Since his global launch on May 19, Forza Horizon 6 It has sold 4.9 million copies, generating an estimated $325 million in revenue for Playground Games in about a week. These figures come from Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, in the latest Alinea Insight newsletter.
About 1.7 million of the sales came from players who purchased the Premium Edition for $120 for early access on May 15, three days before the public launch.
Forza Horizon 6 First Week Sales Breakdown
Steam sold around 2.8 million copies, while the Xbox store accounted for 2.1 million copies, accounting for 42% of total sales. Elliott noted that performance on the Xbox side was remarkably strong for a 2026 release, especially considering the broader trend of Xbox games selling better on Steam than on Microsoft’s own platform.
Although Steam sold more copies overall, Xbox generated 51% of total revenue compared to Steam’s 49%. This difference reflects that the largely Western Xbox user base pays higher regional prices than Steam users in regions where prices tend to be lower.
How Xbox Game Pass added 3 million players
In addition to 4.9 million paid copies, more than 3 million players accessed Forza Horizon 6 through Xbox Game Pass on launch day. Elliott maintains that this access cannibalized direct sales on both Steam and Xbox, and both versions of the game are expected to have sold better without the inclusion of Game Pass from day one.
The counterargument Elliott raises has to do with the lifetime value of the subscription. The 3 million players who started or renewed Game Pass subscriptions for Forza Horizon 6 generate ongoing revenue through their subscription payments, which could offset the loss of direct sales over time. This reasoning has underpinned Microsoft’s daily Game Pass strategy for more than five years.
Elliott maintains that despite the lifetime value calculation, this approach is no longer accurate given the current conditions of subscription growth, which he describes as stagnant.
What the launch of Forza Horizon 6 means for Xbox’s new strategy
The recent strong sales align with new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s efforts to reposition the platform. Recent changes include rebranding Microsoft Gaming as Xbox, reducing the price of Game Pass Ultimate from $30 to $23 per month, and removing Call of Duty from the list of games available on launch day. Forza Horizon 6’s early performance is seen as a positive sign during a transition period for Microsoft’s gaming division.
Forza Horizon 6 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PC through the Microsoft Store and Steam, and through Xbox Game Pass. A PlayStation 5 version is expected later this year, although a specific release date has not been announced.
