Forza Motorsport 6 First Look

When the Xbox One launched in 2013, it did so alongside the breathtaking racing experience of Forza Motorsport 5. Featuring exciting gameplay, beautiful cars, a true-to-life visual experience and plenty of online social interaction through Drivatars, it quickly became one of the system’s most popular titles.

Thankfully, the developers at Turn 10 have more in the tank. Forza Motorsport 6 is set to make its debut on September 15th, and the studio intends to crank the experience even further, with more online activity, a bigger career mode and even more racing action set around the world. By comparison, Forza 5 feels like a warm-up lap compared to the racing extravaganza part 6 will deliver.

Similar to the previous game, players have the option to customize their driving experiences from the beginning. Series newcomers can tweak a number of systems like auto-braking and steering assistance, while veterans tackle manual shifting and bump up the difficulty to see what kind of racing competition the Drivatars have to offer.

In addition, the game introduces more variety with its events, whether you take a Midnight Run through Brazil’s city streets (complete with rain, if you feel like adding weather) or a few laps in Brands Hatch. Speaking of tracks, you’ll once again race around the world in Forza 6, with a number of locations yet to be revealed. In fact, the career mode will span a whopping 70 hours, putting your racing skills to the ultimate test.

Along with career mode, there will be Showcase events where you can take on Autocross or Endurance tournaments to see how well you fare. There are over 80 of these in all, and some of them will pit you against legendary rides you could acquire with the right amount of skill.

Better still, you’ll discover a staggering amount of vehicles. Over 450 cars will be available to unlock throughout the game, all of which can be earned, although we expect more vehicles through DLC. This will open up a huge variety of rides to choose from. Whether you prefer the classic Shelby GT or the sleek new F-150 Raptor, there’s plenty to race with.

You can also fine-tune these vehicles in the game’s customization menu. Here, you’ll be able to examine a number of parts to improve your car’s performance, and similar to previous games, paint it however you wish and then share your skin with the rest of the racing world through Xbox Live.

New to the game are optional rewards earned by completing secondary tasks within the race. You can earn cash by turning off certain assists or taking on opponents on a higher difficulty setting. In addition, Mods can also be activated, such as shutting off Rewinds entirely (preventing a big mistake from being erased) or beating a certain adversary. By overcoming these, you’ll clean up on cash and add new cars to your garage.

Multiplayer will once again return to the world of Forza, but in a whole new light. Along with being able to challenge drivers directly through Xbox Live or take on AI-fueled Drivatars that earn progress for you, there will also be Leagues. With these, you’ll be able to jump into competitions with players of similar skill, to see how you fare.

Be warned, though – Drivatars aren’t pushovers. Like real online drivers, they’ve been tweaked to adapt to certain styles of play. If you’re aggressive, they’re going to be aggressive right back, bumping playfully with you as you attempt to go around them. Their performance can also be modified with difficulty settings, in case you want them to pose a genuine threat in your sprint to the finish line.

Forza Motorsport 6 is packed with content, whether you’re racing on your own or with friends. We’ll have plenty of coverage on the game when it arrives in stores and Xbox Live later this year.

Now check out the best cars from Forza 5, and get a hang of the Forza Horizon 2 Fast & Furious expansion.