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Tech & Science
Forza Horizon 6 reached 6 million players by May 21, with Steam setting a new Xbox Game Studios record.
By May 21, Forza Horizon 6 had reached 6 million players across all platforms, only two days after its May 19 full launch.
Steam also set a new Xbox Game Studios record for the platform. Peak concurrent players stood at 273,148 on launch day, according to TechPowerUp, before climbing to 284,139 by May 22.
The total includes Steam, Xbox console and Game Pass subscribers, as confirmed by the official Forza account. The game launched day one on PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, so a large share of those 6 million players paid nothing beyond an existing subscription.
Playground Games placed the series in Japan this time, and the reception was strong from both critics and players. The game has a 91 on Metacritic and a near-perfect score from IGN.
Before the standard launch even opened, more than 1.19 million players bought the $120 Premium Edition for four days of early access starting May 15. GamerMarkt estimates that period alone brought in around $140 million in revenue.
Forza Horizon 6 is moving faster than Forza Horizon 5 did in 2021, when that game reached 10 million players in its first week during the pandemic gaming boom. A PS5 version is confirmed for late 2026, following the path of Forza Horizon 5, whose PlayStation port added 5.8 million sales after launch.
Forza Horizon 5 took five years to reach 50 million total players. If Forza Horizon 6 keeps its pace and the PS5 version performs similarly, that level could be reached sooner.
GosuGamers says the game is already being called the strongest launch of 2026 so far. Playground Games has also promised ongoing content updates.
