Forza Horizon 6 is the first game in the series set in Japan because Playground Games wanted to "do the country justice," and its Hot Wheels DLC helped that happen

Screenshot from Forza Horizon 5's Hot Wheels expansion, showing some cars racing on a hot wheels track wrapped around natural terrain.

(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Forza Horizon fans have been clamoring to see the music/car festival hit Japan ever since the series first revved up its engines, and with the newly-revealed Forza Horizon 6, it's finally happening. But why did it take over a decade? Developer Playground Games explains it first needed the right experience to tackle Tokyo City's unique roads – the experience of making Hot Wheels tracks, to be specific.

Playground Games art director Don Arceta tells GamesRadar+ that the team have "really grown to understand" the Xbox Series X throughout the years, helping them bring their vision of Japan to life in-game, "but technology and console aside," the bigger boon was the studio's knowledge from past games.

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"An example is Forza Horizon 5's Hot Wheel expansion," Arceta explains. "We actually developed a new way to create those orange tracks that go around the road to get the best quality and have it be authentic [to Hot Wheels]. We've actually leveraged and built off that tech to build elevated roads that weave and web around Tokyo City." Hot Wheels tracks wrapped around mountains, Tokyo streets... same difference, eh?

"The beauty of Horizon games is that each one gives us learnings and ways to make the next even bigger and better," he adds in a chat with Xbox Wire, explaining that the team didn't want to tackle Japan until the stars aligned and until the team could "do the country justice" in every aspect, especially "authentic representation and Horizon open world playability."

"As well as taking player feedback into account, we've also been able to lean into more practical things," he adds, before specifically pointing to that aforementioned Hot Wheels DLC.

Forza Horizon 6's Japan is even bigger than Forza Horizon 5's map, which itself was double the size of FH4, but the new setting is "also dense" with "always something around the corner"