Forza Horizon 6 – Stunning World, but Performance Issues Keep Breaking the Experience
Racing games, we all love them, right? So when Forza Horizon 6 was on the horizon, I was all in. I had played Forza Horizon 5 and absolutely loved it, so I knew I was in for something special. I’d also recently visited Japan myself, so the setting immediately hit differently.
On paper, this looked like one of the most ambitious open world racing games ever made, set across Tokyo’s neon streets, winding mountain drift roads, and massive highway systems.
But underneath that stunning Japanese skyline, I started running into performance issues, save sync problems, crashes, and inconsistent AI that disrupted my races at the worst possible moments.
A Stunning Open World that Sometimes Struggles to Keep Up
Japan is easily the strongest part of Forza Horizon 6. Tokyo feels alive with neon lighting and dense traffic, while mountain roads deliver some of the best drifting sections the series has ever had.
Highway racing at high speed still gives that classic Horizon feeling of freedom, especially when you tune your cars into higher classes. You really feel the adrenaline as you dodge traffic at full speed, and it genuinely makes those long highway stretches some of the most enjoyable parts of the game.
But game performance isn’t always consistent. During busier races and multiplayer convoys, I noticed frame drops and slight stutters that threw off my timing and in a game where precision actually matters, that becomes noticeable very quickly.
For example, at the starting line, I would hit, accelerate and expect a clean launch, but occasionally rival cars would pull ahead instantly in a way that didn’t feel consistent. And yes, I’m aware of launch control and tuning setups, this just felt slightly off in certain races.
It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does, it makes the experience feel unstable, especially in moments where you’re trying to fully control the car and it doesn’t respond the way you expect.
Save Sync Issues & Progression Glitches
One of the most frustrating issues I ran into is progression syncing. After a normal session, I returned later and noticed small inconsistencies, such as event progress not fully updating, rewards appearing with delays, and unlocks taking longer than expected.
It’s not a constant issue, and I’m sure the developers are working on improvements, but it does create an uneasy feeling when you’re not fully confident the game is tracking your progress correctly. In a game built around progression and rewards, that uncertainty stands out more than it should.
AI Racing Still Feels Inconsistent
As I mentioned earlier, races are fun, but they don’t always feel fair. Some events are clean and competitive where you can race properly, take corners tight, and build real leads.
Other times, AI opponents suddenly close gaps in ways that don’t feel tied to mistakes or actual speed differences. There have been moments where I’m leading on the map by a huge mile, only to find that as soon as I hit a straight, an AI car is able to catch up and almost beat me. I mean, come on Vance, give me a break, how did your car even get that fast? Did you suddenly inject nitrous oxide or something?
It really creates moments where you’re not sure if you’re improving or just being scaled against, and that removes a bit of the competitive tension. The real kicker is when I am driving a Radical RXC Turbo and the Peel P50 shoots right past me.
The Festival Playlist Feels More Like Routine Than Racing
The Festival Playlist system is designed to keep players engaged with rotating events and rewards. However, the further I progressed in the game, the more it started to feel like a checklist.
I could see how close I was to earning my wristband, but with all the main races completed, I found myself travelling between speed traps, drift zones, and smaller challenges just to scrape together enough points to progress.
At times, it felt quite draining and repetitive, especially when playing with friends who had to wait while I completed these smaller events just to move forward. It’s structured well on paper, but in practice it leans heavily into routine over excitement.
Multiplayer & Convoy Friction
Playing with friends is still one of the best parts of Horizon. You can build a convoy of up to 12 players and explore the world together, which is where the game really shines.
In theory, you can all take part in the same Horizon activities together, whether that’s free roam, races, or seasonal events. When it works, it feels seamless and chaotic in the best way.
However, convoys aren’t always smooth. I experienced delays joining sessions and occasional desync issues where players ended up in different instances of the world.
This was especially noticeable when playing with friends across different platforms, where some players would still be loading in while others were already driving in free roam after an event had finished.
It doesn’t happen every session, but when it does, it breaks the flow quite a bit and makes multiplayer feel less connected than it should.
Crashes & Disconnects That Hit Hard
The worst moments aren’t the bugs themselves, it’s when they happen. I’ve had races where the game crashed mid event and kicked me out completely. When that happens, my friends often have to leave the race too, which usually breaks the convoy and forces us to restart the whole invite process again. It’s especially painful when you’re close to finishing an event and lose all progress at the last moment.
The worst example for me was during a rally race. I was on the final stretch when the game froze. My friends finished the race while I was left disconnected, with no reward or completion.
Moments like that feel genuinely frustrating, because progression is tied directly to performance. When the game breaks at the worst possible time, it feels more punishing than it should.
What helped me fix crashes and disconnects
A few things can help reduce crashes and convoy disconnects, although none of them fully eliminated the issue, but they are worth trying.
- First I would suggest restarting the game before long convoy sessions to clear session instability. My friends on console have found that avoiding quick resume (on console) as it can sometimes cause desync problems in online play.
- It also seems that staying in smaller convoys can sometimes reduce the chance of players being split into different instances and crashing, especially during busy multiplayer events, however this won’t help if you have a large convoy.
It’s not a perfect fix, but these small adjustments can make sessions slightly more stable when things start to break.
What Makes Forza Horizon 6 Still Worth Playing
Even with the issues I mentioned above, Forza Horizon 6 still delivers where it matters most. The driving feels great, keeping that classic arcade style handling we all love while also offering deep tuning options that let you fine tune your cars for drifting, rallying, or whatever style of driving you enjoy most.
The world, and especially this take on Japan, is one of the best in the genre. From the neon lit streets of Tokyo to the scenic mountain roads, the map is packed with beautiful locations and impressive lighting that make every drive enjoyable.
Tokyo drifting at night or taking a long highway run still gives me that “one more race” feeling. And when I want to switch things up, blasting down the highway before launching off a massive ramp is still enough to get the adrenaline pumping. That’s what keeps pulling me back. Despite its flaws, Forza Horizon 6 still captures the freedom, excitement, and fun that made the series so popular in the first place.
On the other end of the spectrum, the sim racing crowd has been having a very different conversation with the release of NASCAR 25, developed by iRacing. While it’s aimed at a more hardcore audience, the game has sparked plenty of debate online, with some players praising the realism and others saying it feels too punishing or divisive compared to more accessible racers. That contrast between arcade freedom and strict simulation is exactly why games like Forza Horizon 6 still feel so refreshing in today’s racing landscape.
So, how melty is it?
Forza Horizon 6 is still one of the most impressive arcade racing games ever made. The world design, driving feel, and overall content depth are all excellent. If you’re already a fan of the series, this game will slot naturally into your collection.
However, the performance issues mentioned above, along with save sync inconsistencies, AI quirks, and occasional crashes, really prevent it from feeling as polished as it should be at this level and in the current market.
When everything comes together, it works brilliantly. But when you notice every crack, and I’m not just talking about your broken windscreen, the game can really make you want to throw your controller or wheel out of the window.
If you want to learn more about the game before you pick it up, head over to the Forza Horizon 6 website. If you want more racing then head over to the Racing Games Hub
