Playground confirms Forza Horizon 6 PS5 arrival after 2026 window

The Forza Horizon 6 PS5 release date is Tuesday, January 26, 2027, for the Standard and Deluxe editions. Premium Edition buyers get in on January 21.

That is a few weeks past the 2026 window Playground first announced. Insiders had reported in September that the game would slide into early 2027, and the studio later made it official. One reason seems clear: the delay lines the PS5 launch up with the game’s first big expansion, so PlayStation players start with more content on day one. Some coverage has also suggested the new date gives the game breathing room from Grand Theft Auto 6, though Playground has not said that.

The PS5 version was built by Panic Button working with Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios. Turn 10, the team behind Forza Motorsport, has since been merged into Playground as part of a wider shake-up of Xbox’s studios.

Pre-orders are open on the PlayStation Store, and the PS5 version will also be sold on disc at participating retailers. There are three editions, matching the Xbox and PC lineup:

• Standard Edition: the full game.
• Deluxe Edition: the game plus a Car Pass and a Welcome Pack.
• Premium Edition: everything in Deluxe, plus a VIP Membership, two car packs (Italian Passion and Time Attack), the first expansion, a second expansion that comes later, and five days of early access.

Every PS5 pre-order, whichever edition you choose, comes with a pre-tuned Ferrari J50. It lands in your garage once you finish the game’s prologue.

One detail is easy to miss. The expansion is not bundled with every copy. You get it with the Premium Edition, the Premium Upgrade (for people who buy Standard and change their mind) or an Expansions Bundle. Otherwise, you can buy it on its own.

The first Premium Expansion goes live worldwide on January 21, 2027, on Xbox, PC and PS5 at once. That means Premium players on PlayStation can jump into the base game and the new content on the same day, while Standard owners on PS5 wait until January 26 to play at all.

Playground has also promised a free content update for every player around the same time. The studio has not said what the expansion or the update contain and says it will share more closer to release. That silence fits a wider complaint from the community, which has grumbled about a lack of communication from the studio in recent months. Playground’s official account publicly acknowledged it could have been more talkative.

The PS5 version offers two graphics settings: a Quality mode at 4K and 30 frames per second, and a Performance mode aimed at 60 frames per second. Playground says its pre-order trailer was captured on a standard PS5 in Quality mode.

The game itself is the same one Xbox and PC players have had since spring. It is set in Japan, with Tokyo City billed as the largest urban area ever in a Forza Horizon game, alongside rural roads, docks and industrial districts. There are more than 550 real cars, including classic models sold only in Japan, and new events such as Touge Battles, the mountain-pass duels Japanese street racing is known for.

Accessibility options carry over too, including a customizable High Contrast mode, a Car Proximity Radar, an AutoDrive feature, and American and British Sign Language support.

The good news is that you will not be cut off from friends on other systems. Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 supports cross-platform play and cross-save with the Xbox and Steam versions, so you can race with Xbox friends and carry progress between devices. Community creations such as EventLab races, liveries and tuning setups are shared across platforms from day one.

There are two costs to keep in mind. Online multiplayer on PS5 needs a PlayStation Plus subscription, which is sold separately. And the five-day head start is tied to the most expensive edition, so you are paying for time as well as content. If you are happy to wait until January 26 and do not care about the expansion yet, Standard is the cheapest way in, and you can upgrade later.

It is unclear how PS5 players will catch up on the seasonal cars and events Xbox and PC players have collected since May. Playground has not explained that yet.

Microsoft has good reason to expect a hit. Forza Horizon 5 sold more than 5 million copies on PS5 even though it arrived years after its Xbox debut, and Forza Horizon 6 has been a big seller on Xbox and PC.

It is also part of a busy few weeks for Xbox games on Sony’s console. Playground’s next game, Fable, is due on Xbox Series X/S, PC and PS5 on February 23. Xbox’s current leadership has hinted at a rethink of how many games it brings to PlayStation, so Fable could be one of the last big Xbox titles to make the jump, apart from series such as Call of Duty.