It may have leaked early, but Forza Horizon 6's first trailer confirms Japan setting and a 2026 release

• Forza Horizon 6 has been officially announced, despite being revealed ahead of time by Microsoft
• The next entry will be set in Japan
• It's arriving in 2026

Playground Games has officially announced that the next entry in its Forza Horizon series will be set in Japan, and it's launching in 2026 for Xbox and PC.

Forza Horizon 6 was unveiled during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show 2025 today with a short cinematic teaser trailer showing the license plates and locations from previous installments before finally revealing Japan as the setting for the next game.

Unfortunately, the video only lasted one minute, so there's not much we can gather from the announcement. However, Mount Fuji does make an appearance, suggesting the landmark will be a backdrop for one of the game's race tracks.

Microsoft accidentally announced Forza Horizon 6 in an Instagram post on the official Forza Horizon account ahead of the event, with the caption "The Horizon Festival is heading to Japan. Coming 2026", so the announcement wasn't a total surprise for some.

In a new Xbox Wire post, art director Don Arceta and cultural consultant Kyoko Yamashita discussed the new Japanese setting and how it will be reflected in-game.

"For a long time, Japan has been top of Horizon fans’ wish lists, so we’re excited to finally be bringing this much-requested location to players in Forza Horizon 6," said Arceta.

"Japan has such a unique culture – from cars, to music, to fashion – that make it perfect for the next Horizon setting. As with any Horizon title, we want to make sure we do the country justice in terms of authentic representation and Horizon open world playability – and now is the right time to realize that fully for players."

The developers couldn't dive into the finer details, but they did confirm that players will be headed to "both natural and urban environments" in Forza Horizon 6.

"From the neon lights and towering buildings of Tokyo City – one of our most detailed and layered environments to date – to the serenity and natural beauty of Japan’s rural and mountain areas, we think players will be blown away by the open world of Japan that we have built," Arceta explained.

"And while we are not necessarily trying to recreate Japan and its environments like for like, our goal has always been to capture the country’s unique cultural essence and present it back in the most Horizon way possible."

For more, be sure to check out our Tokyo Game Show 2025 blog for live updates and the newest game announcements.

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