Forza Horizon 6 officially launches today for players with Early Access, and the first few reviews are already revealing that Playground Games may have delivered one of the highest-rated racing games in years.
The full launch for the standard edition is still scheduled for May 19, so you might have to wait a little bit to play it yourself, but critics have now published their verdicts, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.
Forza Horizon 6 Review Scores
The game is currently sitting at 92 for Metacritic and 91 for OpenCritic at the time of writing!
A lot of outlets even handed out perfect scores, including:
- IGN – 10/10
- Eurogamer – 10/10
- VGC – 10/10
- Giant Bomb – 10/10
- Radio Times – 10/10
And most of the current reviews still have pretty high scores:
- DualShockers – 9.5/10
- Game Informer – 9.3/10
- GamesRadar – 9/10
- GameSpot – 8/10
- Screen Rant – 8/10
Japan’s Setting Seems to Be the Biggest Highlight
When looking at the different reviews, one of the most praised aspects is the game’s recreation of Japan. Critics repeatedly mention the variety of roads, cool city environments, mountain routes, countryside areas, and the overall atmosphere of the map. A few outlets are already calling it the best open world the series has ever had, describing it as “the new standard in open-world racing.”
Meanwhile, others loved the game’s progression systems and exploration, calling it the franchise’s best system in years.
A lot of reviews also highlight how Playground Games managed to keep the accessible arcade-style gameplay intact, and at the same time expand the scale and amount of activities available.
Not Every Review Was Fully Positive
Even if the game received mostly positive reviews so far, not every critic was completely sold on all aspects of the game. Some reviewers felt that Forza Horizon 6 still plays things relatively safe mechanically, especially when it comes to progression systems and long-term innovation.
Some praised the visuals and atmosphere but criticized the game for only “scratching the surface” of Japanese car culture. Others argue that some of the progression improvements from Horizon 5 feel less impactful this time around.
Still, even the more critical reviews generally agree that the driving itself remains extremely polished and enjoyable.
If you purchased the Premium Edition, you can already jump into the game starting today, and the standard release arrives on May 19, but either way, you can soon test the game yourself! Do not forget that it is also available on the Xbox Game Pass, so if you have a subscription, you will be able to play it “for free” there.
Forza Horizon 6 is definitely going to be one of the biggest racing games of the year, so you should try it out if you can!
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