, there's a lot of questions around just what form this new title will take. In an interview with The Guardian, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty talked a little about what newcomers and longtime fans can expect from this new Fable.

Booty mentioned that Playground's attention to detail and passion for the franchise have impressed him and that everything he's seen so far indicates it will be a "very high-quality release."

"With any kind of franchise like that, where you've had existing versions, there's always that balance between what you're going to bring forward, what still stands up, and what you want to add that's new," he continues. "It's like the challenge of making a new Star Wars movie – there's stuff that everyone wants you to bring along, but then you've got a responsibility to take that to new places and I trust Playground has a good vision for that."

Recently, we reported that Fable will not be an MMO, contrary to the many rumors currently flying around. This doesn't mean there won't be online components like co-op but the focus is solidly on crafting an action-RPG.

Fable does not currently have a release window. When it does arrive, it'll be available on Xbox Series X and PC.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

• Xbox Series X: Everything we know
• Best games coming to Xbox Series X/S
• List of Xbox Series X specs
• What is the Xbox Series X release date?
• How much does Xbox Series X cost?
• Why you can't preorder Xbox Series X yet
• Best Xbox Series X Headsets

What you need to know

• New alleged Playground Games concept art has surfaced on ArtStation via Rodrigo Idalino, serving as a "test" for the unannounced action RPG project.
• The artist's claimed clients showcase past work Microsoft, Disney, and Ubisoft.
• The four concepts explore a character dubbed "Lashana," with 16th-century European influences.

Updated November 26, 2019: The Playground Games RPG character tests have been removed from the artist's ArtStation page, although remain embedded in the article below. It's still unclear whether these align with the RPG project or are independent of the studios' current vision, although it adds further weight to the portfolio. If representative of Playground Games' work, the artist may have removed the pieces upon request of the studio. And with rumors indicating a return to Fable, keep an eye out as next-generation consoles loom.

Playground Games, famed for past work on the Forza Horizon series, continues on work on its illusive unannounced role-playing project under Xbox Game Studios. Establishing a dedicated secondary team departing from racing roots, its fast-growing Leamington Spa team tackles an open-world large-scale action RPG. And while work remains in early stages, prior reports pitch a revival of the Fable series on the table for the next generation.

Microsoft remains tight on the project, with the title failing to make an appearance at X019, despite two new properties from sister studios, Rare and Obsidian Entertainment. However, a fresh portfolio of concepts has now started making rounds, portraying the Playground Games RPG through the lens of concept artist, Rodrigo Idalino. Idalino currently claims Kotobukiya and Studio Voltz as clients, the latter previously working with Microsoft, Disney, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft.

Idalino posted the four pieces to ArtStation (via Generación Xbox), highlighting the process from initial mood board references through to a final concept. Exploring folklore and 16th-century European attire, the posts provide an insightful look into the methodology behind character development. Invoking themes of the Fable franchise, it could allude to Microsoft plans, although is also a notable departure from former titles. And while branded with Playground Games logos, blurred text is also present — seemingly masking the character's name "Lashana," found via image file names.

There's no indication whether these pieces tie into ongoing work at Playground Games, although it wouldn't be the first instance of concept art surfacing mid-development. However, Generación Xbox reports these tests were produced in response to a brief set by Playground Games, ensuring talent aligns with the creative direction during the recruitment process.

However, as with any unofficial source, take all details lightly until backed by Microsoft. The artist has previously explored seemingly real and fictional projects via his ArtStation portfolio, merely captioning these RPG concepts as an "Art test done a few months ago." And if connected to the studio, the concepts may not relate to the current project, or may channel ideas circling the studio. If legitimate, such posts would likely violate any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) among talent.

Regardless, the collection aligns with reports of a planned Fable reboot, following the closure of Lionhead Studios in early 2016. Fable Legends, set to explore a cooperative spin on the RPG, was eventually axed, leaving 2010's Fable III the last traditional installment.

What you need to know

• Playground Games is working on a role-playing game, possibly Fable IV.
• The studio is hiring a lot of new developers for the project.
• Today, it announced that Brian Merrill and Martin Bunker joined from Ready At Dawn and Rockstar North, respectively.
• The upcoming game will be available through Xbox Game Pass.

