Forza Horizon 6 arrives on PS5 on January 26, 2027, with a paid expansion and a free update

It's official: Forza Horizon 6 is coming to PlayStation 5 on January 26, 2027. Playground Games confirmed it on the Forza website, and the date puts an end to the idea of seeing it on Sony's console in 2026, which is what everyone had been expecting. Anyone who buys the Premium Edition can start playing five days earlier, on January 21. That same day also brings the game's first paid expansion and a free update for everyone. The core information comes from Gamereactor Spain, which in turn picks up Eurogamer's reporting on the delay and the expansion.

This matters because we're talking about one of the strongest racing games of the generation, set in Japan and released on Xbox and PC last May. Its arrival on PS5 massively expands the player base: more people in online events, more competition on the leaderboards, and a new audience for creators who until now could only speak to Xbox and PC players. The catch is in the fine print. The schedule is designed to push the most expensive edition, so it's worth looking at it closely before you pre-order.

What you need to know

• The PS5 version launches on January 26, 2027, after it was expected in 2026.
• The Premium Edition gets early access from January 21.
• The first paid expansion and a free update are also released on January 21.
• The expansion is included in the Premium Edition. Its content hasn't been revealed yet.
• According to Eurogamer, the PS5 version will feature a 4K Quality Mode.

Editions, dates and what each one includes

It's the usual setup for big Xbox Game Studios launches: pay more, play sooner. Based on what we know so far, here's how it breaks down:

The free update will be available to all players, and Playground has promised more details as the date gets closer. There are no hints about the expansion: no new area, no cars, no modes. In practice, if you pre-order the Premium, you're paying for content nobody has seen yet.

Context: Xbox's push onto PlayStation

Forza Horizon 6 launched on Xbox and PC in May, so PS5 players will be arriving about eight months late. In that time, the Xbox and PC community has already squeezed everything out of the Japanese map, dialed in tunes and filled up the leaderboards. Timing the PS5 launch with the first expansion is a smart move: the new content is new for everyone, which levels the playing field a little. It also makes it clear that Playground wants the Sony debut to feel like an event rather than a late port.

On the technical side, all we know is what Eurogamer has reported: there will be a 4K Quality Mode. Full details on the performance modes are still missing, and that's exactly what serious players care about most.

Our take

Here at Underworld Lordz, we're glad to see Forza Horizon 6 coming to PS5. More platforms means more players, more rivals and more life for the competitive scene and community events. If you run a channel and haven't been making Forza content because your audience is on PlayStation, January is your chance: map guides, the best cars for each type of event and first impressions of the expansion are going to be in high demand.

That said, let's be critical. Five days of early access tied to the most expensive edition, in a game that's already been on sale for months on other platforms, looks more like a sales strategy than a gift to the fans. On top of that, the expansion is being sold as part of the Premium without anyone knowing what it includes. For a competitive player, those five days do matter: it's time to learn racing lines and set up tunes before most people jump in. For everyone else, the advice is simple: wait until the expansion's content and the technical reviews are out before paying the difference.

We also still have questions about performance. Knowing there will be 4K in Quality Mode is nice, but in a racing game, smoothness is what separates a clean lap from slamming into the guardrail. Until there's clear data on the performance mode, we're not popping the champagne just yet.

What do you think?

Is early access worth it, or is it pure marketing? Are you going to wait for the Standard, or is the Premium already in your cart? Drop by the team chat or our Discord and let us know: are you jumping into Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 from day one, or would you rather wait and see what the expansion brings?