Square cars in a digital Japan? Our first look at Forza Horizon 6!

At first glance, a racing video game might seem like an unusual topic for Square Society. We’ve never positioned ourselves as a gaming platform, and that isn’t about to change. However, Forza Horizon 6 marks a rare crossover moment that feels genuinely relevant to our community.

For the first time in the Forza Horizon series, the game is set in Japan — a country that sits at the very heart of Square Society. Almost every car within our community originates from Japanese manufacturers, and Japanese car culture has shaped everything from our builds and events to our aesthetic and identity as a club.

This isn’t about the game itself — it’s about what it represents. A global spotlight on Japanese roads, cities, landscapes, and car culture opens the door to seeing vehicles like ours represented in a space they’ve rarely occupied before. Boxy kei cars, family vans, compact MPVs, and everyday Japanese metal are just as much a part of Japan’s automotive story as the performance icons that usually dominate the limelight.

With Forza Horizon 6 heading to Japan, we wanted to take a closer look through a Square Society lens:

Are square cars present?

Is everyday Japanese car culture reflected?

And does the setting feel authentic to the world our cars come from?

That’s why we’re paying attention — not as gamers, but as enthusiasts watching Japanese car culture enter a new digital space.

Forza Horizon 6 - Gameplay Teaser Trailer

Forza Horizon 6 - Gameplay Overview

First Impressions: A Different Kind of Horizon

From the official details released so far, Forza Horizon 6 already feels like a shift in direction for the series. While it retains the familiar Horizon Festival framework, the decision to set the game in Japan — for the first time in the franchise’s history — fundamentally changes the tone of the experience.

Rather than presenting Japan as a simple visual backdrop, the game positions it as the core of the journey, with culture, environment and progression all tied closely to the setting.

Starting as a Tourist, Not a Legend

One of the most interesting design choices is how the game introduces the player. You don’t begin as a racing icon; instead, you arrive in Japan as a tourist, gradually earning your place within the Horizon Festival.

This framing suggests a slower, more grounded entry point into the world, allowing players to explore the country and its driving culture before rising through the ranks. It’s a subtle shift, but one that aligns more closely with real-world car enthusiasm — discovering, learning and building up over time rather than starting at the top.

Tokyo Takes Centre Stage

The scale of the map is clearly a major focus. Tokyo is described as the largest city ever created for a Forza Horizon game, featuring suburbs, downtown streets, docks and industrial districts. This dense urban design marks a departure from the wide-open landscapes seen in previous entries.

For everyday Japanese cars, this matters. Compact, boxy vehicles and practical daily drivers feel far more at home navigating city streets and suburban roads than they ever did in deserts or open countryside. The environment finally feels believable for the kinds of cars that dominate real Japanese roads.

A Broader Take on Japanese Car Culture

While performance cars will always have a presence, the official details point towards a wider celebration of Japanese car culture. With over 550 vehicles promised at launch, alongside Touge Battles, aftermarket car discoveries and festival legends rooted in Japan’s automotive history, the game appears to be leaning into more than just headline icons.

There’s a clear effort to acknowledge how cars are actually enjoyed in Japan — from mountain roads to urban cruising — rather than focusing solely on speed and spectacle.

Ownership, Customisation and Display

Customisation goes beyond performance upgrades this time. Fully customisable garages, display spaces for car collections, downloadable community layouts and even window liveries all place greater emphasis on ownership and presentation.

This approach reflects the idea of cars as long-term projects rather than disposable tools for events. It’s a mindset that mirrors club culture, where personal builds and attention to detail matter just as much as outright performance.

A Social-First Horizon Experience

Multiplayer features continue to lean heavily into shared experiences. Car meets, cruising with friends, co-op challenges and creative tools such as EventLab and Horizon CoLab reinforce the idea that this Horizon Festival is designed to be experienced together.

That focus on social driving and shared spaces feels particularly relevant for car communities, where the enjoyment often comes from being around others rather than competing against them.

What This Means for Square Society

While the full car list is still to be revealed (we did notice quite a heavy influence of Kei cars & vans so we're full of hope to see some of our squares in the game), the foundations being laid by Forza Horizon 6 are encouraging. Dense cities, everyday driving environments, car meets, cruising, ownership and Japanese cultural storytelling all create a world where square and practical Japanese cars could finally feel at home.

There are still questions to answer, but for the first time, a Horizon game appears to naturally support the type of vehicles and culture Square Society exists to celebrate — which is exactly why this one is worth paying attention to.

Launch Date

Forza Horizon 6 launches globally on Xbox Series X|S, PC & Xbox Cloud Gaming on Tuesday 19th May 2026 (PlayStation players will have to wait for an official launch date for their platform).

Pre-order the Premium Edition to get early access from Friday 15th May and you'll get an exclusive pre-tuned Ferrari J50.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on further reveals as Forza Horizon 6 develops, particularly when the full car list is confirmed. If square and everyday Japanese cars make their way into the game, you can be sure we’ll be talking about it.

BE BOLD. BE SQUARE.