For many months, rumors have been floating around that Playground Games — the makers of the Forza Horizon series — are working on Fable IV. While we don't know if that's actually the case, we do know that the team is working on a role-playing game and it's hiring a lot of amazing developers to help it create this next-generation experience.

Today, the studio announced that Brian Merrill was now at Playground Games as the Lead VFX Artist. He previously worked at Ready At Dawn that is known for The Order: 1886. Apart from that, Martin Bunker joined the team as Principal Animation Engineer from Rockstar North. Rockstar is of course known for classics like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. You can take a look at the statement below.

It's great to see the team expanding. Hopefully, the final product will be a polished experience that sets a new standard for Xbox Game Studios titles. However, only time will tell.

What do you want to see in Fable IV or whatever game Playground Games is working on? Let us know.

Xbox

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• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
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• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Playground Games is working on a lot of projects at the moment.
• The team was recently acquired by Microsoft.
• Nathan Buchanan from Rockstar Games just joined the developer.
• He appears to be working on Forza Horizon 5.

It's no secret that Playground Games has been working on a few projects. While the team is tweaking Forza Horizon 4 and possibly developing Forza Horizon 5, it's also crafting a new open-world role-playing game that may be the long-awaited Fable reboot.

In order to create compelling experiences, you need to hire the right people. Recently, Playground Games hired Nathan Buchanan from Rockstar Games. Nathan has worked on a number of important games and he should be a great addition to the team. Hopefully, the next Forza Horizon game will be even better than its predecessor.

If you want to check out Forza Horizon 4, you can do so through Xbox Game Pass. Xbox Game Pass is a monthly subscription service that gives you access to over 200 games instantly. You get play major AAA titles like Just Cause 4, or smaller experiences.

We'd like to thank Twitter user @kidsmoove for the tip.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Two new Xbox One bundles are now available, both of which include Forza Horizon 4 and the LEGO Speed Champions Expansion.
• The Xbox One X bundle is $499 USD, while the Xbox One S bundle is $300 USD.
• Both bundles are currently available only through the Microsoft Store but may reach other retailers soon.

Two new Xbox One bundles are now available, focused on the LEGO Speed Champions expansion for Forza Horizon 4. Both bundles include a 1TB internal hard drive, Forza Horizon 4 and its expansion, LEGO Speed Champions. Both bundles also include a month of Xbox Live Gold and a month of Xbox Game Pass.

The main difference is computing power and price, as Xbox One X can display games in 4K and sometimes at higher framerates than its S denoted sibling. Naturally, all that extra power comes with a heftier price tag: the Xbox One S bundle is available for $300, while the Xbox One X bundle is $500.

Playground Games has provided a ton of support for the game so far, from free updates to paid DLC and expansions. A recent message on Twitter celebrates everything released so far and hints at more content to come:

What you need to know

• Playground Games is working on a new Fable game.
• The studio recently hired a number of developers including EA's Ian Mitchell.
• Head of Recruitment Nick Duncombe said Mitchell was working on a role-playing game.
• You can purchase Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through the Microsoft Store for $1.

Updated June 26, 2019: According to Ian Mitchell's LinkedIn profile, he's worked on games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Star Wars Battlefront II, and an unannounced title which EA hasn't discussed as of yet. Since he's now a Senior Producer at Playground Games which is rumored to be working on Fable IV, the move makes perfect sense. EA hasn't released a compelling open-world game in years since Dragon Age: Inquisition or Mass Effect: Andromeda, so it's great to see that Mitchell's expertise will serve Playground well. He worked on those titles and they're exactly the kind of game Playground is making.

It's no secret that Playground Games, a recent Xbox Game Studios acquisition, is working on a new Fable game. The team is rapidly hiring developers for the project, and it looks like Playground is roping in some high-profile people to fill key positions. Today, Head of Recruitment Nick Duncombe said that EA's Ian Mitchell was part of the team. He said, "Joining the role-playing game team we have Ian Mitchell as a Senior Producer from EA."

