Forza Horizon 6 charts entry has pulled off a surprise, landing at #2 in the UK physical charts. That’s not typical—these charts are usually packed with Nintendo and PlayStation titles. Xbox games rarely crack the top five. The last time that happened was Starfield. So Forza not only managed to debut high, it outsold a new Nintendo release, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, during its launch week. In the UK, that almost never happens.

Important Shift of Gear as Forza Horizon 6 Charts at Number Two

Why does this matter? Nintendo usually owns the physical charts, while Xbox fans tend to buy digital. Forza’s boxed version is exclusive to Xbox, so those sales are coming straight from Xbox players. Plus, it’s on Game Pass, which you’d think would hurt physical sales—but even so, the game still made it. Steam sales are also high but they are digital sakes.

Basically, Forza Horizon 6 crushed the usual expectations for Xbox games.

Now, the engagement side is interesting too. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said Forza Horizon 6 set a new record for most-played early-access in the franchise’s history. That means people were hyped before it officially launched.

Read More: Phonopolis Achievements Guide

All of this together—big physical sales and strong early engagement—suggests that Xbox is getting some of its spark back. Players are checking out major Xbox releases again, the brand seems to be finding some new energy in the UK, and the Game Pass strategy isn’t hurting enthusiasm. If anything, it’s helping.

Xbox making a comeback?

Xbox (or should that be XBOX now?), is working hard to re-engage fans. Here are reasons why this early Forza Horizon 6 charts success could signal the start of a fightback.

1. Xbox finally delivered a blockbuster. People always said Xbox lacked great exclusives, but Forza’s launch shows that when they hit the mark, players notice.

2. Strong launches get noticed. If people start seeing Xbox games charting high again, it builds confidence—and that drives subscription and hardware sales.

3. The UK sets the tone. It’s a big market for Xbox in Europe, and success here often signals bigger wins across the continent.

4. Physical sales matter more than you’d think. Xbox’s audience usually goes digital, so when a game sells well physically, it means it’s reaching casual gamers, families, and impulse buyers—the kinds of people who usually fuel mainstream popularity.

Let’s be honest, this doesn’t mean Xbox is totally back. The numbers were close—Forza only edged out Yoshi by about 300 copies, and the top spot still went to Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.

But if you put everything together—the high launch position, the player boost, beating a Nintendo newcomer, and the fresh buzz—Forza Horizon 6 might just mark the first real sign in years that Xbox is heading in the right direction again.

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Steam

The post Forza Horizon 6 Charts at Number Two – A First Sign of an Xbox Recovery appeared first on Last Word On Gaming.

It’s getting cold in Japan as Winter draws in, and yes, that means we’re now hitting the third week of the Festival Playlist challenges in Forza Horizon 6. As always, there are tons of new events to enjoy, a smattering of championships to take down, and those all-important rewards to take home. Let us help you out with our Forza Horizon 6 Festival Playlist Challenges Guide for Season 1 Winter. 

The post Forza Horizon 6 Festival Playlist Challenges Guide – Series 1 Winter appeared first on TheXboxHub.

Developer Playground Games is truly listening to fans to make Forza Horizon 6 a great experience. In previous games, notably Forza Horizon 4 and 5, cheating your way to the top was a fairly easy thing to do. The leaderboards in both of those games are full of some very questionable times and records, even for trivial stuff like danger signs. To fix, Forza Horizon 6 will implement day one anti-cheat measures, according to the Forza Horizon 6 UK account (confirmed by some developers on Discord).

New Anti-Cheat Measures For Forza Horizon 6

The developers are going aggressive with the anti-cheat measures, and you can’t blame them for it. To ensure that Forza Horizon 6 is fun and fair for everyone involved, there will be a new rigorous exploit detection system in place. All the open-world leaderboards will reset weekly, and any unrealistic scores on the leaderboards will be removed whenever flagged by the system.

You may be thinking, why would anyone even want to cheat in Forza Horizon in the first place? After all, it’s mostly a game about unlocking more cars and exploring the open world. Unfortunately, some people just can’t be helped, as it’s easy fun for them to jump to the top of the leaderboards.

