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May 18, 2026: We've updated this guide as the full launch of Forza Horizon 6 is almost here, concluding the four-day early access for those who bought the Premium edition.
After years of fan requests, over a decade even, Forza Horizon 6 finally takes us to Japan with a new Horizon Festival that'll have you falling in love with street races, drifting, and kei trucks. But you'll have to wait just a bit longer for the Forza Horizon 6 launch time and release date. Sorry.
Importantly, there are two dates to be aware of, which I'll go over below. There's the advanced access period if you purchase the $120 Premium edition, or the standard release date for everyone else.
Oh, plus the console and PC versions launch at different times, including the Xbox App on PC. Just to make things more complicated.
When is the Forza Horizon 6 unlock time?
Forza Horizon 6 launches on Tuesday, May 19, with different times for PC and console. On Xbox or the Xbox App on PC, it's 12:01 am your local time—except US Pacific players, where it's 9:01 pm PDT. However, on Steam the game releases globally at 4:01 am UTC, which works out to the following times across the globe:
- US Pacific: 9:01 pm PDT (Monday, May 18)
- US Eastern: 12:01 am EDT
- UK: 5:01 am GMT
- Europe: 6:01 am CEST
- Australia: 2:01 pm AEST
- New Zealand: 4:01 pm NZST
- Japan: 1:01 pm JST
Forza Horizon 6 is also coming to PS5 later this year, though Microsoft is yet to give a solid release date.
Forza Horizon 6 early access unlock times
As mentioned, avid race festival goers who purchased the Forza Horizon 6 Premium edition got four days of advanced access starting Friday, May 15. And yes, you read that right—it was only for the $120 edition, not even the $100 Deluxe one. But if you bought this edition before launch or now, you'll also get access to the full Forza Horizon 6 car list thanks to the included DLC packs.
Like the full launch, this exclusive early access launch time differed based on your platform. It was 12:01 local time on Xbox or the Xbox App on PC—again, except US Pacific players, where it was 9:01 pm PDT. Those on Steam had to wait until the game released at 4:01 am UTC, which worked out to the following times across the globe:
- US Pacific: 9:01 pm PDT (Thursday, May 14)
- US Eastern: 12:01 am EDT
- UK: 5:01 am GMT
- Europe: 6:01 am CEST
- Australia: 2:01 pm AEST
- New Zealand: 4:01 pm NZST
- Japan: 1:01 pm JST
Can you preload Forza Horizon 6?
Yes, you can preload Forza Horizon 6 on PC and Xbox. Downloading the game requires 160 GB on PC and upwards of 135 GB on Xbox, so it's certainly a relief to get that massive download out of the way ahead of the lights turning green if you're waiting on the full launch.
It's worth noting that PC players (whether through Steam or the Xbox App) are required to update Gaming Services to play the game. If you've ever opened the Microsoft Store before, you'll know it's not exactly a reliable service. It's a good thing that you can also update your Gaming Services in advance too.
