Can ‘Forza Horizon 6’ Become The Start Of Xbox’s Comeback?

Recently, Xbox gave fans and the press a look at Playground Games’ upcoming Forza Horizon 6. Taking the Horizon Festival to Japan this time, the first looks at this game have been absolutely stunning. Already, their version of Tokyo City is being described as five times larger than any city area that’s appeared in any previous Forza Horizon game, so fans can expect a massive experience that’s unlike any other.

However, there’s never been more uncertainty around Xbox than right now. With Xbox leadership changing just a few months ago and Xbox console sales tracking well behind the Xbox One, it’s hard not to feel like the company is in a tight spot at the moment. Especially with rumors that new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma is considering lowering the prices of Xbox Game Pass, just six months after Xbox raised them, as they assured gamers they were “delivering better value”.

One thing is certain: any comeback is going to require their first-party studios to knock it out of the park. Xbox’s 2024 was filled with game releases that were good but not excellent, like Avowed, The Outer Worlds 2, South of Midnight, and Grounded 2. Unsurprisingly, they were rewarded with the sales and reception that good — but not excellent — games receive, with most of them vanishing from the spotlight barely a week or so after they released.

Yet the gaming industry has always been mercurial, and things can certainly change, starting with the release of Forza Horizon 6. Jokes of Xbox being “Forza Gears Halo” aside, Forza Horizon is one of Xbox’s biggest franchises, both as one of their strongest sales performers and one known to receive strong critical attention. The previous installment, Forza Horizon 5, was a Game of the Year contender in 2021, with a 92 on OpenCritic and Metacritic.

Similarly, Xbox’s 2026 seems to be packed with other major releases, like Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, and Halo: Campaign Evolved. Each one of these titles represents a massive part of Xbox’s history, which is perfect timing for the Xbox 25 branding that celebrates 25 years of Xbox history this year. There’s more fan hype behind each of these games than there was for all of Xbox’s 2024 releases combined, meaning now it all comes down to whether or not they can deliver.

Certainly, Forza Horizon 6 looks the part. Playground has done a ton of incredible work bringing Japan to life across a wide range of biomes, and doing everything they can to offer robust single- and multi-player content. It’s easy to imagine getting lost in exploring it’s massive map, customizing cars, or turning “The Estate” from a simple mountain getaway into a massive custom race track.  Forza Horizon 6 is going to be the biggest game of the year so far when it launches on May 19th, but time will tell if it heralds the beginning of something new for Xbox.