Forza Horizon 6 Stays on PS5 as XBOX Strategy and Game Pass Changes Raise New Questions

Forza Horizon 6 has just provided another update on its PlayStation 5 release, and it brings Xbox's current approach to exclusivity back into the spotlight. The game was recently rumored to have been quietly delayed beyond 2026, with several people online suggesting that the PS5 version would not arrive until 2027. 

That situation has now changed after the official Forza Horizon account confirmed that the game is still coming to PS5 later this year. At the same time, XBOX is making changes to Game Pass pricing, while questions about physical media and its next-generation consoles continue to grow.

The Forza Horizon 6 situation started after reports began circulating that the game would not make its previously expected 2026 release window on PS5. 

Prominent journalist Tom Warren said he was not expecting to see Forza Horizon 6 on PlayStation 5 in 2026, while other reports suggested that Playground Games was quietly pushing the PS5 version into 2027. 

There was also some direct discussion about the situation involving Tom Warren. When someone suggested that Forza Horizon 6 would not arrive on PS5 this year, Warren responded that it was definitely still releasing, while another person asked whether he had inside information about a potential delay. 

Warren responded that he does not simply make things up, which made the situation even more confusing. At that point, it was difficult to tell whether the game had actually been delayed or whether some of the information circulating online was simply incorrect.

The uncertainty also tied into Microsoft's changing approach to exclusivity. XBOX has recently shown a stronger interest in keeping certain games exclusive, with titles such as Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution positioned as console exclusives. 

That has led to speculation that Microsoft could eventually become more aggressive about keeping some of its biggest games away from competing platforms. Forza Horizon 6 would have been an obvious candidate for that strategy if Microsoft wanted to make a major statement about XBOX exclusivity.

However, the argument around exclusives is more complicated than simply using them to sell consoles. The common wisdom is that exclusives are important for the identity and brand image of a platform, but they are not necessarily the most significant reason why people decide to buy a console. 

That makes Microsoft's decision surrounding Forza Horizon 6 particularly interesting. 

It would make sense for XBOX to keep one of its biggest franchises off of PlayStation if it went back to a much more strict exclusivity strategy. Forza Horizon has already become one of Xbox's most recognizable racing franchises, and the series has done well in the past without PlayStation sales. 

Despite that, the official Forza Horizon account has now made the situation much clearer. After the recent speculation, the account confirmed that Forza Horizon 6 will be released on PS5 later this year. The announcement specifically tells players planning to explore Japan on PlayStation 5 to stay tuned, confirming that the PS5 version remains part of the current release plans. 

It is still possible that something changed internally before the official announcement, but there is currently no reason to assume that the PS5 version has been delayed. The more interesting question is what this development tells you about Microsoft's wider strategy. 

Rather than having one simple policy where every XBOX game is either exclusive or multiplatform, the company appears to be making decisions on a case-by-case basis. That could become especially important when other major games, including The Elder Scrolls 6, eventually approach release.

While Forza Horizon 6 continues toward PS5, XBOX Game Pass is also undergoing another change. Microsoft has experimented with discounts for new subscribers before, including promotional prices for people signing up for shorter periods. 

This time, however, the company appears to be trying a different approach, offering annual subscriptions to former Game Pass members. Some users are reportedly being offered a cheaper price for a full year of Game Pass Ultimate.

One reported offer gives former subscribers 12 months of Game Pass Ultimate for $169 instead of paying the regular monthly price of $22.99. 

The exact offers are not identical for everyone, and not every former subscriber is guaranteed the same discount. Reports suggest that people who are currently unsubscribed are more likely to receive these offers.

That kind of dynamic pricing makes sense from a business perspective because it gives Microsoft another way to bring former subscribers back into the service. However, it can also create frustration among people who have remained subscribed and paid the regular price every month. 

A customer who has consistently spent $22.99 could reasonably expect to receive a loyalty discount instead of watching former subscribers receive a better annual deal. It’s like phone companies, where you get better deals when you are a new customer than if you have been with the same company for years.

The strategy could also encourage some existing subscribers to cancel their memberships. Once people realize that former subscribers are receiving cheaper offers, some may decide that they are better off ending their current subscription and waiting to see whether XBOX offers them a discount later. 

