Xbox Game Studios
Hardware, storefront and ecosystem news for Xbox Game Studios.
Next Week on Xbox: New Games for May 18 to 22Xbox has announced a slate of new games arriving on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Game Pass between May 18 and May 22. Titles include Forza Horizon 6, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, Riven, and many more across various genres.
Forza Horizon 6 overtakes Pokémon as the top-rated game of 2026 so farForza Horizon 6 has surpassed Pokémon Pokopia and Resident Evil Requiem to become the top-rated game of 2026 on Metacritic, achieving an average score of 92. While Pokémon Pokopia has more reviews, Forza Horizon 6's higher score has placed it in first place. The game is launching this week on Xbox and PC, with a PlayStation 5 version planned for later in the year.- Forza Horizon 6’s First Festival Playlist Rewards Revealed, Begins May 21The first Festival Playlist rewards for Forza Horizon 6 have been revealed, with the event set to begin on May 21. The content includes the 2008 Mazda Furai as one of the rewards.
Forza Horizon 6 immediately beats its predecessor's all-time Steam record with 130,000 concurrent players – and that's only counting people willing to pay $120 for early accessForza Horizon 6 has set a new Steam record with over 130,000 concurrent players, surpassing its predecessor's peak. This impressive number was achieved by players who purchased the Premium Edition for early access, ahead of the official May 19th release. The game's setting in Japan is also noted as a significant factor in its early success.
Forza Horizon 6 explodes on Steam even before it's officially outForza Horizon 6 has achieved record-breaking player numbers on Steam even before its official launch on May 19, surpassing previous titles in the series. The Premium Edition's early access has drawn significant engagement, with peak concurrent players already exceeding those of Forza Horizon 5 and 4. Similar enthusiasm is expected on other platforms like Xbox and PlayStation 5.
Forza Horizon 6 is lightweight enough to perform on just about any PC - though its new ray tracing modes slam on the brakesForza Horizon 6 offers robust PC performance across a wide range of hardware, running smoothly on budget builds and handheld PCs. However, the implementation of ray tracing significantly impacts framerates, and upscaling technologies like DLSS and FSR provide less benefit than expected, sometimes introducing visual artifacts. Despite these issues, the game is praised for its accessibility and visual quality even on lower settings.
Forza Horizon 6 Launches On Xbox And PC – And Japan Has Never Looked BetterForza Horizon 6 has launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC, developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game features a vast recreation of Japan, including Tokyo, with over 550 cars and enhanced customization options. The Horizon Festival returns with new multiplayer and co-op features, and the game is available on Xbox Game Pass.
Games Inbox: Is Forza Horizon the best arcade racer franchise?Readers discuss the Forza Horizon series, questioning its standing as the best arcade racer due to a lack of competition. Other topics include Warner Bros.' handling of The Lord of the Rings games, the sound design of Doom, and the embargo timing for game reviews.- All Forza Horizon 6 Barn Finds car locations and how to find themThis guide details the locations of all 15 Barn Find cars in Forza Horizon 6, set in Japan. Players must discover the barns and fulfill specific unlock requirements for each vehicle. The article lists each car, its region, and the condition needed to obtain it, along with a visual map of barn locations.
- Forza Horizon 6 Review 🗾Forza Horizon 6 offers a vast open world set in Japan, featuring diverse landscapes and dynamic weather. The game introduces new race types like touge battles and food delivery missions, alongside over 500 customizable cars. While the environments can sometimes feel repetitive, the core racing mechanics and exploration opportunities provide a compelling experience.
Forza Horizon 6's Metacritic score sends it speeding past Pokemon Pokopia and Resident Evil Requiem to become…Forza Horizon 6 has achieved a Metacritic score of 92, making it the highest-rated game of 2026 so far and surpassing titles like Pokemon Pokopia and Resident Evil Requiem. The open-world driving game from Playground Games maintains the series' high standard, tying with Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 4.
10 Forza Horizon 6 tips and tricks we wish we knew before startingThis guide provides 10 essential tips and tricks for new players of Forza Horizon 6 to help them succeed in the Horizon Festival. It covers racing basics like cornering and throttle control, progression strategies such as prioritizing house purchases and utilizing the collection journal, and exploration techniques including map de-fogging and efficient fast travel.
How to find all Forza Horizon 6 Treasure CarsThis guide details the locations of all nine Treasure Cars hidden throughout the Japan map in Forza Horizon 6. Players can find these vehicles by driving near specific photo clues, with each car corresponding to a different region on the map. Unlike Barn Finds, these cars can be collected immediately and added to the player's collection without needing repairs.
Forza Horizon 6 Review - Sakura speedForza Horizon 6 offers a vast and content-rich open-world racing experience set in Japan, featuring stunning environments and a deep dive into Japanese car culture. The game blends familiar Horizon Festival events with new "Discover Japan" stories that explore the country's culture, making it an ambitious and memorable entry in the series.
Even if you have an RTX 5090, I don't recommend using ray tracing in Forza Horizon 6. Not because of the…Despite having high-end hardware like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, using ray tracing in Forza Horizon 6 is not recommended due to a significant performance hit with minimal visual improvement. The article analyzes the impact of ray-traced reflections and global illumination, concluding that the performance cost outweighs the benefits for most players.
Forza Horizon 6 review - The driving game for everyone still can’t seem to escape its car-collecting legacyForza Horizon 6 offers a familiar experience focused on car collecting and driving through stunning locations, with new progression systems like the Wristband and Discover Japan tracks. While it excels at fulfilling the fantasy of driving exotic cars in real-world inspired settings, the game doesn't significantly innovate on its core gameplay loop, and some players may find the AI unpredictability and difficulty scaling frustrating. The review highlights the game's impressive visuals, particularly with ray tracing enabled on PC, and its wealth of accessibility options.
Best Forza Horizon 6 assists for controllerThis guide provides recommended controller assist settings for Forza Horizon 6 to enhance gameplay feel and racing technique. It details how to access the Difficulty menu and suggests specific settings for Drivatar Difficulty, Braking, Steering, Traction Control, Stability Control, and Shifting to optimize control and credit bonuses. The article also advises on graphics settings for improved frame rates.
Forza Horizon 6 review - arcade racing in the homeland of driftingForza Horizon 6 brings the popular arcade racer to Japan, offering a visually stunning open world with diverse environments from snowy mountains to recreated Tokyo. While it refines the established formula with new events and a vast car roster, it introduces few significant new ideas, making it more of an evolution than a reinvention.
Forza Horizon 6 review -14 years later, Playground Games finally comes good on the series' original promiseForza Horizon 6 refines the series' formula with a stunning Japanese setting and a wealth of activities, building upon 14 years of development by Playground Games. The game successfully balances structured progression with player freedom, offering a clean and engrossing open-world racing experience that finally delivers on the original game's promise. While not reinventing the wheel, it masterfully reworks previous entries, making it the most polished and engaging installment yet.
Forza Horizon 6 PC performance analysis: Heavy on your CPU, with uninspiring ray tracing, but at least it all runs very…Forza Horizon 6 offers solid performance on PC, largely meeting Microsoft's recommended specifications, though it is CPU-intensive. The ray tracing implementation is present but uninspiring, with a significant performance hit. The game also shows some occasional rendering issues on handheld devices like the Asus ROG Ally, potentially due to driver limitations.