Microsoft is reportedly planning to delay Forza Horizon 6’s PlayStation 5 release into early 2027, despite Playground Games publicly reiterating a 2026 launch window just one day earlier. The Verge’s Tom Warren reports that sources familiar with Playground’s plans say the PS5 port will slip slightly from its previously announced “later this year” window. Microsoft and Playground Games have not officially announced a delay, so the 2027 timing should currently be treated as a report rather than a confirmed release change.
According to Warren, the delay is intended to align the PS5 version more closely with Forza Horizon 6’s first expansion rather than being driven by a major development problem. He expects the PlayStation release to arrive before the game’s one-year anniversary, putting the reported launch sometime before May 2027. An exact date for either the PS5 version or the first expansion has not been announced.
The report creates an unusual conflict with Playground’s most recent public communication. In the September 7 British Automotive update, the developer explicitly told PlayStation players that Forza Horizon 6 “will be releasing on PS5 later this year” and encouraged them to wishlist the game through the PlayStation Store. That wording was published only a day before Warren’s report that Microsoft’s internal plans have shifted toward early 2027.
Playground has used the same 2026 wording repeatedly since the PS5 version was first confirmed. When Forza Horizon 6’s May release date was announced in January, Microsoft said the game would arrive on PlayStation 5 later in 2026, while Xbox Series X|S and PC players would receive it first. The studio repeated that target in subsequent updates, meaning there has been no public indication from the Forza team that the PlayStation port has slipped.
Forza Horizon 6 launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC in May, with Premium Edition Early Access beginning May 15 before the standard launch on May 19. The latest entry moves the Horizon Festival to Japan and includes Tokyo alongside rural regions, mountain roads and other environments. Since launch, Playground has continued adding Festival Playlist content, new cars and permanent features through its monthly series updates.
The first expansion could provide Microsoft with a logical point to introduce the PS5 edition if Warren’s information is accurate. Forza Horizon 6’s Premium Edition includes two planned expansions, though neither currently has a confirmed release date. Launching the PlayStation version alongside the first major expansion would allow Microsoft to market a larger content package to a new audience instead of releasing the port during the game’s ongoing post-launch cycle.
Microsoft has already demonstrated that Forza can perform strongly on PlayStation. Forza Horizon 5 arrived on PS5 in 2025 after several years as an Xbox and PC release, becoming one of the most prominent examples of Microsoft’s broader move to publish previously Xbox-focused franchises on rival hardware. Its success made a PlayStation version of Forza Horizon 6 considerably less surprising when Microsoft confirmed the port ahead of the game’s launch.
The reported delay also appears relatively modest compared with a full-year postponement. Warren says Microsoft is still expected to release the PS5 edition before Forza Horizon 6 reaches its first anniversary, suggesting the internal change could amount to only a few months. That would place the port in early 2027 rather than the closing months of 2026 currently advertised by Playground.
Until Microsoft changes its public messaging, however, the official release window remains 2026. Playground’s September 7 update is currently the company’s latest direct statement on the PS5 version and still says it will arrive later this year. Warren’s report indicates internal plans may now differ from that public schedule, but a formal announcement will be needed before the early 2027 window can be considered confirmed.
