Forza Horizon 6 pre-sales hit 500K on Steam, generating nearly $30M ahead of launch

With a month still to go before release, Forza Horizon 6 is gearing up for a massive launch, as it’s already sold over 500,000 copies in pre-sales on Steam, putting the game at an estimated gross revenue of approximately $30 million, accounting for different editions as well as regional pricing. For context, Forza Horizon 6 is already the best-selling Forza title in the franchise’s history, well before its release date, and it’s still got loads of marketing and hype on the horizon.

This data comes from Rhys Elliot of Alinea Analytics. According to the firm, these early sales figures indicate that Forza Horizon 6 could sell more than 2 million units on Steam within the first 24 hours alone at launch. It also does not account for sales driven via its Microsoft Store editions, as well as the inevitable Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription sales the title will inevitably drive.

For some perspective, Forza Horizon 6 reeled in a massive 10 million players in its first week across all platforms when it released back in 2021. However, it’s worth noting that the game was also available on Xbox Game Pass as a day-one title. Currently, the pre-launch momentum and hype surrounding Forza Horizon 6, set in Japan, is at an all-time high, and it's expected to top earlier entries.

For industry observers, the hype makes sense, given that fans had been speculating and hoping for a Forza Horizon game set in Japan since the Xbox 360 era. Rumors had been floating around that Forza Horizon 6 would be set in Japan as early as 2023.

Another reason for the hype is that this has been the longest gap between consecutive Forza Horizon entries and is the first title created exclusively for current-gen consoles, allowing Playground Games to push the Forza Tech engine to its absolute limits.

This time around, the game is seriously diving into JDM Japanese car culture, bringing in vintage cars like the 1997 Toyota Chaser, R33 Nissan Skyline, Nissan Gloria Gran Turismo, and Mitsubishi Montero Exceed, with starters including a 1989 Silvia K’s, 1994 Celica GT-Four, and, for some reason, a 1970 American GMC Jimmy.

Recent previews and early hands-on demos have been a driving factor behind the 500,000 reported pre-sales on Steam, along with an unknown number of pre-orders on Xbox Series S|X. Pre-orders kept climbing after the map was revealed, the preview embargo was lifted, and especially after the official achievement list was released on April 13. 

On that day, the game sold 22,000 copies on Steam, the highest pre-sale total since the initial 50,000 when pre-orders went live. Forza Horizon 6 is returning to the series' roots, bringing back the OG wristband career mode, where players start from scratch and work their way up from being a nobody in Japan.

Wishlists for Forza Horizon 6 jumped to 90,000 on the very same day and currently sit at an impressive 3.3 million on Steam alone.

Forza Horizon 6 is slated for release on May 19, 2026, for PC and Xbox Series S|X, with a PS5 version scheduled for release later this year.