Forza Horizon 6 hits over 170,000 concurrent Steam players after the $120 early access launch, and is still riding high

Modified white Honda car with custom wheels parked among colorful cars in a lot beneath an overpass, conveying a lively, urban auto-show vibe. — Get ready to race to 1st place in Forza Horizon 6. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Forza Horizon 6, the latest entry in Microsoft's Forza Horizon racing series, has launched today on Xbox and PC, a few days ahead of its May 19, 2026, launch via Early Access for players who purchased the Premium Edition or Premium Upgrade.

In just half a day after it rolled out on early access, the game is already striking a chord with the gaming industry as critics lavish it with praise, and fans are flocking to it in droves on Steam.

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SteamDB interface showing player statistics for a game. Current players: 171,322. Graph indicates a steady increase. Twitch stats listed below. Dark theme. — Forza Horizon 6's rapidly rising concurrent player base on Steam.(Image credit: Steam)

That number is more than double Forza Horizon 5's peak concurrent player count of 81,096, 4 years ago. If this is just Forza Horizon 6's Steam players, we can only imagine how many players are currently playing it on Xbox and Windows via the Microsoft Store.

And that's without even beginning to imagine how many players it will gain once Forza Horizon 6 fully releases to the general public on May 19, 2026. Either way, the game is highly likely to be one of 2026's biggest hits based on these early numbers.

Forza Horizon 6 – Official Launch Trailer - YouTube

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I know my colleague, Michael Hoglund, is convinced that it's going to be a 2026 game of the year contender, as he gave Forza Horizon 6 a near-perfect score of 4.5/5 stars.

He proclaimed that "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."

So, if you want to get in the latest entry of Forza Horizon and see why it's getting so much early praise, Forza Horizon 6 is available to pre-order for Xbox Series X|S and PC via Windows and Steam.

Plus, ordering the Premium Upgrade or Premium Edition will net you 3 days of early access ahead of the game's full launch on Xbox Series, PC, and Xbox Game Pass.

🗨️Over to you

Are you looking forward to playing Forza Horizon 6 when it launches on May 19, 2026, or are you already playing it now via early access?

If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let me know in the comments, on Reddit, or in the poll below.

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Alexander Cope is a gaming veteran with over 35 years of experience who primarily covers Xbox and PC gaming news and spotlights discounts on the best laptops, peripherals, and other electronics. He's also a diehard fan of JRPGs, action games, beat em’ ups, and Capcom’s Monster Hunter series