Forza Horizon 6

Xbox

While there is much debate about Xbox's first-party offerings, whether they are good enough, played enough or numerous enough, the caveat is always “well, except Forza.” Now, Forza Horizon 6 is on the verge of release on May 19, and the review embargo has just lifted. You may be able to guess what happened next.

Forza Horizon 6 reviews are not just good. In aggregate, the game is now the highest-scored of the year on Metacritic, the first to go above a 90 at all, landing, at present, at a 92 with 62 reviews in. That has now unseated the former tied #1s by three full points. Here’s the list for 2026 so far:

• Forza Horizon 6 – 92 metascore
• Pokemon Pokopia – 89 metascore
• Resident Evil Requiem – 89 metsacore
• Mewgenics – 88 metascore
• SAROS – 87 metascore
• Noah 8 – 86 metascore
• Pragmata – 85 metascore
• Mixtape – 85 metascore (don’t start)

Of course, scores don’t always mean sales (SAROS is underperforming, while Crimson Desert at a 77 is one of the biggest hits of the year), but this is Forza. Forza is going to do great. Right now, this release is just on PC and Xbox, but yes, it will continue the tradition of releasing big Xbox first-party games on PlayStation sometime later this year. Although I do wonder if new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma could pull it as part of a shift on exclusives, which she’s said she has been looking at.

How does Forza Horizon 6 stack up against the other games in that series?

• Forza Horizon 6 – 92 metascore
• Forza Horizon 5 – 92 metascore
• Forza Horizon 4 – 92 metascore
• Forza Horizon 3 – 91 metascore
• Forza Horizon 2 – 86 metascore
• Forza Horizon – 85 metascore

We call that “consistency,” especially since in the literal decade since Forza Horizon 3 in 2016. Forza Horizon 6 currently has 14 10/10 scores, almost a quarter of all the reviews in, including 10s from some major outlets:

IGN (10/10): “Technically, Forza Horizon 6 has not skipped a beat, and it runs like a titan. Aesthetically, it’s the best-looking and best-sounding game Playground has produced to date, set in the most wonderfully realised map it’s ever crafted – full of dense, authentic details and stunning driving roads.”

Eurogamer (10/10): “Playground Games does it again: equal parts adept teacher and artisanal tour guide, Forza Horizon 6 takes the lessons from 14 years of series history and applies them with panache.”

Despite consistently high scores, Forza games tend to be overlooked at many award shows, other than inevitably winning “Best Racing Game” whenever they’re released. We are almost halfway through the year here, and as the only game even over a 90, you would imagine at least a Game of the Year nomination would be forthcoming. But “niche” genres like racing and fighting games tend to play second fiddle to the usual kinds of winners. But no matter the accolades, Forza Horizon has done it again.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.