Forza Horizon 6 Launch: 6 Million Players and Steam Records

Forza Horizon 6 kicked off with numbers that confirm it as one of the biggest game launches of 2026. The new arcade racer from Playground Games came out on May 19, with early access starting on May 15. In its first week alone, it attracted more than 6 million players across all platforms, including Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox Game Pass, and Steam.

The game made an especially strong showing on Steam. After full release, it already had over 270,000 concurrent players, then broke its own record, reaching a peak of 284,139 people. Since that was recorded on a weekday morning, it is possible the racing game could surpass the 300,000 concurrent player mark this weekend.

Playground Games acknowledged the success on social media, thanking players for the trip to Horizon Japan. The Japanese setting itself became one of the main reasons for the hype around the new installment: players explore cities, mountain roads, neon streets, and scenic locations, which quickly turned the release into a notable event in the gaming landscape.

According to Xbox head Ash Sharma, Forza Horizon 6 had the biggest early access launch in series history. That is not surprising: before full release, the game was nearing 200,000 concurrent users on Steam, and after opening access to all buyers and Game Pass subscribers, the audience surged.

Critics have also reacted warmly. Forza Horizon 6 became one of the highest-rated games of 2026 with a score of 91 out of 100 on Metacritic, surpassing several other notable releases. Reviewers note that the new installment does not overhaul the series formula, but makes it even more polished, spectacular, and content-rich.

Forza Horizon 6 is available on Xbox and PC, and is included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Based on early figures, Microsoft's bet on a major subscription release is working again: the game is selling, drawing a huge audience on Steam, and strengthening the value of Game Pass.

Age rating 12+.