While Microsoft had originally planned to release open-world racing game Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 later this year, it looks like plans may have changed. A social media post by The Verge’s Tom Warren over the weekend indicates that the title has been pushed out of the 2026 release window. In its own report, IGN said that it “understands this to be accurate”, while also noting that Microsoft hasn’t yet made any official statement regarding the matter.
It is worth noting that Playground Games and Microsoft last spoke about the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 6 back in January. Since then, however, no details have been released aside from a supposed 2026 release window. Reports at the time indicated that the PS5 version of the racing game simply wasn’t ready, unlike upcoming RPG Fable, which will come to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on the same date.
“It just wasn’t ready. I don’t know how true that is, because I mean, it’s going to be absolutely massive, but that game would be absolutely massive if it’s launching on everything day one, right? You’d kind of think that’s a bit of a hindrance for them,” said VGC’s Andy Robinson. “I mean, even Xbox stalwarts are starting to drift away from playing on the console now. It’ll have a humongous PC launch, but PS5, I mean, look at Indiana Jones: The Great Circle. It did so well when it came out on PS5 afterwards.”
While Microsoft may have been planning to release Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 by the end of the year, it is also quite likely that the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 may have had a hand in changing plans. Rockstar announced its current November 19th release date in November 2025, and while there may have been some doubts in the industry about yet another potential delay for the game, the more recent Extended Look has more or less set the release date for Rockstar’s title in stone.
It is also unlikely that Microsoft may have decided to secretly cancel the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 6, especially since Xbox CEO Asha Sharma spoke about the company sticking to its multi-platform release plans for games that had already been announced.
Forza Horizon 6 was released on PC and Xbox Series X/S earlier this year, and since then, Playground Games has continued to support the title with post-launch updates. The newest addition to the racer – Drift Attack – was showcased just last week. The game mode essentially allows players to compete with each other at certain locations across the game’s map, with the goal being to get the best drift score over a number of laps. The game mode will be free to all players, and also comes with its own Collection Journal that allows for more unlocks when certain things are accomplished in Drift Attack.
In our review of Forza Horizon 6, we gave it a score of 9 out of 10 thanks to its excellent driving mechanics and a variety of content across a well-designed and beautiful open world. Our only problems were that the progression felt more linear compared to previous entries, and that the title sticks to the formula a bit too much.
