Forza Horizon 6 hasn’t officially launched for everyone yet, but the new racing game is already pulling in huge numbers.
Microsoft has confirmed that Forza Horizon 6 is now the biggest early access launch the series has ever seen. The game went live in early access on May 15 for players who bought the Premium Edition, and within days it started dominating Steam charts.
According to SteamDB, the game crossed 181,000 peak concurrent players on Steam in just three days. And that’s only part of the picture because these numbers do not include Xbox players already exploring the game on Series S and Series X consoles.
What makes the launch even more impressive is that early access wasn’t cheap. Players had to spend $120 on the Premium Edition to jump in four days before release. The Standard and Deluxe versions, priced at $70 and $100, are only unlocking once the game officially launches on May 19.
Even with that high entry price, fans have clearly shown up in huge numbers. The new Japan-based map, improved visuals and open-world racing experience seem to be driving massive interest around the game ahead of launch week.
The game is also getting strong reactions from critics. Right now, Forza Horizon 6 is the highest-rated game of 2026 so far, with a Metacritic score of 92 and an OpenCritic rating of 91.
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Xbox CEO Asha Sharma also praised developer Playground Games after the reviews went live. She pointed out that this is now the fourth straight Forza Horizon game to score above 90 on Metacritic, calling it a rare achievement in the gaming industry.
The full release of Forza Horizon 6 is scheduled for May 19 on PC and Xbox Series S/X. The game will also be available through Xbox Game Pass from day one, which could push player numbers even higher once access opens to everyone.