Forza Horizon 6 Early Access Shows Players Will Pay Big To Play First
Forza Horizon 6 is already moving like a blockbuster, even before its proper release date. Playground Games’ new open-world racer became playable through its Premium Edition on Friday, May 15, ahead of the official launch on Tuesday, May 19 — and the early numbers are gila strong.
On Steam alone, the game reportedly hit more than 180,000 concurrent players on Sunday. For context, that put it comfortably among Steam’s biggest games for the weekend, and it more than doubled Forza Horizon 5’s all-time Steam peak of 81,000 players from its launch period.
But Steam is only one slice of the picture. Forza Horizon 6 is also playable on Xbox consoles, the Microsoft Store, and the Xbox app on PC. Those platforms do not show public player counts the way Steam does, but the game’s own leaderboard systems give us a useful clue.
Polygon points to an early-game speed trap called River Split Speed Trap, which records players who drive through it. It is technically optional, but it appears so early that most players will naturally trigger it. Over the weekend, the leaderboard had already logged 1.2 million players. By Polygon’s later check on Monday, that figure had climbed to 1,522,434 players.
That does not mean Xbox instantly made $180 million from early access. Some people online calculated revenue by multiplying the Premium Edition’s $120 price by the player count, but that is too simple.
The big reason: Forza Horizon 6 is still a first-party Xbox game, which means it is available day one through Game Pass Ultimate. Subscribers who want early access do not need to buy the full $120 edition; they can buy a $60 Premium Upgrade instead. Polygon also notes that someone could sign up for one month of Game Pass Ultimate and buy the upgrade for a combined $83.
So yes, the revenue is probably lower than the viral estimates. But the business win is still obvious.
For Malaysian and SEA players, this matters because it shows where big game launches are heading. Game Pass is already attractive here because full-price games can be painful, especially when USD pricing turns into serious RM damage. But Microsoft has found a way to keep Game Pass valuable while still convincing its most excited fans to pay extra at launch.
That “play first” feeling is powerful. If your friends are already racing, streaming clips, unlocking cars, and posting screenshots, waiting four days can feel macam kena tinggal. Publishers know this. Early access is no longer just a bonus; it is becoming the emotional hook that pushes hardcore players into the most expensive edition.
This is different from earlier premium launches. Hogwarts Legacy had early access in its Deluxe Edition at $80, only $10 above standard. Diablo 4 offered early access through its $90 Deluxe and $100 Ultimate editions. Forza Horizon 6 pushes much harder: its Premium Edition is $50 above the Standard Edition, while Game Pass subscribers still need a $60 upgrade to join early.
The packaging is also very deliberate. The $100 Deluxe Edition includes the Car Pass and Welcome Pack, but the $120 Premium Edition adds VIP Membership, two extra car packs, two future expansions, and early access. That makes the top tier look like the “proper” version, even if it is a lot of money.
Expect other publishers to study this closely. If millions of players are willing to pay extra just to start earlier, early access will likely become more common — and more often locked behind the priciest edition.
Forza Horizon 6 is not just launching a racing game here. It may be accelerating the next phase of how big games are sold.
Source: Polygon
