Forza Horizon 6 Is the Biggest Early Access Launch in Series History

Forza Horizon 6 achieved the largest early access launch in series history, with Microsoft confirming its early access performance on PC and Xbox. The game reached 181,775 concurrent players on Steam within three days, with SteamDB indicating strong momentum before the full release on May 19. Early access required a $120 Premium pre-order, while Standard and Deluxe editions cost $70 and $100 and become available at launch. Steam concurrent activity suggests substantial revenue, with estimates reaching $21 million from Steam alone. Critical reception is also strong, with Metacritic scoring 92 and OpenCritic rating 91, marking another 90+ entry for the franchise.

"Forza Horizon 6 has become the biggest early access launch in series history, Microsoft has confirmed. The open-world racing title, which released in early access on PC and Xbox to rave reviews last week, is yet to fully launch, but has attracted over 180,000 players on Steam. Forza Horizon 6 is also the highest-rated game of 2026 so far."

"Within three days of early access launch, the game has raced to an all-time peak of 181,775 concurrent players on Steam, according to SteamDB charts. That number is going to rise by lot when Forza Horizon 6 releases on May 19. The numbers are even more impressive considering it costs a whopping $120 to play Forza Horizon 6 four days early."

"Early access was only available to players who pre-ordered the Premium edition of the game (priced at $120); Standard and Deluxe editions, priced $70 and $100, respectively, will be available at launch on Thursday. And these player numbers are just from Steam. Early Access players on Xbox Series S/X will likely form a big chunk of users exploring Japan in Forza Horizon 6 right now."

"Forza Horizon 6's critical reception has been stellar, as well. It is the highest rated game of 2026 so far with a Metacritic score of 92 and an OpenCritic rating of 91. This is the fourth Forza Horizon game in the row to get a 90+ Metacritic score. Sharma congratulated developer Playground Games for the feat and called it "exceptionally rare"."

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