Just the other day, developer Playground Games reiterated that Forza Horizon 6 will be coming to PS5 before the end of the year, upholding the promise made when the game was first announced.
At the very end of an update post made by Playground on September 7, the developers said “If you’re planning your trip to Discover Japan on PlayStation 5, stay tuned! Forza Horizon 6 will be releasing on PS5 later this year”.
That put a lot of minds to rest, because people were beginning to wonder if Xbox’s recent reversal of direction might also include making Forza Horizon 6 an Xbox console and PC exclusive again.
However, Tom Warren of The Verge has doubled down on his claim that the release will be delayed until 2027. Tom initially said on August 27 that “I’m not expecting to see Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 in 2026.”
Playground’s update contradicted this, but Tom seems adamant. In his newest newsletter on The Verge, he says: “Microsoft is planning to delay the release of Forza Horizon 6 on PS5, according to sources familiar with Playground Games’ plans. While the game was initially announced as coming to PS5 later this year, I understand there’s going to be a slight delay, pushing it into early 2027.”
Tom says he understands that the decision is about lining up the PS5 release with the launch of the first expansion for Forza Horizon 6. If you remember, Forza Horizon 5’s PS5 port arrived alongside a big new content update.
And it isn’t like Xbox hasn’t pulled stunts like this before. Fable’s autumn 2026 release date was still being reiterated by Xbox and Playground Games themselves right before the game was delayed into 2027.
On the one hand, this could be just a simple marketing trick: launch the new port alongside a big update just like Forza Horizon 5 and rake in millions of copies sold. On the other hand, this could be part of Xbox’s broader strategy, increasing the wait time between the initial Xbox launch and the game becoming available elsewhere.
The key to understanding what Xbox is thinking probably comes down to whether they would have made Forza Horizon 6 an Xbox/PC exclusive like Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution if it wasn’t for the fact that they had already publicly announced Horizon 6 for PS5.
So, who is right? Will Forza Horizon 6 come out on PS5 by the end of the year, or will it get delayed?