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E-cards Forza Horizon 6 vs. Forza Horizon 5: The Biggest Differences and Improvements
Forza Horizon 6 offers more than just a new setting. We took a look at the biggest differences compared to Forza Horizon 5—from Japan and revamped driving physics to more realistic sound, improved steering wheel support, new modes, and the most ambitious map in the series’ history. Should you buy it?
The previous Forza Horizon 5 ranks among the best arcade racing games of recent years, and many players still regularly enjoy its Mexican roads to this day. However, for the sixth installment, Playground Games didn’t just focus on a new map and additional cars. Instead, they set out to improve virtually every key element, from driving physics and online racing to world exploration, tuning, and the sound design. The result is a game that retains the familiar foundation of the Horizon series while delivering the biggest generational leap since the franchise’s inception.
Moving to Japan changes the atmosphere, the pace, and the way the world works. The neon-lit streets of Tokyo give way to mountain passes designed for drifting. Added to this are significantly improved steering wheel support, refined vehicle balance, more realistic sound, and all-new community features. In this article, we’ll look at the biggest differences between Forza Horizon 6 and Forza Horizon 5 and why many fans consider the new game superior to the previous works.
Japan is Larger and More Densely Populated Than Mexico
The biggest change between Forza Horizon 5 and Forza Horizon 6 is undoubtedly the location. While the fifth installment is set in the vast landscape of Mexico, filled with deserts, jungles, beaches, and open spaces, Forza Horizon 6 moves the festival to Japan. This, of course, changes the game’s overall atmosphere. The world is denser, livelier, and much more intertwined with the automotive culture that is characteristic of the country—both horizontally and vertically. Reviewers (including our own review) agree that Japan is what gives the series new energy and is one of the biggest reasons why FH6 feels like a significant step forward.
Tokyo is the main landmark and largest city in the history of the Horizon series. Neon-lit districts, wide city boulevards, and highway loops create the ideal setting for night driving and street racing, while iconic mountain passes inspired by real Japanese roads await outside the city. These become a paradise for drifting and are one of the community’s favorite activities. A completely new feature is exploring the map and uncovering new areas, unlike in previous installments where the entire map was open from the start.
The game also celebrates Japanese car culture to a great extent, from legendary JDM vehicles to touge battles and community gatherings of car enthusiasts. The diversity here is on a much higher level than in previous installments. That’s why this is undoubtedly the most elaborate map in the series, with Tokyo alone being five times larger than any other city in the series. We’ll just add that the map in FH5 was approximately 110 square kilometers; this time, it’s a quarter larger.
Forza Horizon 6 vs Forza Horizon 5 – Biggest Differences Explained
But the new setting is just the beginning. We’ve taken a look at all the key changes that make Forza Horizon 6 the most ambitious and polished entry in the series’ history.
The Seasons are Finally Changing the Gameplay
While Forza Horizon 5 incorporates the concept of seasons, their impact on the actual driving experience remains relatively limited. The weather varies across different regions of the map and creates visual differences, but most of the time it doesn't have a significant impact on how cars behave on the road. In Forza Horizon 6, seasons are a much more integral part of the gameplay and significantly affect not only the world’s appearance but also the vehicles’ handling.
Each season brings its own challenges. Spring turns some roads into wet and slippery sections, summer offers ideal conditions for fast driving and racing, fall covers mountain roads with leaves and reduces traction in some corners, while winter transforms higher-altitude areas into snow-covered tracks where you need to adapt both your driving style and vehicle choice. The result is a more dynamic world that forces players to react to current conditions. The weather is no longer just a visually appealing backdrop, but an important part of the overall experience, making every drive a little more unpredictable and interesting. At the same time, weather fluctuations help combat monotony in the long run.
