Forza Horizon 6 Has Already Broken the Series' Steam Player Record and It Has Not Even Fully Launched Yet

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Forza Horizon 6 hit a peak concurrent player count of 178,009 on Steam during its early access period, making it the most played game in the Forza Horizon series on the platform by a significant margin. That figure more than doubles the previous record held by Forza Horizon 5, which peaked at 81,096 concurrent players. What makes the achievement even more striking is that Forza Horizon 5 launched on Steam simultaneously across all platforms, meaning its peak was not artificially limited by a staged rollout. The Forza Horizon 6 record was set exclusively by players who purchased the $119.99 Premium Edition, a subset of the total playerbase that will be joined by everyone who bought the standard edition when the game officially launches on May 19.The numbers suggest the full launch peak will comfortably surpass what early access has already achieved.

A second wave of players arriving on launch day will push concurrent counts well beyond the current record, and the combination of early commercial momentum and critical reception makes Forza Horizon 6 one of the most anticipated full launches of the year. The game has earned a Top Critic Average of 91 on OpenCritic, making it one of only three games in 2026 to clear the 90-point threshold alongside Lost and Found Co. and Pokemon Pokopia. With Japan as its setting, a long-requested destination for the series, and player enthusiasm already running high, Forza Horizon 6 appears to be on track to become the defining entry in the franchise's history on PC.

[nihalsari]

Standard edition launch day players arriving May 19 guaranteeing full launch peak will significantly exceed current record