If you’ve been following the arcade racing game scene right now, you’d know that things aren’t great. Need For Speed is on hiatus, we haven’t seen a new Midnight Club in more than a decade, and it almost feels like the genre is starting to die out. However, among the darkness sits promise. Forza Horizon 6 is going to Japan, and we just got our best look at this new game yet.
I’ve mentioned previously that the original Forza Horizon holds a special place in my heart, but it’s something that bears repeating. It was a confluence of everything I was into in 2012, fast cars, electronic dance music, the festival vibe, and a certain air of optimism. While subsequent titles have been both critically acclaimed for their experiences and occasionally panned for getting rid of Rob Da Bank’s music curation and sticking with old models, it’s certainly become an era-defining series.
After years of fans wishing the game would take a big JDM swing, the team at Playground Games has gone for it. Later this year, Forza Horizon 6 will feature the largest world of any Horizon game, dynamic weather, customization, and of course, a whole lot of cars. A new gameplay teaser trailer just dropped, so let’s give it a look.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Right off the rip, we’re off to a strong start. That sure looks like Dan Burkett’s Formula Drift Mk4 Supra tandeming with Frederic Aasbo’s Papadakis Racing-built Rockstar Energy Formula Drift Mk5 Supra.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Mind you, Formula Drift isn’t indicative of the drift scene in Japan, so here are two cars that are: An S15 Nissan Silvia being chased by a JZX100 Toyota Chaser. The final evolution in the vaunted S-Chassis lineage and the four-door Ebisu missile, just carving up a mountain pass. Please refrain from not smoking.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Ah, the Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, a glorious moment of lunacy from one of the world’s maddest carmakers. Take one V10-powered supercar, raise the ride height, have a special set of 186-mph all-terrains crafted, and bolt on enough cladding to make getting muddy guilt-free.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Mind you, if you aren’t into the off-road supercar thing for some reason, you might want to check out this lineup of a Ferrari 488 Pista, an Aston Martin Valhalla, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and an Aston Martin Valkyrie going for a freeway blast
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Next up, it’s a parking lot that sure looks like the famous Daikoku Futo.Nissan GT-R Nismo? Check. Lamborghini Huracans? Check. S14 Nissan Silvia? Check. Oh, and if that isn’t JDM enough for you, the next shot might tickle your fancy.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Yep, that’s an EK9 Honda Civic Type R in the foreground, chilling with a current Nissan Fairlady Z Nismo and an incredibly cool WC34 Nissan Stagea. Sure, that last one might look like a Japanese Volvo V70, but we’re talking about a ’90s wagon with oily bits from the Laurel and the Skyline. RB-series straight-sixes, Skyline front suspension, it’s kind of the ultimate JDM family car.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Keep in mind, we’re only ten seconds into the trailer here, and there’s a whole lot more to look at. Stuff like this original Honda Civic dashing through a forest. Sure, it might not be the fastest way to see Japan, but it looks like a delightful way to tour the virtual landscape. Plus, with Forza Horizon 6’s teased modifications, there might be some real potential for speed here. More on that later.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
How about pretty much the complete opposite of an OG Civic, the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series? A flat-plane-crank four-liter biturbo V8 pumping out 720 horsepower, wild aerodynamic elements, and a Nürburgring lap time of 6:48.047. For those keeping track at home, that’s still quicker than a Corvette ZR1X. Talk about a high-water mark.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
GR86, Kenmeri Nissan Skyline GT-R, and an E30 BMW M3. A weird mix? Perhaps, but on paper, they should be surprisingly well-matched. What’s that dark-hued car ahead of the M3? Great question. I’m fairly sure it’s a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, but the specific generation and variant is a little hard to make out.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Next up, the trailer cuts to a shot showing a Nissan S13 hatch, either a 180SX or a 240SX. What’s right next to it? A Honda Acty, of course. A pillar of the Japanese roadscape, the Acty is a kei truck that gets the job done. With the global popularity of imported kei trucks, I predict the community will have a ton of fun with this one.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Have you ever stopped to think that electric cars in video games use real electricity? Talk about a shower thought. Anyway, here’s a Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, a car I’m stoked to see in an open-world game. After spending a week in a real one, I came away absolutely astonished. It’s proof that when an automaker focuses on fun from the start, great things can happen regardless of propulsion.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Heck yeah, a Honda Beat! Honda’s little mid-engined kei-class sports car from the ’90s with a high-revving, naturally-aspirated, individual throttle bodied engine. It’s not the first time the Beat has appeared in the world of Forza, but its return is welcome. Also, “Horizon’s largest city ever?” Color me intrigued.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
That’s not a Honda Prelude that’s taken a hero dose of Viagra, that’s Toyota’s GR GT, also the cover car of the game. Really, is there any other option? The GR GT is the best pick out there right now, a brand new machine from Japan on the cutting edge of speed.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
However, there’s still something endearing about ’80s and ’90s machines. Honda City, Autozam AZ-1, go! While only one of these is a kei car, they’re both incredibly adorable. Also, hat-tip to whoever at Playground Games went with a narrow-body City rather than the bulldog-stance Turbo II.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Speaking of Hondas, here’s a current FL5 Honda Civic Type R and a Honda e. Admittedly, the Honda e is a strange addition considering it’s a small EV with a maximum of 152 horsepower, but it’s just a cool little thing, yeah?