However, it’s worth noting that while these anti-cheat measures are nice, there’s no official word on whether this will stop modded accounts with unrealistic CR, cars, and max levels. There’s a lot of flexibility on PC, and unfortunately, some of it comes in the form of mods that make the game unfair to other players.

It’s also worth noting that this means that Linux support will likely be limited. This obviously also extends to the Steam Deck. Again, no official word on this yet, but robust anti-cheat measures, such as the ones FH6 is incorporating, usually hurt Linux support.

Forza Horizon 6 releases on May 19, 2026, on Xbox Series X|S and on PC via Steam. If you are planning to pre-order it’s worth familiarizing yourself with all of the different editions of the game. Even if you’re planning to play through Xbox Game Pass, it doesn’t hurt to know what the Deluxe or Premium upgrades bring to the table.

The gaming year of 2026 begins in earnest in just a few weeks, Xbox announced today, confirming the date for its first Developer Direct showcase.

While today's New Game+ Showcase will show off many games coming in 2026, Microsoft is bringing out its big guns for the first Developer Direct of 2026, including two of its "big four" for the year: Fable and Forza Horizon 6.

Fable has seemingly been in development for ages, and Forza will always bring in a lot of hype. But for me, the third game of the showcase is the one I'm most interested in learning more about. Beast of Reincarnation, the action RPG first revealed last year, will finally get some more of the spotlight.

Beast of Reincarnation is a new title from Game Freak, a studio synonymous with the Pokémon franchise. But this looks to be something entirely new and different, and I have high hopes for whatever there is to show in a couple of weeks.

"In post-apocalyptic Japan, humanity’s last hope may rest with Emma and her loyal canine companion, Koo," the game's description says. "Explore what it means to be human in Beast of Reincarnation, an expansive one-person, one-dog action RPG built around demanding, technical combat. What awaits at journey’s end?"

Xbox teased that Game Freak will "reveal details of our protagonist Emma’s innovative plant manipulation actions and gameplay with her canine companion," so we should have a more concrete idea of what the game truly is like and about ahead of its launch sometime later this year.

A small peek at the game's gameplay from last year showed a glimpse of action combat and some of the aforementioned flora changes, and it certainly looks gorgeous and potentially full of promise. Add it to the list of 2026 games we can look forward to.

The January 2026 Developer Direct takes place on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 12pm CT on all of Xbox's channels.

The post Xbox’s first 2026 showcase will finally show more Fable, plus Forza and one very interesting-looking RPG from former Pokémon devs appeared first on Destructoid.

A new Xbox Developer Direct is scheduled for two weeks from now, featuring new gameplay from Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Beast of Reincarnation.

The Xbox Developer Direct is an annual showcase featuring upcoming games coming to the Xbox platform. These showcases are typically focused on gameplay developments, giving players a glimpse behind the curtain at what the final product (and its gameplay) will look like when it launches. The last Xbox Developer Direct aired nearly a year ago, bringing fresh looks at the now-GOTY winner, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with other first looks being given to Ninja Gaiden 4 and DOOM: The Dark Ages.

This year, the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 is returning with fresh looks at upcoming developments in Xbox’s first-party catalogue, as well as a new look at GameFreak’s Beast of Reincarnation. The show includes two titles from Playground Games, with the UK studio bringing fans a first extended look at the highly anticipated Fable (the first look since June 2024), as well as the debut of gameplay for Forza Horizon 6. Game Freak is also bringing a first in-depth look at Beast of Reincarnation, which was revealed at the Xbox Games Showcase last year.

Xbox Developer Direct showcases put a spotlight on the developers themselves, and each developer usually takes the screen to detail new developments coming to previously announced titles. The Direct has confirmed it will be visiting Playground Games in the UK for extended Fable and Forza Horizon 6 gameplay reveals (including new looks at how Japan landscapes come to life in Horizon), and Game Freak in Tokyo, Japan, for Beast of Reincarnation.

Fans can watch the latest Xbox Developer Direct when it goes live at 1:00 p.m. EST on January 22. It will be available on Xbox’s official YouTube channel, where the rest of their Developer Directs are hosted.