Following years of fan requests, Xbox has finally confirmed its flagship racing game is speeding into Tokyo. During the 2025 Tokyo Game Show stream, Xbox announced that Forza Horizon 6 will launch in 2026 on Xbox and PC, bringing the series to Japan. What’s interesting, though, is that apparently a chunk of its design is owed to something far more playful: Hot Wheels. Playground Games revealed that the upcoming Tokyo elevated highways and overpasses wouldn’t feel the same without lessons learned from Forza Horizon 5‘s Hot Wheels DLC.
“The beauty of Horizon games is that each one gives us learnings and ways to make the next even bigger and better,” said Art Director Don Arceta via Xbox Wire. “As well as taking player feedback into account, we’ve also been able to lean into more practical things – for instance, the Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels DLC has helped us develop the elevated roads of Tokyo City in FH6.”
That DLC’s insane loops, twisting tracks, and sky-high vertical layouts became a test bed to figure out how to make elevated racing both fun and believable.
Nevertheless, don’t expect crazy loop-de-loops and neck-twisting turns. Arceta explained that the team took the Hot Wheels playground and applied authentic, real-world logic and visuals to Tokyo’s infrastructure.
“Japan has such a unique culture – from cars, to music, to fashion – that make it perfect for the next Horizon setting,” said Arceta. “As with any Horizon title, we want to make sure we do the country justice in terms of authentic representation and Horizon open world playability – and now is the right time to realize that fully for players.”
Cultural consultant Kyoko Yamashita noted that these roads don’t just look cool; they also reflect Japan‘s unique mix of tradition and modernity.
“I love the coexistence of Japan: a neighborhood shrine beside a small workshop beside a neon arcade,” she said. “There is so much scope and inspiration to be explored with Japan.”
The Tokyo Game Show 2025 Forza Horizon 6 teaser showcased the iconic Mount Fuji and its surroundings. But in terms of what sort of location the game will feature, Arceta can’t reveal much right now. Still, Playground Games wants gamers to feel the ‘true breadth of beauty’ of Japan’s natural and urban environments. From the kei cars and vans culture to the subtle change of seasonal atmosphere, like the rings of summer wind chimes.
“Throughout the process of building the game, we have treated authenticity as a practice, not a checkbox,” added Yamashita. Players can expect more reveals of neon-lit skyscrapers, serene countryside roads, and highways that rise and twist like rollercoasters in early 2026. Without the Hot Wheels DLC, Forza Horizon 6 sweeping elevated Japanese streets might never have existed.