The Graphics are More Realistic, but Not Everyone Will Like It Better
Even several years after its release, Forza Horizon 5 remains one of the most visually stunning racing games on the market. Mexico bursts with rich colors, striking lighting, and scenery that often looks like a postcard. Forza Horizon 6, however, is taking a different approach. Instead of bold colors, it relies on more realistic lighting, advanced ray tracing, and a more natural rendering of the environment. The result is a technically more advanced game that feels more authentic, yet less colorful than its predecessor.
The difference is most noticeable in Japan itself. Dense urban districts, Tokyo’s neon-lit streets, narrow mountain roads, and more detailed light reflections create a much livelier and more convincing world than the open spaces of Mexico. On the other hand, part of the community agrees that Forza Horizon 5 appears more attractive at first glance thanks to its colorfulness and more contrasting lighting. One thing is certain, however; Forza Horizon 6 takes the series’ technology to a new level and offers the most detailed and realistic world Playground Games has ever created.
More Realistic Sound That Enhances the Atmosphere
Forza Horizon 6 doesn’t just bring improvements in graphics and the driving model. A major new feature is Triton Acoustics technology, which significantly changes the way players perceive the sounds of the surrounding world. The result is a much more immersive soundscape, where every environment sounds different and reacts to what’s happening around the vehicle.
The difference is most noticeable while driving. The sound of the engine echoes differently in the streets of Tokyo, differently in mountain passes, and completely differently in tunnels or open countryside. The new system simulates echoes and sound reflections from surrounding objects in real time, making each location feel more authentic. Essentially, it’s ray-tracing for audio. Combined with refined (and finally distinguishable) engine and exhaust sounds, Forza Horizon 6 delivers by far the best audio experience the series has ever offered.
Forza Horizon 6 also Caters to Steering Wheel Enthusiasts
The Forza Horizon series has always been designed primarily for comfortable gameplay with a gamepad. Although it has supported steering wheels in the past, many players felt that this was more of an add-on feature than a full-fledged control method. During longer play sessions, it was evident that both the physics and feedback were optimized primarily for a classic controller, which discouraged part of the sim-racing community from playing regularly.
Forza Horizon 6 takes the biggest step in this direction in the series’ history. Driving with a steering wheel feels more natural, more precise, and conveys the vehicle’s behavior on different surfaces much better (according to community). The developers have reworked not only the controls themselves but also the way cars respond to steering wheel movements during fast cornering or on technical mountain sections. More detailed cockpit animations, which finally match what the player is doing behind the wheel, also contribute to a better feel.
A World Inviting You to New Experiences
One of the most significant changes is the way the game handles activities scattered throughout the world. While races and challenges in Forza Horizon 5 often felt like separate game modes, the new title seamlessly integrates them into the open world. The result is a much smoother experience, where the player spends more time behind the wheel and less time confirming screens or waiting for the next event to load.
This approach is most noticeable during free exploration of Japan. Whether driving through the city or on mountain roads, new opportunities to compete constantly appear without disrupting the game’s pace. Sometimes it’s a short time trial, other times it’s a spontaneous encounter with other players or a challenge on a technical mountain section. This is where the new generation of touge battles truly shines, drawing from Japanese car culture and emphasizing precision, fluidity, and mastering challenging turns. Thanks to this, Forza Horizon 6 doesn’t feel like a series of separate activities connected by a map, but rather a living world that constantly motivates the player to get behind the wheel and set off in search of the next adventure.
The End of One Dominant Strategy
If you regularly raced online in Forza Horizon 5, you probably noticed that a certain type of vehicle was simply better and faster than the rest. Races were mostly dominated by extremely powerful all-wheel-drive setups, which gradually led to a large portion of the community using similar cars and similar builds.
Forza Horizon 6 aims to address this issue with a revamped balancing of classes and handling characteristics, making RWD vehicles and specialized tuning setups more competitive as well. As a result, success depends much more on driving style and the type of event than in the previous game.