That would create a strange situation where remaining loyal to the service could actually result in paying more. Game Pass has already gone through several changes, including adjustments to cloud gaming limits, so another round of changes before the end of the year or into 2027 would not be surprising.

Physical media is another area where XBOX faces an increasingly complicated future. 

Microsoft's disc-to-digital program has been viewed as a consumer-friendly option because it connects eligible physical games to digital licenses. However, questions remain about whether Microsoft's next-generation hardware, currently referred to as Project Helix, will include an optical drive or at least support an external one. 

The problem is that optical drives are becoming increasingly difficult to source. Reports from Windows Central and Digital Foundry have suggested that the supply chain for optical drives is shrinking, with component shortages making large-scale production less practical. 

Drives were once inexpensive and common components in PCs and consoles, but they have increasingly become niche hardware. As manufacturing support decreases, producing them could become significantly pricier.

That creates a difficult situation for the next generation of consoles. Microsoft could potentially decide not to include a disc drive in the main console but offer an external drive as an optional accessory. 

Another possibility would be allowing third-party manufacturers to produce compatible drives, which could potentially reduce Microsoft's costs while still giving consumers an option for physical games. If optical drives become too expensive, however, even an optional accessory could end up costing substantially more than players expect.

Keeping some form of disc support would also protect the long-term usefulness of Microsoft's disc-to-digital program. 

If the only consoles capable of using physical discs eventually stop working, owners could lose access to the system that converts those physical games into digital licenses. That is especially important for people who have invested heavily in physical XBOX games over multiple generations. 

Ubisoft has also opted out of Microsoft's disc-to-digital program, which frustrates players who own its games. Ubisoft already has a strong relationship with XBOX through services such as Ubisoft+ and its presence across the platform, so its decision not to participate stands out. 

Sega also appears not to have opted into the program yet, although both publishers could potentially change their positions later. Electronic Arts, meanwhile, is participating, giving players with eligible games access to the corresponding PC version through XBOX Play Anywhere as well as cloud gaming.

PlayStation is also reportedly looking toward its older franchises again, with a new Killzone project potentially in development. According to reports, Sony is considering either a remake or remaster of a Killzone title, with People Can Fly reportedly involved in co-development. 

The original Killzone launched on PlayStation 2 in 2004, making it a possible candidate for a modern remake or remaster that could introduce the franchise to a newer audience. Even bringing back an older entry would represent a notable change for PlayStation, which has spent much of the current generation focusing on established franchises.

A return for Killzone could also lead to a revival of other older PlayStation properties. 

Series such as Resistance, Sly Cooper, and Infamous remain popular among players who have been waiting for Sony to revisit its back catalog. A Killzone remake or remaster would not necessarily mean those games are coming back, but it would show that Sony is at least willing to reconsider older properties. 

Finally, Sega has explained why its Super Game project was canceled. The project was a part of a partnership between Sega and Microsoft and was meant to be a large-scale global game built from the ground up. 

"We believe that games-as-a-service is an important part of the modern industry," Sega president Shuji Utsumi explained, "but we also found that the development and maintenance of such a project would require a significant financial investment. But with live-service games flopping industry-wide, Sega finally determined that the financial risk was too great.

That could be a smart move, especially with so many expensive live-service titles struggling to attract and retain players. Sega would have to spend heavily, not just on development but on years of post-launch support. 

Instead, the company can focus on existing franchises and projects with a more defined audience. 

That could also help explain why Sega has been bringing back older properties such as Crazy Taxi, giving the company another way to use its existing catalog without taking on the same level of risk.

Taken together, these developments show how differently major gaming companies are approaching the next stage of the industry. XBOX is balancing exclusivity with multiplatform releases while experimenting with Game Pass pricing and trying to figure out how physical media fits into its next-generation plans. 

PlayStation appears to be revisiting some of its older franchises, while Sega is moving away from an expensive live-service gamble and putting more attention on established properties. Forza Horizon 6 remaining on PS5 is perhaps the clearest example that XBOX's strategy is not as straightforward as a simple return to traditional exclusivity.