Forza Horizon 6 Has Been Leaked a Week Early, After Accidental Unencrypted Steam Release
Forza Horizon 6 was leaked online over the weekend when Playground Games accidentally uploaded 155GB of unencrypted game files to Steam. The unencrypted preload became available to users and quickly spread across piracy sites, where the game was cracked and made available for download — a week before its May 19 official release and four days before early access on May 15.
The leak appears to have resulted from a developer error rather than malicious action. According to reports, the preload files were uploaded to Steam’s backend without the standard encryption protection that typically secures early release builds. Once unencrypted files were available, pirates were able to quickly crack the game and distribute it widely online.
Playground Games responded swiftly with aggressive enforcement measures. The developer announced it would take “strict enforcement action” against anyone found accessing the leaked build, including franchise-wide bans and hardware bans across Xbox services. At least one player has already been banned for 7,970 years (until December 31, 9999), though such extreme durations are typically the result of system errors rather than intentional permanent bans.
The incident mirrors a similar situation with Death Stranding 2 in March, which also leaked ahead of its official release. Despite the leak, the game’s May 19 launch date remains unchanged. Forza Horizon 6 marks a significant Xbox release for 2026, featuring an open-world racing experience set in Japan with new gameplay features like Horizon Rush.
Sources
- Forza Horizon 6 Has Been Leaked a Week Early, After Accidental Unencrypted Steam Release
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