Japan Comes to Sony’s Consoles: Forza Horizon 6 Hits PS5 in January 2027 Alongside First DLC

Microsoft and Playground Games have officially locked in the release date for racing hit Forza Horizon 6 on a rival platform. The PlayStation 5 version goes on sale January 26, 2027, both digitally and on disc. Owners of the Premium Edition get the traditional five-day early access and can hit the virtual tracks as early as January 21, according to Gematsu.

The biggest surprise of the announcement is that the game launches alongside its first major story expansion. PS5 players get the project with all patches, optimizations and current content accumulated over months of post-release support. The developers promised to reveal details about the first DLC closer to winter.

A Small Delay and a Shift in Multiplatform Policy

The developers initially assured fans they would bring the arcade racer to Sony’s platform before the end of 2026. In the end, the studio needed a bit more time to polish the port, which pushed the date back by a couple of months.

On Microsoft’s home platforms — PC and Xbox Series X|S — the sixth installment launched on May 19, 2026, as previously announced on the franchise’s official website. That means the Xbox ecosystem’s exclusive window lasted just eight months. It’s a clear illustration of the American corporation’s new strategy: after the phenomenal financial success of the Forza Horizon 5 port, the company has finally abandoned years of keeping its flagship series isolated, turning them into multiplatform bestsellers.

Forza Horizon 6 races to PS5 on January 26, 2027 🛞 Take in the sights of Japan and prepare for the all-new expansion dropping day one: https://t.co/9P2QErUr1J https://t.co/GbzdpSGJ9c

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 8, 2026

The Horizon Festival Set in Japan

The sixth installment is set in long-awaited Japan — a setting players had been asking the studio for for more than a decade. The map spans the neon streets of densely built nighttime Tokyo, picturesque rural prefectures, narrow mountain switchbacks for touge-style racing and high-speed country highways.

At launch, the project offers:

• a car roster of more than 550 licensed vehicles from the world’s leading brands;
• an advanced tuning system with a focus on Japanese drift culture;
• the Estate mechanic — your own countryside property with garages that you can build up and customize;
• an updated EventLab custom track editor with the CoLab online co-building feature.

Forza Horizon 6 launches in full on PlayStation 5 on January 26, 2027. Preorders open in the PlayStation Store in the coming weeks.