Forza Horizon 6 Getting Started Guide — First Hour and Beyond

Forza Horizon 6 is the most accessible entry in the series, but first-time players can still feel lost. Between the intro sequence, difficulty sliders, control options, and the massive Japan map, the first hour throws a lot at you. This guide walks through exactly what to expect and how to set yourself up for a smooth start.

Whether you are coming from Gran Turismo, have not played a racing game in years, or are jumping straight from FH5, this beginner's guide covers everything you need for the opening hour and beyond.

Starting the Game — Difficulty and Controls

When you first launch FH6, you are prompted to pick a difficulty level on a slider from "Tourist" (very easy) to "Unbeatable" (expert AI). Do not overthink this — you can change it at any time from the pause menu under Difficulty Settings.

Difficulty Recommendations

• Average (New Forza players): The AI is competitive but forgiving. You will win races while learning the tracks.
• Highly Skilled / Expert (FH5 veterans): The AI uses more realistic racing lines and braking points. Good if you want a challenge from the start.
• Tourist (Younger or casual players): The AI drives slowly and waits for you. Great for learning the basics.

Control Settings — What to Turn Off and On

The default control settings work for most players, but a few tweaks can dramatically improve your first hour experience:

• Simulation Steering → OFF (use Normal): Simulation steering adds realistic weight transfer and oversteer physics. Leave it off until you are comfortable with car control.
• ABS → ON: Anti-lock brakes prevent wheel lockup under hard braking. Keep this on — turning it off gives marginal braking performance gains at the cost of much harder control.
• Traction Control → ON: Prevents wheelspin when accelerating out of corners. Turn it off later when you want faster launches, but for the first few hours keep it on.
• Stability Control → ON: Automatically corrects slides. Useful for beginners but limits your ability to drift — feel free to turn this off once you are comfortable.

For a complete breakdown of every setting, see our FH6 Best Settings Guide for Xbox and PC.

Picking Your Starter Car

After the opening cutscene and a brief prologue drive, FH6 asks you to choose your first car from three options. The cars available vary by which "starting path" the game assigns based on your early driving, but you will generally choose between a balanced, a speed-focused, and a handling-focused car.

Our recommendation for beginners: choose the balanced option. This is typically the Subaru WRX STI or a similar all-wheel-drive car. It handles well on pavement and gravel, does not oversteer unexpectedly, and carries you comfortably through the first several hours of events.

If you want to compare every starter car option with detailed stats and recommendations, read our FH6 Best Starter Car Guide.

The Horizon Festival Hub

Once you complete the introductory Goliath race (a short, scripted showcase race) and the game opens up, your home base is the Horizon Festival Hub — located near the center of the Japan map. This is where you access:

• Horizon Play — the seasonal progress system (more on this below)
• Garage — view, buy, sell, and customize your cars
• Auto Show — purchase new vehicles from the in-game dealership
• Upgrades & Tuning — modify your cars' performance parts and handling
• Festival Playlist — check the current season's events and rewards

The Festival also serves as your Fast Travel hub. You can fast-travel back to the Festival at any time from the pause menu for a small credit fee. As you progress, you can unlock Fast Travel boards scattered across the map that eventually make fast travel free.

Map Navigation Tips

The Japan map in FH6 is divided into several distinct regions — neon-lit Tokyo urban zones, Mount Fuji mountain passes, coastal roads, and rural countryside. Use the in-game GPS (a glowing purple line on the road) to navigate to events. You can filter the map by event type, and set waypoints to any location.

Open the map with the M key (PC) / View button (Xbox). From there you can select any event, race, or point of interest to start navigation. The game also introduces Discovery Events — marked ? icons on the map that are optional stunt jumps, speed traps, and danger signs that earn you bonus XP and credits.

Understanding Event Types

FH6 offers several event categories, and new players sometimes confuse them. Here is the quick breakdown:

• Road Racing — Paved circuits on public roads. Best for beginners. Requires a road-appropriate car (street tires, lower ground clearance).
• Dirt Racing — Gravel and dirt tracks. Rally-style events. Use an AWD car or a car with rally tires for best results.
• Cross Country — Off-road through fields, forests, and rough terrain. Use trucks, buggies, or SUV-type vehicles. Tougher AI than road races at the same difficulty.
• Street Scene — Illegal street races through Tokyo at night. Traffic is enabled — you must dodge civilian cars. Higher risk, higher rewards.
• Showcase Events — Scripted set-piece races against trains, planes, boats, or other spectacle opponents. These are the "wow" moments of the campaign.
• Story Missions — Themed mission chains with narrative and unique objectives. Think of these as mini-campaigns within the main game. They reward exclusive cars and cosmetics.

For your first session, stick to Road Racing events until you get comfortable with the handling model. Then try Dirt Racing to practice controlling slides, and save Cross Country for when you have unlocked a suitable off-road vehicle.

Progression Systems — Credits, XP, and Horizon Play

FH6 has three main progression tracks you should understand from day one:

Earning Credits

Credits are FH6's main currency, used to buy cars, upgrades, and cosmetics. You earn credits from:

• Completing races and events
• Wheelspins (random prize spins earned by leveling up)
• Selling cars you do not need from your garage
• Completing Festival Playlist seasonal challenges

For efficient early-game credit earning, see our dedicated FH6 Credits Farming Guide. The short version: focus on completing Accolades (achievements with credit rewards) and playing the weekly Festival Playlist for high-value reward cars you can sell if you already own them.

Horizon Play (Seasonal Progression)

Horizon Play is FH6's seasonal pass system. Each real-world month (Series) brings a new set of seasonal events running on a weekly cycle. Completing events earns you Play Points that unlock tiers of exclusive rewards — cars, cosmetics, emotes, and credits. Just play the game normally and you will progress through it naturally.

Unlocking Cars and Events

Not everything is available from the start. Certain events unlock as you raise your Player Level (earned from XP), and some cars only appear in the Auto Show after you reach a specific level or complete a specific Accolade. Check the "Restricted" filter in the Auto Show to see what you have not unlocked yet and how to unlock it.

Essential Tips for the First Few Hours

• Do not skip the intro Goliath race. It serves as a tutorial for the game's driving physics and sets the difficulty baseline. Even if you find it easy, the game calibrates AI behavior based on your performance.
• Visit every road. FH6 rewards full map exploration — driving on every road unlocks an Accolade with a significant credit bonus. Check your map progress in the pause menu.
• Claim your Forza Edition cars. If you pre-ordered or own previous FH titles, check your in-game messages (bottom-left of the main menu) for free gift cars.
• Spend skill points as you earn them. Skill points (earned from driving stunts like drifts and near-misses) unlock car-specific perks. Some cars have a perk that gives you a free Wheelspin.
• Try the EventLab community races. EventLab is FH6's custom race creator. The community tab has endless player-made tracks — great for variety when you need a break from the campaign.

Next Steps and Essential Links

Once you are comfortable with the basics, here is where to go next:

• Complete FH6 Beginner Guide (hub page) — central resource collecting all beginner-oriented content
• Best Starter Car Guide — detailed breakdown of every starting car option
• Credits Farming Guide — efficient money-making methods for early and mid-game
• Best Settings Guide — optimize graphics, controls, and audio for Xbox or PC
• Multiplayer Guide — everything about Horizon Open, Convoy, and co-op events
• All FH6 Guides — full library of game guides and tutorials