Forza Horizon 6 will launch with a $59.99 Premium Upgrade Bundle that unlocks four days of early access — albeit at almost the same cost as buying the game again.
Last night, Xbox gave its upcoming Japan-set open world racer a stunning full gameplay reveal during its Xbox Developer Direct livestream, though didn’t go into detail on the game’s pricing.
When it arrives on May 19 for PC and Xbox Series X/S, Forza Horizon 6’s Standard Edition will cost $69.99, while its Premium Edition is priced at $119.99. Alternatively — and of note for those planning to play the game via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate — you can purchase that $59.99 Premium Upgrade Bundle, and play starting May 15.
The game’s Premium Edition / Premium Upgrade include other benefits too, of course, though not all of them are available on day one. Effectively, this option lets you pre-order the game’s two upcoming, unannounced expansions, as well as the Italian Passion Car Park, which also does not have a release date. You’ll also get the Time Attack Car Pack, Car Pass (which adds 30 more cars to your game, one per week), plus VIP Membership and a Welcome Pack.
This offering is nothing new for the Forza Horizon series, though is $10 more than the $49.99 Premium Upgrade offered for Forza Horizon 5 — an increase that has not gone unnoticed among the franchise’s fanbase on social media and reddit.
The pricing is even more remarkable in other territories, too — in the UK, the Premium Upgrade is £59.99, the exact same cost as the game itself. In Australia, the Premium Edition is AU $190, up from AU $150 for the Premium Edition of Forza Horizon 5.
Xbox Games Series Tier List
Xbox Games Series Tier List
“Yeah that’s absolutely cooked,” wrote Aussie Forza fan Pretty_Leather4803 on reddit. “$40 more for basically the same content as last time? Microsoft really thinks we’re made of money down here. At this point I’m just gonna wait for it to hit Game Pass and skip all the fancy extras.”
“Inflation is a real thing,” countered another fan, BrokenClays, in yet another reddit thread. “In November 2021 FH5 Premium was $99.99. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $116.58 in December 2025 dollars. They are charging $119.99. In the UK in 2021 FH5 cost £84.99. Adjusted for inflation, it would be £106.58. They are charging £109.99. I know a lot of people are feeling sticker shock, but the price increase is just a hair over inflation. The world we live in is more expensive.”
Finally, just to cover all bases, there’s the Deluxe Edition of the game — which is less deluxe than the Premium Edition. For $99.99, you’ll get the base game, Car Pass and Welcome Pack, but not the early access, expansions, or anything else included in the Premium Edition / Upgrade.
It’s worth pointing out that last year, a report alleged that Microsoft had pushed Xbox studios to deliver a 30% profit margin — much higher than the industry average. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier said that Microsoft’s 30% profit margin goal had led to the gaming division’s huge layoffs, canceled projects, controversial price rises, and multiplatform push.
Bloomberg said the average profit margin in the video game industry is 17-22%. Over the past six years, Xbox has hit 10-20%. To put that 30% target into more context, Sony’s PlayStation division achieved a 16% profit margin in Q1 FY25. Bloomberg said Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood enforced the new target in fall 2023 — amid Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard.
Which Forza Horizon 6 edition of the game are you buying?
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