More Options for Tuners and Collectors
Car customization has been a cornerstone of the Horizon series since its inception, but Forza Horizon 6 takes personalization even further. While it doesn’t offer the same level of customization as, say, Need for Speed, the improvement over the previous installment is clear. Players gain access to a wider variety of body kits, more pronounced aerodynamic modifications, and details that can change not only the vehicle’s appearance but also its handling on the road. There’s even the option to customize windows with custom decals, something the community has been requesting for several years.
Another interesting new feature is the modified vehicles you can come across while exploring the world. Instead of scrolling through endless menus, you’ll occasionally stumble upon unique tuning specials ready for immediate purchase and driving.
Discover Japan Makes Exploration More Meaningful
Although Forza Horizon 5 also encouraged players to explore Mexico through bonus boards and photo challenges, most activities were still closely tied to racing. Forza Horizon 6 takes a much more systematic approach to exploring the world through the Discover Japan mode, which makes it one of the main components of progression.
Players earn rewards for photographing famous landmarks, completing themed tasks, collecting stamps, and learning about Japanese culture across the entire map. Gradually, they unlock rare vehicles, new challenges, and hidden secrets of the world. Compared to Forza Horizon 5, exploration feels more focused and rewarding, ensuring that players who want to enjoy Japan at their own pace—and not just from a racer’s perspective—will also find something to their liking.
The Estate: A Personal Space for Every Player
For the first time, Forza Horizon 6 gives players the chance to create their own automotive hub exactly as they envision it. The new feature, called The Estate, functions as a private space that you can gradually transform and customize. It’s not just another house on the map, but a place that becomes a hub for the creativity of the entire community.
On the sprawling property, you can build your own race tracks, drift zones, stunt parks, or hangouts for car enthusiasts. Every object can be freely placed/modified/removed, giving players much greater freedom than the traditional EventLab. What’s more, the locations you create aren’t just for a single player—friends and other community members can visit them too. And not only that, but other players can even edit them! All this fun is now called Horizon CO-LAB and supports up to 12 players who can build a track together in real time.
You Can Enjoy Japan Without Keeping Your Foot on the Gas
There is also a new interesting feature combining automatic driving with a cinematic camera, turning travel across the map into a relaxing experience. Just set your destination and the game takes care of the rest, while the dynamic camera highlights everything around you. Unlike Forza Horizon 5, where exploring the world was always tied to active driving, this new feature offers a pleasant way to soak in the atmosphere of Japan, listen to the radio, and let yourself be guided through one of the most detailed maps in the series’ history.
Other Notable Changes in Forza Horizon 6 Compared to Forza Horizon 5
- Load times are significantly shorter, and fast travel is completely free once a location has been discovered.
- Each region features its own collectibles and activities that reward exploration of the world.
- New Treasure Cars expand on the Barn Finds concept and encourage players to explore the map more thoroughly.
- More intuitive vehicle unlocking during the campaign.
- Career mode finally feels more meaningful, giving players a sense of gradually building their reputation.
- The soundtrack is among the best in the series and even includes a dedicated J-Pop station.
Should You Upgrade From Forza Horizon 5 to Forza Horizon 6?
If you’re still enjoying Forza Horizon 5, the good news is that Forza Horizon 6 doesn’t change what made the series so successful. It’s still an accessible open-world racing game with a massive fleet of cars and an emphasis on freedom. At the same time, however, it brings so many changes across the entire game that it has immediately taken the lead in everything we can describe as “arcade racing.” Japan is among the best maps the series has ever offered, the seasons have a real impact on driving, exploring the world feels more meaningful, and areas that the community has criticized for years—from steering wheel support to vehicle balance to sound design—have also been improved.
The transition to Forza Horizon 6 is therefore worth it for practically every fan of the series. If you spent hundreds of hours in Forza Horizon 5, the new game offers enough new mechanics, activities, and systems to feel fresh even after dozens more hours behind the wheel. And if you were expecting Japan, a deeper connection to car culture, and a more significant shift in gameplay from the series, Forza Horizon 6 delivers exactly that.
