Forza Horizon 6 Map Location Speculation and Rumors, Explained

When it comes to exclusive games, Forza Horizon has long been Xbox’s crown jewel. However, since the release of Forza Horizon 5 in 2021, Playground Games, the developer of the Forza series, has been extremely quiet about when the next installment will be released. In fact, little to no information has been officially revealed regarding Forza Horizon 6. 

That said, while there’s no official news, fans have been connecting the dots about when Forza Horizon 6 will be released and where it will take place. And if the rumors are true, then FH 6 is really close. So, in this article, we’ll explain everything we know about Forza Horizon 6 so far. 

Forza Horizon 6 Map Location Speculation And Rumors

When Will Forza Horizon 6 Be Released?

Fans were hoping for an announcement of Forza Horizon 6 at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2024. However, the game wasn’t even hinted at, leaving all the Forza fans disappointed. That said, while Microsoft and Playground Games have not officially announced the release date of Forza Horizon 6, it might be closer than we think. 

To put things into perspective, here are all the previous Forza games with their respective release dates. 

• Forza Horizon – October 2012 (Announced May 2012)
• Forza Horizon 2 – September 2014 (Announced May 2014)
• Forza Horizon 3 – September 2016 (Announced June 2016)
• Forza Horizon 4 – September 2018 (Announced June 2018)
• Forza Horizon 5 – November 2021 (Announced June 2021)

Looking at these dates, an obvious pattern emerges. All recent Forza games were announced in June at E3. Since that’s the case, then Forza 6 should follow suit. However, with E3 discontinued, we believe the announcement for Forza Horizon 6 will be made at the Summer Game Fest, which will be held on June 6. 

This claim is backed by the fact that Playground Games has been wrapping up the content cycle of Forza Horizon 5. First, the ultimate car pack was released, which features all the DLC packs released for Forza 5 in one collection. Additionally, recent content for Forza 5 has been slowing down, hinting that the developers are focusing on something else. 

All things considered, it makes sense that Forza Horizon 6 could (and should) be announced in the coming months. If that’s the case, it could potentially be released by the end of 2025, if not altered by the release of Grand Theft Auto VI. 

Where Will Forza Horizon 6 Take Place?

Location has been one of the main topics of discussion when it comes to Forza Horizon 6. The popular Forza Festival has seen many countries and continents over the years. So, where will it head next? 

Again, no official information has been released by either Microsoft or Playground Games, but the Forza community has been speculating between 3 countries. 

Looking at the previous games, Forza always shifts a continent with a new installation.

• Forza Horizon – Colorado, USA (North America)
• Forza Horizon 2 – Southern France and Northern Italy (Europe)
• Forza Horizon 3 – Australia (Oceania)
• Forza Horizon 4 – England and Scotland (Europe)
• Forza Horizon 5 – Mexico (North America)

So, with Forza 6, we could either see the game shifting to a new continent, like Asia, or going back to its roots with either America or the EU. With that in mind, here are the 3 countries where Forza Horizon 6 could take place. 

China (Asia)

Since Asia hasn’t been represented in the Forza series, Forza 6 could potentially take place in China, taking the festival to Asia. The country of China features a beautiful landscape with plenty of variety, which fans have been craving for a long time. You could drive on the beautiful mountain roads, race on the highways, and savor the vast culture of the country. 

On top of that, China features the Great Wall, which could be pretty fun to race on. However, that’s just a dream that the fans have, with no guarantee of it being a reality. If Forza 6 does take place in China, it would probably be in Shanghai, since it has the biggest car culture within the country. Overall, China could be a breath of fresh air for Forza fans, as the map wouldn’t get monotone. From fresh colors to snow, China offers something for everyone and could be a great choice for Forza Horizon 6. 

Japan (Asia)

Japan has been the most requested country by the fans for years. They wanted Forza 4 to take place in Japan, then Forza 5, and now Forza 6. However, Playground Games has been hesitant to fulfill this wish, for reasons unknown. That said, recently, there were a ton of JDM cars added to Forza Horizon 5, which could be a hint towards Playground Games finally giving in to the fans. 

If that’s the case, then Forza 6 could be the series’ biggest game to date. Japan features one of the biggest cultures of racing enthusiasts. In fact, drifting was born in the land of the rising run. So, taking the Forza Festival to Japan could prove extremely successful for Playground Games as fans have been begging for it. There have been multiple rumors indicating that this will be the year when the wishes of fans are finally fulfilled. However, all of them should be taken with a grain of salt. 

Since Japan is in East Asia, it would also unlock a new continent for Forza and add more depth to the game. Additionally, this also makes sense since Japan has some of the biggest car manufacturers in the world including, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, etc. So, Japan ticks all the boxes. That said, we’ll just have to wait and see if we’re able to recreate those Initial D moments in Forza or not. 

Germany (Europe)

Germany is the last and the most probable country on the list. Most of the biggest luxury car manufacturers are from Germany, including, Porsche, BMW, and Lamborghini. Due to this, the car culture in the country is huge. So, taking the Forza Festival to Germany could be a no-brainer move from Playground Games. 

Plus, Germany has the Nurburgring, which could be amazing to race on with some of the fastest cars in the game. On top of that, there’s also the case of the Autobahn. However, since there are no speed limits in Forza, every highway is potentially the Autobahn. That said, the thought of pulling the top speed out of your Porsche on the infamous German highway does feel poetic. 

All in all, Germany is potentially the strongest contender between all three countries. But, it does come with a downside of the map becoming a bit monotone. While Germany has great roads, there’s a lack of color and variety of landscapes within the country. And Forza fans can be really particular about this. So, if Playground Games does take the Forza Festival to Germany, they’ll have to do a pretty good job of making the map fun. 

What Fans Want From Forza Horizon 6

Forza is undoubtedly one of the best racing games of this decade. However, there are still some things that Playground Games needs to get right with Forza 6. The first thing that you’ll hear any Forza fan complain about is the lack of a good progression system, which makes the game feel repetitive. So, this is something that Playground could fix with Forza Horizon 6. Adding a progression system that is both rewarding and engaging could bring life to the game. You could start the game with low-rated cars and race your way up to the premium vehicles. This way, instead of handing everything out to the players on a silver platter, Forza 6 could make you earn everything yourself. 

On top of that, fans have long been wanting a good story mode from Forza. Yes, driving around a beautiful map is always fun. But, we want something meaningful as well. Back in the day, racing games had fun storylines (wink at Need for Speed: Most Wanted). Forza 6 could take notes from its peers and add a story mode that keeps the players engaged. While Forza Horizon 5 is a great game, adding and tweaking some of its parts could make Forza Horizon 6 even better, rather than just copy-pasting the same old formula.

Will Forza Horizon 6 Be On PlayStation 5?

This would’ve been a bad question to ask back in 2021. However, with Forza Horizon 5 set to release on PlayStation 5 this spring, there’s a possibility that Sony fans could get their hands on Forza Horizon 6. While this wouldn’t be the case on launch (obviously), Forza 6 might get released on Playstation a few years after release. 

Since PlayStation users will finally get to play a Forza title for the first time, Xbox could make a great play with the release of Forza Horizon 6. The launch of Forza 5 in spring will introduce an entirely new fan base to the world of Forza Horizon. And if Xbox releases Forza 6 later this year, a lot of fans might switch consoles just to play the new edition of Forza. 

So, everything that Microsoft is doing with Forza is hinting towards a release by the end of this year. However, we’ll just have to wait and find out.