Since its global launch on May 19, Forza Horizon 6 has sold 4.9 million copies, generating an estimated $325 million in revenue for Playground Games within about a week. These numbers come from Rhys Elliott, head of market analysis at Alinea Analytics, in the latest Alinea Insight Newsletter.
Around 1.7 million of the sales were from players who purchased the Premium Edition for $120 to access early on May 15, three days before the public release.
Forza Horizon 6’s First-Week Sales Breakdown
Steam sold around 2.8 million copies, while the Xbox storefront accounted for 2.1 million copies, representing 42% of the total sales. Elliott noted that the Xbox-side performance was notably 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 the total revenue compared to Steam's 49%. This difference reflects Xbox's mostly Western user base paying 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 the 4.9 million paid copies, more than 3 million players accessed Forza Horizon 6 through Xbox Game Pass on launch day. Elliott argues that this access cannibalized direct sales on both Steam and Xbox, with both versions of the game expected to have sold better without day-one Game Pass inclusion.
The counterargument Elliott raises is about subscription lifetime value. 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 lost direct sales over time. This reasoning has supported Microsoft's day-and-date Game Pass strategy for more than five years.
Elliott contends that, despite the lifetime value calculation, this approach is no longer accurate given current subscription growth conditions, which he describes as stagnating.
What Forza Horizon 6’s Launch 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 renaming Microsoft Gaming back to 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. The early performance of Forza Horizon 6 is seen as a positive sign during a transitional period for Microsoft's gaming division.
Forza Horizon 6 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, PC through Microsoft Store and Steam, and via Xbox Game Pass. A version for PlayStation 5 is expected later this year, though no specific release date has been announced.
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