Forza Horizon 6 arrives on PS5 on January 26 with cross-play and its first expansion

The wait is over for PlayStation players: Forza Horizon 6 finally has a PS5 release date. According to Vida Extra, Playground Games has confirmed that its Japan-set driving game will land on Sony's console on January 26. And it isn't arriving empty-handed: the launch comes with new features aimed both at those getting behind the wheel for the first time and at those who have been burning rubber on Japanese roads for a while.

The news matters for more than just the move to another platform. The port is once again in the hands of Panic Button, the same studio that brought Forza Horizon 5 to PS5 last year, and the game will feature cross-play and cross-save with the Xbox and Steam versions. In other words: a single community, no walls between platforms, and all player-created content available from the very first minute. For a series that thrives on its online scene, this matters almost as much as the date itself.

What you need to know

• PS5 release date: January 26, confirmed by Playground Games.
• Port handled by Panic Button, who were also behind the PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5 last year.
• Cross-play and cross-save with Xbox and Steam: race against anyone you want and keep your progress.
• Cross-platform community content: EventLab races, prefabs, garages, properties, liveries and vehicle tunes.
• First Premium Expansion on the way, launching simultaneously on all platforms.

What changes for PS5 players

The most exciting part of the announcement is that anyone starting out on PS5 won't be dropped into an empty world. Since all user-generated content is cross-platform, from day one you'll have access to a huge library created by the community already driving around Japan: EventLab tracks and challenges, prefabs for building, garages and properties, plus thousands of car liveries and tunes. It means inheriting years of collective creativity without having to wait for the PlayStation scene to mature on its own.

The cross-save feature is a big deal too. If you were already playing on Xbox or PC and have a PS5 at home, you'll be able to take your progress with you instead of replaying hours of content. And cross-play means fuller lobbies, faster matchmaking and a unified player base, something that's always welcome in online modes.

For anyone who needed to see the game in motion, the announcement came with a launch gameplay video that serves as a solid introduction for those who haven't tried it yet.

The Forza Horizon 5 precedent and the first expansion

Panic Button returning is no minor detail. The studio already knows the series' engine and structure from its work on Forza Horizon 5, which in theory reduces technical risk and offers some reassurance about the quality of the port. That prior experience should show, although, as always, the final verdict will come once the game is in players' hands.

As for the first Premium Expansion, Vida Extra indicates it will arrive on all platforms on the 21st, although the available excerpt of the report doesn't specify the month, so it's best to wait for the full details before marking your calendar. What is clear is that it will launch at the same time for everyone, with no exclusivity windows or preferential treatment.

Our take

Here at Underworld Lordz, we're clear on this: full cross-play is the right call and the one that benefits the competitive scene the most. An online racing game needs critical mass, and bringing Xbox, Steam and PS5 together in a single ecosystem means more rivals, more community-run events and a shared tuning meta. For competitive players, that translates into a higher skill level and less time waiting in menus.

For content creators, the change is even more interesting. Anyone who designs tracks in EventLab or shares their tunes and liveries with the community has just gained a whole new audience overnight. If you're a creator, now is the time to polish your best work: PS5 newcomers will be looking for exactly that from day one.

That said, it's not all cause for celebration. PlayStation players are arriving late to a party that's already in full swing, and they're doing so with a paid expansion looming on the horizon. We hope Playground handles the arrival of this audience carefully with good matchmaking options, and that the port is up to standard from launch, because a rough technical debut would undermine what should be the announcement's biggest advantage: a united community.

What do you think?

Will you be cruising around Japan on PS5, or have you already been doing it on Xbox or PC for a while? Drop by the team chat or our Discord and let us know: do you think full cross-play will make the Forza Horizon 6 competitive scene stronger, or would you rather keep each community separate?