Missing a weekly event should not mean losing a favorite car forever. That is the idea behind a major change to Forza Horizon 6 rewards, as Playground Games prepares to make every Festival Playlist reward car permanently obtainable in 2027. Alongside that promise, Japan is getting more permanent races, unusual vehicles and two paid expansions. For players tired of chasing deadlines, this could be the most important part of the game’s future.
Forza Horizon 6 rewards will no longer depend on weekly deadlines
The biggest announcement is not another supercar or racing circuit. Playground Games intends to overhaul the Festival Playlist so that all reward cars can eventually be collected without worrying about their original availability windows. That includes vehicles released months earlier, such as the Fury from Series 1, as well as cars introduced before the overhaul arrives.
There is no confirmed release date for this system beyond 2027. Nevertheless, the commitment represents a significant departure from the traditional Festival Playlist formula, where missing a particular week could leave collectors waiting for another opportunity to obtain a vehicle.
Forza Horizon has long relied on rotating activities to encourage regular participation. However, that approach creates a difficult choice for anyone juggling other games, work or personal commitments. A racing game built around freedom can feel surprisingly restrictive when its most desirable rewards follow a calendar.
Playground Games has already taken a smaller step with Series 7, lowering the points needed to unlock reward cars. Consequently, players can choose more freely which activities to complete, even when they avoid online events or championships. Our earlier coverage of Forza Horizon 6 City Life and its easier car unlocks explains how that initial adjustment works.
Why Forza Horizon 6 rewards could change how players return
Making old reward cars permanently available could solve a problem that goes beyond collecting. Seasonal exclusivity gives players a reason to log in immediately, but it can also make returning after a long break feel discouraging. If several desirable cars have disappeared, catching up becomes less appealing.
Under the planned system, returning players would have a clearer path towards completing their collections. Someone who starts playing in late 2027 could pursue vehicles originally introduced during the game’s first months, rather than relying entirely on future reruns.
There is an important distinction, though. Playground Games has not explained exactly how these permanent unlocks will work. Whether cars require challenges, credits or another progression method remains unknown. The studio also leaves room for occasional limited-time content, so the announcement does not mean every seasonal activity will disappear.
This direction could be especially relevant to PlayStation players. Forza Horizon 6 launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC on May 18, 2026, while its PS5 version is scheduled for January 2027. A less restrictive reward system would make joining the Japanese festival later considerably more attractive, although the overhaul itself has no specific launch date.
Japan is becoming a permanent racing playground
The next updates also address another weakness of seasonal content: interesting locations that vanish after their associated events end. With Series 8, Horizon Holidays, Playground Games will introduce the winter-themed Yukimi circuit inside the stadium, featuring simultaneous time attack and drift attack activities.
Drifting will gain a new scoring consideration. Players can tackle zones of different widths, with narrower sections offering higher multipliers in exchange for greater difficulty. Another permanent road route is coming too. More importantly, the stadium will always contain activities from this point forward, rather than periodically becoming an empty venue.
EventLab events will also return to the Playlist. Creators will receive a substantial prop collection, including traffic cones in approximately 20 colors. These additions may sound modest compared with new cars, yet they give community builders more tools to create distinctive challenges.
Series 9, Legendary Explorers, will then expand Legend Island through permanent Discover Japan content. Its highlights include the first regional mascot, Wagashi, and The Marathon, the game’s longest street race. Starting on Legend Island, this extended route travels through Tokyo City, Daikoku, the festival grounds and the coast.
There is also a wonderfully unconventional vehicle to discover: the Datsun Baby. Originally used by Japanese driving schools during the 1960s, this tiny car arrives with its protective bumper ring intact. Its approximate 28 mph top speed makes it the slowest vehicle in the game, although upgrades can transform its performance. Unlike another high-powered exotic, the Baby gives collectors a different reason to explore Japan.
January and February 2027 bring expansions, cars and drifting
January marks the next major milestone. Playground Games plans to release Forza Horizon 6’s first paid expansion alongside the free Series 10 update, Exotics & Tuners. Details about the expansion itself remain under wraps, so its location, features and price have not been announced.
Series 10 will introduce more reward cars, including one of the Honda Civics most frequently requested by the community. A new radio station is also planned, giving players another soundtrack option while exploring Japan.
February’s Series 11 will take a different approach to vehicle availability. In addition to the usual five Playlist reward cars, 15 returning vehicles from previous Forza games will enter the Autoshow directly. That means players will not need to unlock those particular returning cars through seasonal challenges.
A separate car pack is scheduled for the same update. Meanwhile, drifting enthusiasts will receive a permanent circuit in the docks, weaving between shipping containers. New EventLab drift props and city-inspired building pieces will expand the possibilities for custom events.
Looking further ahead, Playground Games has confirmed a second paid expansion during 2027, additional routes and more vehicles. The precise timing of these additions remains unannounced, as does the date of the larger Playlist overhaul.
The real test is whether permanent content replaces FOMO
The roadmap comes after months of criticism from players frustrated by fear of missing out, commonly called FOMO. In the first installment of its new developer video series, design director Torben Ellert and senior game designer Will Hume explain the studio’s plans for the coming months. Their presentation, The Road Ahead: Festival Playlist on the official Forza YouTube channel, outlines the changes directly.
There is a broader design question here. A live-service-style update schedule can keep an open-world racing game active for years, but it does not necessarily need to make its best additions temporary. Permanent circuits, accessible vehicle collections and reusable EventLab tools can reward players who return occasionally, not just those who play every week.
That is why the planned overhaul matters more than the number of cars arriving in any individual series. The 2026 updates are already reducing the pressure to participate in specific activities. Meanwhile, the 2027 changes aim to remove a much larger obstacle: losing access to reward vehicles because a deadline has passed.
Forza Horizon 6 rewards could therefore become less about keeping up with a schedule and more about building a personal collection over time. Playground Games still needs to explain the new unlock system, but the direction is promising. Would you rather earn exclusive cars during limited events, or have the freedom to unlock them whenever you return to Japan?
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