"The stuff that we're seeing is really well put together": Xbox game publishing chief says Forza Horizon 6 takes him back to the golden years of racing games

Microsoft and Xbox have several high-profile games releasing in 2026, ranging from shooters such as Halo: Campaign Evolved and Gears of War: E-Day to the long-awaited fantasy RPG reboot Fable. The title that could be the most successful of them all, though, is Forza Horizon 6 — Playground Games' next big open-world arcade racer that's coming to Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Forza Horizon 5 ended up being a huge hit on Xbox and PC, and became a best-seller on PS5 when it came to the platform last spring as well. Set in Japan with cutting-edge visuals and plenty of new features, the sixth installment could be an even bigger success when it releases next month on May 19 — and ahead of its launch, Xbox chief content officer Matt Booty has lauded what he's seen of the title on the Official Xbox Podcast.

"We've got Forza, yeah, which is just looking amazing. I had a moment, we got to see a cut of the trailer, some stuff that will come out later, but it just took me back to — there's a time when I grew up making games myself, [and] racing games really were a pretty dominant genre in the industry," he began. "There were new racing games that would come out, and you'd be so excited, and just what the team has done and the combination of the music that they've brought in and the location and the setting, I had that same sense of excitement of going to play other racing games for the first time ... They've done such a good job with that series."

"The reality is, we're in a hit driven business, right? Games, like movies, like music, a lot of things, [are] very hit driven, so for Playground working in conjunction with [Turn 10 Studios] to have delivered that series [as well as it has], and now with FH6, it's not just a next — or like a sideways — move," Booty continued. "It really feels like a whole new, fresh game. I don't know, I'm very excited. The stuff that we're seeing is really well put together. It's pretty cool."

Host Tina Amini then went on to spotlight some positive quotes from previews in which outlets and creators praised Forza Horizon 6's visuals, the feel of its gameplay, and its various simulation systems working under the hood to deliver a satisfying experience; my colleague and Windows Central managing editor Richard Devine was able to go hands-on with it himself, and called it "a spectacle the likes of which we've never seen."

Matt Booty Talks Showcase, Games, Studios, and More | Official Xbox Podcast - YouTube

Watch On

"Yeah, and along those lines, we always think about any Forza game as a technical showcase, right? Cars are so great to show that off with the reflections and the materials, the paint and the metal and the rubber and glass and everything," said Booty, reflecting on all the positive feedback.

"It's really cool, but one of the bigger innovations that we're going to see in Forza Horizon 6 is also just the jump in and play social aspects, right? Which is such a part of gaming today," he added. "The team has really, really put in the time and the hours and the features to make it a game that not only looks great, but is going to really, I think, lend itself to a lot of social play and a lot of easy jump-in play."

Indeed, Playground Games detailed several of these social features and enhancements earlier this year during the Xbox Developer Direct, along with many others. Booty praised these and the "amazing and sophisticated operation" that's allowed the studio to ultimately put Forza Horizon 6 together, while also appreciating its status as a "digital tourism" game.

"But yeah, there are times where you just want to drive around and look at things. ... I think that there's room for all of that," he commented. "With a game like [Forza Horizon 6], there's just so many of these deep verticals in terms of car handling and graphics and physics and terrain and the features. When you visit [Playground], it's an amazing and sophisticated operation."

Without a doubt, Forza Horizon 6 is shaping up to be one of 2026's most exciting new games, especially with everything we've heard about it thus far from critics and creators being unanimously positive. The game drops on Xbox and PC on May 19 and will be $69.99, though access is also available with Xbox Game Pass.

Are you looking forward to Forza Horizon 6, or does it not interest you very much? I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the game, so share them in the comments and vote in our poll!

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