It'll be interesting to see how Mitchell's expertise benefits the upcoming role-playing game. Hopefully, it'll be an interesting experience along the lines of Horizon Zero Dawn from Sony.

Many of the past Fable titles are available through Xbox Game Pass. Experiences like Fable Anniversary have been upgraded for Xbox One X, so they look crisp on modern displays. There's a promotion going on through the Microsoft Store which lets you upgrade to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate – which includes Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Game Pass for PC, and Xbox Live Gold – for $1. Amazon is also selling a three-month subscription for $20.

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Playground Games recently released Forza Horizon 4 to spectacular review scores. The game currently sits at 92 on Metacritic and may even go a little higher. However, it doesn't seem like the developer is resting on its laurels because the studio is actively hiring for its next big project.

According to a report by GearNuke, Playground Games is looking for 177 positions to fill at the moment. The studio's LinkedIn page is asking for employees like Gameplay Engineers and Concept Artists. The listing says that these developers will work on "an entirely new AAA open world action / RPG project." It's unclear if this is the Fable game the team is supposedly working on, or another experience altogether. Given the hiring spree, it seems like this is going to be a new game, separate from the Forza Horizon and rumored Fable teams.

At E3 2018, Microsoft announced that it was acquiring studios like Playground Games and Ninja Theory. It wouldn't be surprising if this hiring spree is for a separate game. Microsoft painfully lags behind Sony and Nintendo when it comes to first-party exclusives. Games like Horizon Zero Dawn and God of War have not only garnered critical acclaim, but they've also helped the PlayStation 4 solidify its lead over the competition.

Hopefully, in a few years, Microsoft will be able to push out quality games like them too. Aside from Forza Horizon 4 and its prequel, the other games from first-party developers have been disappointing. That needs to change sooner rather than later. The company needs to have the most powerful console and the best exclusives to succeed in this increasingly-competitive market.

• See Forza Horizon 4 at Amazon
• See Forza Horizon 4 at Microsoft Store

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For months now, rumors have been floating around that Playground Games — Microsoft's recent gaming acquisition — was developing the next Fable title. At E3 2018, Xbox head Phil Spencer stopped short of confirming that the developer was working on Fable, but instead said that the team was developing a separate project that's an action role-playing game (RPG).

In order to assist with that game's development, Playground Games is hiring a lot of talented individuals from the gaming industry. A report by GamesIndustry.biz said that the studio picked up programmers from BioWare, Motive Studios, Guerrilla Games, Ninja Theory, and Rocksteady Studios.

BioWare, Guerrilla Games, Ninja Theory, and Rocksteady Studios have worked on incredible experiences like Mass Effect, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and Horizon Zero Dawn. This hiring spree comes right after Playground Games recruited developers who worked on Grand Theft Auto V, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and Metal Gear Solid.

Playground Games Studio Director Gavin Raeburn said the following when asked about the recruiting.

Hopefully the team's new role-playing game will be a critically-acclaimed title when it launches. We'll keep you posted as soon as we know more. With Gamescom 2018 coming up in August, we might receive more information sooner than expected.

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While we don't know much about this upcoming RPG, we do know that the studio is ramping up production by hiring more people. According to a recent report by PCGamesN, Playground Games hired developers from Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), the Metal Gear Solid series, and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The studio has only worked on the excellent Forza Horizon franchise in the past so this is their first venture in another genre. However, they have experience crafting open world games due to the Forza Horizon series.

The latest addition to Playground Games is Sean Eyestone. Eyestone recently worked on Star Wars Battlefront II but he spent a decade at Kojima Productions where one of his projects was Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Other notable hires include Will Kennedy, who worked on GTA V, and Juan Fernandez di Simon, who was at Ninja Theory when they made Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

Aside from these prominent individuals, Playground Games is growing from 200 developers to over 400 developers. This is in response to their new RPG. It's unclear when we'll hear more about it but the game is supposed to be a multiplatform project so expect it on a lot systems aside from Xbox One. Hopefully we'll have a proper reveal at E3 2018.

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!