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Or how about a cool big Honda, an NSX Type-R? You know the mythos by now: Aluminum, Ayrton Senna, taking the fight to Ferrari, the whole shebang. The Type-R improves on one of the most iconic cars of the ’90s with serious weight reduction, retuned suspension, and a shortened final drive, among other tweaks.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Speaking of tweaks, the trailer for “Forza Horizon 6” also showed off a Miata with an enormous V10, turbos where its headlights should be, and rear overfenders to accommodate wider meats. There’s going to be some crazy tuning options in this game, giving us a little bit of the sauce we lost when “Need For Speed” went on hiatus.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
How about a Porsche 911 with massive overfenders? Yeah, RWB is one of the more successful tuning exports from Japan in recent memory, and whether this kit is co-branded or just inspired by the work of Nakai-san, including it is a no-brainer.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Oh hey, it’s a kitted-out S2000. The trailer only reveals a close-up of this car, but I’m sure we’ll see more once the game releases.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Anyway, it’s hammer time. AMG Hammer time, to be precise. There just aren’t enough video games featuring these incredibly cool ’80s tuner cars, so shoutout to “Forza Horizon 6” for making this happen.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Speaking of rarities, how about the Sierra Sierra Enterprises Lancer Evolution VIII time attack car? One of the most iconic time attack cars of all time, yet because high-level time attack is mostly an extreme sport for the terminally unhinged, it’s very if-you-know-you-know.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Not quite as rare, the Ferrari FXX-K Evo. Yeah, it’s a LaFerrari track car for the well-heeled and adrenaline-seeking. Ferrari has always had a great showing in the Forza franchise, so this car’s inclusion just makes sense. Plus, it has a proper rival.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
This is the Lamborghini Essenza SCV12, an 830-horsepower codpiece of epic proportions. Only 40 were made, it’s nowhere near street-legal, yet something in my head says that XTrac sequential in this is probably more pleasant than the automated single-clutch transmission in the Aventador, yeah?
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Here’s a big one: An Acura NSX Type-S, Porsche 911 GT1 Strassenversion, Ariel Atom V8, Mk4 Supra, Lexus LFA, the aforementioned Essenza, an AZ-1, an HSV Gen-F GTS, a Pagani Huayra R, a Huracan, a Koenigsegg Jesko, and what appears to be a Holden Torana A9X all lining up for the mother of all drag races. I wonder what’s under the engine cover of that AZ-1?
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
You know what? Heck yeah, more Evos. The sight of a Lancer Evolution VIII and a Lancer Evolution III leaping through a wood is freaking sweet. Man, Mitsubishi used to build some cool stuff.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
In case a spot of rallying isn’t far enough off the tarmac, the latest trailer for “Forza Horizon 6” also shows off a variety of side-by-sides and buggies. I spy modified and stock Polaris RZRs, plus a Can-Am Maverick, but then again, I sort of look at side-by-sides how a racing driver looks at a car—it’s a tool to do a thing with.
Screenshot: Forza Horizon 6
Oh, and because “Forza Horizon 6” is set in Japan, you just know that they had to do the thing. The car from the anime. I’m talking about the AE86, the Toyota Corolla Sprinter Trueno.
Yeah, Forza Horizon 6 looks sweet. Am I still a bit sad that the “Motorsport” side of “Forza” is on pause? Yes and no. Assetto Corsa and now Le Mans Ultimate with its latest upgrades are top-tier sims, and on a console with somewhat limited wheel support, it’s probably best to focus on what the hardware really needs: An open-world racer you can fire up and blow off some steam in. The sort of arcadey racing games we fell in love with as children. “Forza Horizon 6” arrives on May 19, and man, I’m excited. More excited than I’ve been for a console racing game in a long time. Please be good.
Top graphic image: Forza Horizon 6