What time does Forza Horizon 6 come out?

The Forza Horizon 6 release time is rapidly approaching, with the game set to launch on May 19, while those that paid for the Premium Edition can play even sooner thanks to an early access period. To confuse launch time matters even more, Forza Horizon 6 also has different release schedules for Xbox and Steam. To clear things up, here are the key dates and release times to be aware of for FH6 for all platforms and early access.

Forza Horizon 6 early access release time for Steam and Xbox

If you've pre-ordered the Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition or bought the Premium Upgrade Bundle, you to play the game during the early access period, letting you get a four-day head start:

• Xbox early access release time: Midnight in your region on May 15
  • This means you can use the New Zealand trick explained below to start playing a little early.
• Steam early access release time: 4:01AM UTC on May 15
  • This translates to the following times around the world:
    • US Pacific: 9:01PM PDT on May 14
    • US Eastern: 00:01AM EDT on May 15
    • UK: 5:01AM BST on May 15
    • Central Europe: 6:01AM CEST on May 15
    • Japan: 1:01PM JST on May 15
    • Eastern Australia: 2:01PM AEST on May 15
    • New Zealand: 4:01PM NZST on May 15

Forza Horizon 6 Xbox release time

For Xbox players that also didn't pre-order the Premium Edition of the game, Forza Horizon 6 will release at midnight on May 19 in your region. This is also the Forza Horizon 6 Game Pass release time.

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If you've pre-ordered the game, you can begin pre-loading it onto your Xbox now too. It should be automatic, but I find automatic downloads on Xbox can be pretty unreliable, so look for the game under "My Games & Apps" and start the install from there. Once installed, you'll be able to play it once midnight on May 19 rolls around.

Although, you could also make use of the classic New Zealand time zone trick to begin playing a little early. Xbox players can alter their console's region to New Zealand within the 'Language & location' menu – open the Settings app, then scroll down to the 'System' tab to find this option. With your console set to NZST, you'll be able to start playing Forza Horizon 6 as soon as it hits midnight over there.

Forza Horizon 6 Steam release time

If you did not pre-order the Premium Edition, you'll instead have to wait for the proper release date. Forza Horizon 6 releases on Steam at 4:01AM UTC on May 19. Here's how that translates to various time zones around the world:

• US Pacific: 9:01PM PDT on May 18
• US Eastern: 00:01AM EDT on May 19
• UK: 5:01AM BST on May 19
• Central Europe: 6:01AM CEST on May 19
• Japan: 1:01PM JST on May 19
• Eastern Australia: 2:01PM AEST on May 19
• New Zealand: 4:01PM NZST on May 19

If you've pre-ordered Forza Horizon 6 in any form on Steam, you can also start pre-loading the game now via your Steam library.

At this point, we still don't know when Forza Horizon 6 on PS5 is happening, other than at some point in 2026. Take a look at the Forza Horizon 6 car list in the meantime.

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