Playground Games dropped a big breakdown of Forza Horizon 6's car culture systems this week, and the social side of this game looks more thought-out than anything the series has done before. Car Meets are woven directly into the open world, Drag Meets have synchronized tree lights and no loading screens, and a proper Time Attack system gives you something to chase every week. The customization suite has also had a real overhaul rather than the incremental tweaks we usually get.
Customization Finally Gets Window Painting
The community has been asking for window painting in the livery editor for years, and it's in. You can now cover your glass with vinyls, which opens up a whole range of JDM-style builds that weren't really possible before. There are also more pre-made vinyls with in-world branding, PI Class logos, and Wristband icons to use as a base or stick straight on.
Forza Aero has been properly reworked too. Bumpers and rear wings now paint independently, including the wing supports and tow hooks, and aero is configured per car rather than applied as a universal kit. The color navigation got a cleanup as well. Swapping between gloss, semi-gloss, matte, and metallic is one step from the color selector now, and you can favorite materials for quick access. Metal flake and candy paint are new additions. Over 100 new rims, and for the first time you can run different wheels front and rear.
Kei car owners get motorcycle engine swaps, which should make that class genuinely interesting for the first time. The full roster has been rebalanced across all performance classes, with a new R Class added for track-focused builds. Cosmetic tire wear is new too. Your tires will show authentic wear as you rack up miles, and all non-off-road rubber has been updated with new tread patterns.
Aftermarket Cars and Treasure Cars
Scattered around Japan are Aftermarket Cars: pre-built, pre-modified vehicles you can test drive or buy at a discount. Some are near the Festival, others you have to go and find. Cars parked near Festival Races are usually matched to that race's class, and cars near Time Attack Circuits tend to be track-ready. A Rocket Bunny S2000, a Mazdaspeed AZ-1, and a Duke Dynamics 570S are among the ones confirmed so far.
Treasure Cars are the most interesting new discovery mechanic. Mei, your in-game contact, sends you actual photo clues for cars abandoned somewhere in Japan, and you find them by exploring and figuring out where the photo was taken. No waypoints, no hints. When you get there, you restore it and drive it out immediately. A Nissan Figaro, a Nissan Safari Turbo, and a Dodge Charger R/T are among the confirmed finds. Barn Finds are back too, tied into the Collection Journal stamp progression.
Car Meets Are in the Open World Now
This is the one that matters most for how Forza Horizon 6 feels as a living game. Car Meets exist directly in the shared open world, no loading screen to get in, no instancing out. You just drive up and you're there. Three permanent locations are confirmed: the Horizon Festival site, the Okuibuki Parking Lot up in the alpine region, and Daikoku in Tokyo City, modeled on the real-world location. More temporary spots will rotate through the Festival Playlist.
At a meet you can browse builds, grab shared tunes and liveries, and buy stock versions of cars you like from the Autoshow. Your character stands next to your car, and there is a first-person camera to get a close look at other people's builds. From there you convoy up and head out together, with access to Drag Meets, Time Attack, Street Races, and the new Touge Battles, which are night races down mountain passes. That last one sounds like it could be special.
Time Attack and Drag Meets
Time Attack is the feature that will keep people coming back week after week. Multiple circuits in the shared world, ranging from road courses to off-road adventure parks, with one apparently on Legend Island. Drive through the gantry to start, hot lap as many times as you want, earn Credits and XP on every lap. Leaderboards show global times by PI class and reset each season, and a live Convoy Leaderboard shows your friends' times while you're all on track at the same time. That real-time competition without any matchmaking is a good idea.
Drag Meets launch with three strips: a 1K at the Festival Site, a quarter-mile at the Irokawa Space Center, and a half-mile at the Airfield. Up to 12 players, synchronized tree lights, no matchmaking. The synchronized lights specifically were a fan request after they were missing in previous entries, so good to see them back.
Leaderboards
All leaderboards filter by PI class now. Time Attack and Drag Meet boards reset weekly. PR Stunt and Rivals boards are permanent. Playground has also confirmed exploit score detection from day one, which is worth noting given how quickly leaderboards in previous games got filled with impossible times.
Release Dates
Forza Horizon 6 launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 19. Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade owners get Early Access from May 15. PS5 later in 2026.