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Despite achieving a 90/100 on Metacritic and launching with spectacular sales and critical reception, Forza Horizon 6 has faced significant backlash from players regarding its post-launch management and update cadence by Playground Games. Since mid-May, the studio's communication issues have led to widespread community complaints, prompting developer intervention on social media.
Playground Games issued a statement on X/Twitter acknowledging that they are reading feedback and have failed to communicate sufficiently since May. While the British studio confirmed they continue to release patches and bug fixes, they understand criticisms that updates should have been more ambitious. Content creators such as STEVIO2175, AR12Gaming, HokiHoshi, and Ericship 111 highlighted issues like minimal developer communication, mandatory Horizon Festival playlists instead of free-form play, recycled car models, the absence of the Forza Monthly program, and a lack of voice chat.
Additional controversies involved bans on player-created 'itasha' anime and manga car designs in late September, which led Turn 10 to update its code of conduct to allow non-explicit designs under human moderation. Furthermore, community members have criticized the game's heavy reliance on temporary content and grinding, contrasting it with titles like The Crew Motorfest. On Steam, recent reviews for Forza Horizon 6 stand at 'Varied' with only 56% positive opinions, though two future expansions remain planned alongside a future PS5 version.
