Forza Horizon 6 PS5 Release Date Set for January 26, 2027: Early Access, Prices and the First Expansion

Forza Horizon 6 misses 2026 on PS5 and now arrives January 26, 2027, with early access on January 21, the same day the first expansion lands everywhere.

PlayStation players finally have a date for Forza Horizon 6, though it's later than promised. Playground Games has confirmed that the Japan-set racer arrives on PS5 on January 26, 2027. Premium Edition owners can start five days early, on January 21. Pre-orders opened on the PlayStation Store on October 8.

That misses the "later this year" window Playground had repeated in its blog posts as recently as September. It does come with something extra, though: the game's first Premium Expansion launches on January 21 on every platform. PS5 players will start with the full game, six months of post-launch updates and new expansion content all at once.

The key dates

According to Playground's official FAQ, early access unlocks at 12:01am local time on January 21. In US territories it unlocks at 12:01am Eastern, so players on the West Coast can start at 9:00pm Pacific the evening before.

Editions and prices on PS5

The PS5 version is sold as a standalone game. Owning it on Xbox or Steam doesn't get you a free PS5 copy, and DLC has to be bought again on each platform. The official prices:

Every PlayStation Store pre-order includes a pre-tuned Ferrari J50, which is added to your garage once you finish the prologue. The car marks 50 years of Ferrari in Japan, and only 10 were built. Premium Upgrade purchases made before January 26 also get it. A disc version is available from participating retailers.

The add-ons can also be bought separately on the PlayStation Store from January 26. These are the 30-car Car Pass, the two car packs, the VIP Membership, the Welcome Pack and the first expansion.

The first expansion: what we know

Details are still scarce. Playground says the first Premium Expansion adds a new location, new gameplay and more cars. It's included in the Premium Edition, the Premium Upgrade and the Expansions Bundle, and it will also be sold on its own. A second expansion is planned for Premium owners later, with no date yet. Playground hasn't said where the new region is, and more details are promised closer to release.

A free content update for all players will also arrive alongside the PS5 launch and the expansion. Its contents haven't been revealed yet.

How the PS5 version plays

The port comes from Panic Button, which also brought Forza Horizon 5 to PS5. It is being developed together with Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios. The main points from the official FAQ:

• Performance: Every PS5 model gets a 4K/30fps Quality mode and a 60fps Performance mode. The pre-order trailer was captured on a base PS5 in Quality mode.
• Cross-play and cross-save with Xbox Series X|S and Steam. Your progress carries over if you sign in with the same Microsoft account. Cross-play is on by default and can be turned off.
• Shared community content: EventLab races, Prefabs, Garages and Estates, liveries and tuning setups all work across platforms. Leaderboards and the Festival Playlist are shared too.
• Content parity from day one, including post-launch features such as Drift Attack. Future updates will reach PS5 at the same time as other platforms.
• DualSense support for vibration and trigger effects such as wheel slip and threshold braking. The game also runs on PlayStation Portal through Remote Play.
• Trophies: All achievements carry over as trophies, including a Platinum.

There are two catches. First, you need both a PSN account and a Microsoft account, linked the first time you start the game. That link is permanent for the title: you can unlink, but you can only relink to the same Microsoft account. Second, online multiplayer requires PlayStation Plus. Solo and offline play don't.

Why January matters

Forza Horizon 6 launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 19, 2026, to strong reviews. Forza Horizon 5 reached PS5 in April 2025, years after its original launch. Its sequel's PS5 version is coming far sooner, but Playground had promised 2026. Missing that window by a few weeks will disappoint some PlayStation players.

The timing makes sense, though. The PS5 version now arrives together with the first major expansion, after six months of updates and fixes, and a few months clear of the busy fall release season. It also comes at a key moment for Playground. Earlier this month, the studio publicly admitted it hasn't communicated enough with Forza Horizon 6 players. Many PS5 players will join the game in January, so how well the expansion and free update land will matter even more.

The bottom line

Forza Horizon 6 is coming to PS5 on January 26, 2027, with early access on January 21 for Premium buyers. Prices start at $69.99, and pre-orders include a pre-tuned Ferrari J50. You'll need a Microsoft account to play and PlayStation Plus to play online. If you're on Xbox or PC, mark January 21 too: that's when the first expansion and a free update arrive for everyone.

This article was written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games are updated regularly, so details may change.