{"id":8258,"date":"2026-04-08T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/forza-horizon-6-is-every-japanese-driving-fantasy-rolled-into-one-hands-on-preview\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:00:00","slug":"forza-horizon-6-is-every-japanese-driving-fantasy-rolled-into-one-hands-on-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imdbnews.ir\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/forza-horizon-6-is-every-japanese-driving-fantasy-rolled-into-one-hands-on-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Forza Horizon 6 Is Every Japanese Driving Fantasy Rolled into One: Hands-On Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There is something magical about being unleashed upon a Forza Horizon map for the first time. I\u2019m restricted from showing you the first few minutes of my hands-on with Forza Horizon 6 in the video above, and I think that\u2019s more than fair enough. I\u2019m hesitant to even describe it, since the carefully curated opening drive of a Horizon game is really something best experienced for yourself, without any spoilers. <\/p>\n

I can, however, safely cover anything and everything I did after I\u2019d passed the prologue \u2013 and I\u2019ve been doing plenty<\/em>. Alongside establishing that the preview build was locked to the 30 FPS \u201cQuality\u201d mode \u2013 and that the 60 FPS \u201cPerformance\u201d mode will be available in the full game at launch \u2013 the preview documentation Playground supplied to us explained this preview was good for around an hour of linear play. It would, however, subsequently support as much free roaming as we saw fit. On my first day, I played through that hour, and then another, and then another, until it was suddenly well after midnight. The following morning I dived straight back in and played all day again. <\/p>\n

If the preview didn\u2019t have a cutoff time, I can guarantee you I\u2019d still be playing it now.\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

If the preview didn\u2019t have a cutoff time, I can guarantee you I\u2019d still be playing it now. Not bad for build with just a tiny sliver of the 550 cars coming on day one, and barely a handful of actual racing events.<\/p>\n

Our Forza Horizon 6 preview contained three race events (a cross country, a road race, and trail race), as well as a smattering of familiar Horizon PR stunts (several of which were drift zones set on what are easily already amongst the best ribbons of switchback-filled roads in the whole series). The races were in service of earning the right to qualify for the Horizon Invitational, which will be our pathway into the Horizon Festival proper in the final game (although the Invitational itself was not part of this preview build). As previously discussed, Forza Horizon 6 is returning to the tiered wristband structure of the original Forza Horizon. <\/p>\n

I like the presence of race marshalls and other festival infrastructure at the staging area for races. There\u2019s a level of credibility this sort of thing injects into the atmosphere, which helps the festival itself feel like it\u2019s a big operation run by actual people \u2013 and that there\u2019s more to it than just icons, menus, and loading screens.<\/p>\n

I will say the initial trio of cars has left me a little curious. That said, I\u2019m not completely sure whether or not the selection itself is reflective of exactly what we\u2019ll see again in the full version of the game next month, or whether this was some kind of compromise for now that\u2019s bespoke to this preview build only. I honestly don\u2019t mind that they come carrying modifications already, before you even slip behind the wheel. That is, it\u2019s probably more <\/em>authentic that the first Silvia or Celica you\u2019d slide into after landing in Japan would have had some work done from a previous owner. Actual unadulterated, bone-stock survivor cars are arguably far rarer prospects in this context. What has tripped me up, however, is the slightly odd spotlight on the distinctly American GMC Jimmy. As a car dork, that’s a bit too random for me \u2013 especially when Japan is already home to some of the most iconic off-roaders ever made. There were <\/em>differences in the cars featured in the footage from Playground you saw during our March IGN First \u2013 compared to some of the cars I saw in these situations while visiting the actual studio itself in February \u2013 so it is perhaps possible it\u2019s still a placeholder at this point. For now, it is just a little weird that this isn\u2019t, say, a Nissan Safari, or a Toyota FJ40.<\/p>\n

For someone who\u2019s spent hundreds of hours in each Forza Horizon dating back to the series 2012 debut, the events themselves felt quite typical of Forza Horizon\u2019s robust and reliable brand of racing. The racing is good, which is what I expected, although I\u2019ll concede I didn\u2019t feel compelled to replay them during my limited time with this build. What truly hooked me was cruising the world. <\/p>\n

I just can\u2019t get enough of it.<\/p>\n

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Luke Reilly’s 10 Favourite Open-World Racing Games<\/h3>\n

If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. I’ll limit this list to being no more than one-third Forza Horizon games. For now.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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