Forza Horizon 6 breaks franchise Steam record before it even launches
Forza Horizon 6 set a new franchise record on Steam before its official public launch: 172,093 players were online simultaneously during the Premium Edition early access window on May 14–15. That's more than double Forza Horizon 5's all-time Steam peak of 81,096, reached back in 2021. The catch? Every one of those players paid $120 for the Premium Edition to get in three days early.
The number in context
A 172K concurrent peak is substantial for any game — doing it behind a $120 paywall, before the standard release, makes it genuinely striking. For comparison, GamesRadar+ notes this is already the biggest racing game on Steam in over five years — and the wider Game Pass audience hasn't arrived yet.
Forza Horizon 6's Steam concurrent player chart surged past 172,000 during the Premium early access window.
Critics have been generous: Forza Horizon 6 holds a 92 on Metacritic. Players have been slightly more cautious. Early Steam reviews dipped to "Mixed" in the first hours, with complaints about lag, memory leaks, and an error requiring users to download an "updated version." The bulk of negative reviews came from Chinese players. Reviews have since recovered to "Very Positive" at 83%.
Steam reviews recovered from 'Mixed' to 'Very Positive' as technical issues were addressed.
What's available and when
The Standard Edition (£59.99 / €69.99) goes live on May 19 on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and the Microsoft Store. Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers also get access that same day — at no extra cost beyond their subscription. The $120 / £109.99 Premium Edition is the only path to early access, per Forza Support.
The game is set in Japan and features over 550 cars. A PlayStation 5 version is planned for later in 2026, though Microsoft hasn't confirmed a specific date. When May 19 arrives and millions of Game Pass subscribers join, the Steam peak will almost certainly climb higher still.
