Playground Games is sending racing game fans to Japan starting today and is directly exiting the Early Access phase on Xbox Game Pass with "Forza Horizon 6". While the series' biggest open-world adventure to date leads the lineup, the service will lose a significant amount of playtime at the end of May due to the massive departure of Atlus RPGs.
"Forza Horizon 6“ is now available to all subscribers of Game Pass Ultimate and is available for download via PC Game Pass. With over 550 licensed vehicles, the developer is directly responding to the community's long-standing desire for an Asian setting. The announcement is part of a massive content wave running until early June, which Microsoft is simultaneously underpinning with the unannounced Jurassic World Evolution 3 and the day-one shooter Luna Abyss.
Why the Japan setting changes the gameplay
The move to Japan is more than just a visual change of scenery for the series. The narrow, winding mountain passes (Touge) and urban neon districts demand a completely different vehicle physics than the wide-open Mexican highways of its predecessor. Drift mechanics and precise handling in tight corners become far more important than pure top speed in a straight line.
The fact that Playground Games is delivering over 550 cars right at launch demonstrates the enormous pressure Microsoft is exerting in the live services sector. Game Pass is being used here as an immediate platform to maximize the player base without a paywall.
The pipeline through early June shows a clear shift towards management and co-op titles. Frontier Developments will launch "Jurassic World Evolution 3" on the service on day one, June 2nd. Microsoft is thus definitively establishing its subscription service as the primary platform for complex construction and management simulations.
For core gamers, "Remnant II" will also be released on May 20th. This extremely challenging Souls-like shooter features procedurally generated worlds and brutally difficult co-op gameplay. This fills the gap for players looking for tactical depth and a high level of difficulty.
The painful loss of the role-playing game heavyweights
Despite the strong new additions, Xbox Game Pass will suffer a significant loss of content in the JRPG genre on May 31st. The simultaneous departure of "Metaphor: ReFantazio" and "Persona 4 Golden" leaves a huge gap in the offerings for story-driven gamers.
Both Atlus titles are known for their enormous playtime, well over 80 hours. Anyone who hasn't already played these mammoth projects extensively will likely find it difficult to finish them before the end of the month. This highlights the downside of the subscription model: large, story-driven games often disappear just when you want to play them at your leisure.
An overview of the new Xbox Game Pass lineup
Available from today (May 19th)
- Forza Horizon 6 (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, PC) – Ultimate / PC Game Pass
available soon
- Dead Static Drive (May 20 – Cloud, Console, PC) – Premium/Ultimate/PC Game Pass
- My Friend Peppa Pig (May 20 – Cloud, Console, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
- Pigeon simulator (May 20 – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, PC) – Premium/Ultimate/PC Game Pass
- Remnants II (May 20 – Cloud, Console, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
- Winter Burrow (May 20 – Cloud, Console, PC) – Premium/Ultimate/PC Game Pass
- Luna Abyss (May 21th – Day One – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate / PC Game Pass
- escape simulator (May 26 – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
- Echo Generation 2 (May 27th – Day One – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate / PC Game Pass
- The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition (May 27 – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
- Crashout Crew (May 28th – Day One – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, PC) – Ultimate / PC Game Pass
- Kabuto Park (May 28th – Day One – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
- F (June 2 – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
- Jurassic world evolution 3 (June 2 – Day One – Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, PC) – Ultimate/Premium/PC Game Pass
Departures as of May 31st
- Against the Storm
- Crypt Custodian
- Metaphor: Refantazio
- 4 Golden Person
- Spray Paint Simulator
The current Game Pass wave is one of the strongest of the year in terms of quality. "Forza Horizon 6" delivers the dream scenario fans have been demanding, and it's available as a day-one release at no extra cost. Along with "Remnant II" and "Jurassic World Evolution 3," almost every genre is covered. Nevertheless, the loss of the Atlus RPGs is a significant blow. This package shifts the catalog's focus away from deep single-player stories and towards simulations, racing games, and co-op action.
The Japan setting for "Forza Horizon 6" is finally here. Are you excited about the trip to Tokyo, or are you mourning the loss of "Metaphor: ReFantazio"?
