Xbox Game Studios’ highly anticipated racing blockbuster Forza Horizon 6 launched in Early Access on Friday, May 15, and already, the globe’s most dedicated racers are speeding through Japan in droves. New figures from Steam data aggregator SteamDB show more than 155,000 concurrent players at the time of writing. Peak playership is even more impressive: over 172,000 drivers were actively touring a dreamy, picturesque Tokyo at around 10 a.m. ET on Friday.
Forza Horizon 6, set to fully launch on Xbox and PC on Tuesday, May 19, is the sixth entry in the exploration-forward Horizon franchise, but no. 14 in the Forza family. This time around, players will cruise through vivid and breathtaking Japanese environments, acquire and customize more than 550 real rides, and relish hyperrealistic visuals with the game’s comprehensive Photo Mode. Sigh. Gorgeous.
The wait may drag for impatient players, as the last entry — Forza Horizon 5 — launched on PC and consoles more than five years ago. Horizon 5 was an instant smash, later dominating awards season and battling co-op adventure It Takes Two for the year’s myriad “Game of the Year” distinctions.
Early Access playership data harder to assess, SteamDB explains
SteamDB’s Horizon 6 player data looks a bit different now than it will on May 19, as the platform doesn’t traditionally count in-game activity for “advanced access games.” SteamDB explains why in a special section on its website. “When games are available early to pre-purchase owners or deluxe package owners […] the way it works is that there is a release state override for these owners, but the game itself is not released. As such, most community features are not available until the official release including viewing others’ achievements, family sharing, getting the player count, and more.”
“It is possible to get concurrent users count (CCU) from an account that owns the game with early access. Because of this, it is possible to make SteamDB track games like it, but it requires our bot to own the game with advanced access.”
How to play Forza Horizon 6 in Early Access
Already revving your engine? Forza Horizon 6 is available in Early Access on Steam and Xbox, but be prepared to pay more. While the game’s Premium Upgrade allows players four additional race days and offers VIP Membership, a Welcome Pack, Car Pass, Time Attack Car Pack, and two other unreleased packs, would-be drivers will pay an eye-popping $119.99.
If you’ve got the patience of a saint, pre-Purchase Forza Horizon 6 Deluxe Edition for $99.99 or the base game for a comparatively modest $69.99 and hold out ’til May 19 to start your excursion.
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