Forza Horizon 6 Is Raising The Early Access Tax On Its Biggest Fans

"On January 22, during Xbox's latest Developer Direct, Playground Games did a big deep dive into the upcoming open-world racer Forza Horizon 6 and also revealed the game's release date. And with that reveal came the ability to start pre-ordering the game and its various editions. As has become commonplace, the most expensive version of Forza Horizon 6, its Premium Edition, includes four days of "early access" to the game ahead of its May 19 launch on PC and Xbox."

"However, what caught many people off guard is that Forza Horizon 6′s Premium package costs $120 USD, or $20 more than 2021's Horizon 5's $100 equivalent Premium edition. And Game Pass Ultimate subscribers who want to play early have to pay $60 to upgrade to that fancier version. In the past, Xbox charged subscribers only $50 to upgrade. You can explain some of this increase with the fact that Horizon 6 is a $70 game compared to Horizon 5's $60 price tag."

"And let's be clear here: As I've explained before, you aren't playing the game "early." Xbox and other publishers are simply barring access to the game unless you pay extra, and essentially holding it for ransom. When Forza Horizon 6 launches "four days early" for Premium owners on May 15, it will still have gone through all the same checks, testing, and Q&A that any other game has to go through to launch on a console. At that point, it has launched."

Forza Horizon 6 will launch May 19 on PC and Xbox and offers a Premium Edition that grants four days of early access starting May 15. The Premium Edition costs $120, $20 more than Horizon 5's Premium version, and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers must pay $60 to upgrade, up from a previous $50 upgrade charge. The base game price increased to $70, partly explaining the higher Premium cost. Critics note that gating access behind paid upgrades effectively charges dedicated subscribers near a full game price to play early. Premium early access will occur after the same final testing and checks as other launches.

Read at Kotaku