Forza Horizon 6 Crushes Franchise Record On Steam Despite The Need To Pay Extra

Forza Horizon 6 has achieved an impressive early-access launch on Steam, setting a new franchise record with a peak concurrent player count of 172,093 users on May 15, 2026. This marks more than double the previous record held by Forza Horizon 5, which peaked at 81,096 concurrent players upon its November 2021 launch.

Notably, this record-breaking achievement occurred before the game’s official release on May 19, 2026. Currently, only players who purchased the game’s Premium Edition—priced at $119.99—have access through early access on PC (via Steam and Xbox App) and Xbox Series X/S. Additionally, Game Pass subscribers with a Premium Game Pass upgrade can also access the game during early access.

The strong performance despite the substantial price barrier for early access is particularly noteworthy. The $120 premium edition cost would typically limit access to a smaller portion of the player base, yet the game has maintained around 160,000 concurrent players as reports were being filed. This suggests considerable enthusiasm for the franchise and strong confidence in the game’s quality from potential buyers willing to pay for early access.

The game’s performance indicates it could become one of 2026’s major hits. While the full player base won’t gain access until the official May 19 launch, the early-access numbers suggest even larger player counts are likely once the game becomes available to standard edition purchasers and broader Game Pass subscribers.

Forza Horizon 6 Crushes Franchise Record On Steam Despite The Need To Pay Extra

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