‘Forza Horizon 6’ is the best-reviewed game of 2026 so far

Beating out ‘Resident Evil Requiem’ and ‘Pokemon Pokopia’

Forza Horizon 6 has comfortably become the best-reviewed game of 2026 so far, according to aggregate site Metacritic.

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Forza Horizon 6 is set in Japan and features more than 550 cars, making it the largest Forza game ever. With nine different in-game radio stations featuring an impressive variety of musical stars, the soundtrack is also the biggest in the long-running racing game’s history. 

“Start your journey as a tourist and explore a world full of hit music and Japanese culture. Build a valley estate, acquire awe-inspiring homes, and display your prized car collection in fully customisable garages. Cruise the roads with your friends and join car meets around Japan, unleash your imagination with EventLab and build together in Horizon CoLab,” reads the official description of the open-world game.

Forza Horizon 6 launches tomorrow (May 19) but, according to review aggregate site Metacritic, is already the best-reviewed game of 2026.

With an average review score of 92 per cent, Forza Horizon 6 is “universally acclaimed” according to Metacritic, This puts it above Pokemon Pokopia and Resident Evil Requiem, which both have a Metacritic score of 89.

The best-reviewed games of 2026, according to Metacritic:

1. Forza Horizon 6 (92)
2. Pokemon Pokopia
3. Resident Evil Requiem (89)
4. Mewgenics (88)
5. Saros (87)
6. Hermit & Pig (87)
7. Cult Of The Lamb: Woolhaven (86)
8. Perfect Tides: Station To Station (86)
9. OPUS: Prism Peak (86)
10. Nioh 3 (86)
11. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection (86)
12. Mixtape (86)
13. Waxheads (86)
14. Cairn (86)
15. Timberborn (85)

“Turn 10 Studios and Playground Games have mastered the art of creating these giant sandbox environments, stuffing them with varied things to do, and letting you loose in a staggering array of different vehicles to just have fun. Tune the radio to your favourite music genre, start your engines, and let yourself enjoy it. Open-world racing doesn’t get better than this,” wrote the Radio Times in their glowing review. 

“This is Forza Horizon at its most powerful: with broad appeal and niche specialty, overclocking the fun factor whilst adding depth to its most finicky mechanics. The Japanese backdrop came at the perfect time; a beautiful accompaniment to a beautiful game,” said Eurogamer. “Technically, Forza Horizon 6 has not skipped a beat, and it runs like a titan. Aesthetically, it’s the best-looking and best-sounding game Playground has produced to date, set in the most wonderfully realised map it’s ever crafted – full of dense, authentic details and stunning driving roads. It’s rewarding to explore, the campaign is well-paced with a great payoff, and I simply cannot stop playing,” wrote IGN.

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Last week, a leaked version of Forza Horizon 6 made its way online with developers promising lifetime bans for anyone who plays it.

In other news, Mixtape publishers Annapurna Interactive have reassured fans the game won’t ever be shut down over expiring music rights.