Xbox Game Pass Adds Highest-Rated Game of 2026

Forza Horizon 6 is now available on Xbox Game Pass across two membership tiers. Its arrival marks the ninth new addition to Microsoft’s subscription catalog in May 2026 and the 81st Xbox Game Pass release this year.

Forza Horizon 6 is currently the highest-rated video game of 2026, according to OpenCritic. The aggregator’s database contains 106 reviews with a perfect recommendation rate and an average score of 91. Critics have broadly praised the game’s content diversity, customization options, and scalable graphics that look good on a variety of hardware. The core driving experience has also received plaudits for pairing arcade fun with enough granular settings to deliver something slightly more immersive for those who want to engage with a heavier physics model.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Subscribers Have More Perks to Claim for May 2026

Xbox Game Pass subscribers have new perks to claim, ranging from refreshed monthly offerings to brand-new rewards for May 2026.

Forza Horizon 6 Now Available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass

Forza Horizon 6 is officially available on the Xbox Series X/S and PC as of May 19. Like any other contemporary release from a Microsoft studio, the critically acclaimed open-world racer has also joined Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one, at midnight ET. Subscribers have technically been able to play Forza Horizon 6 since May 15, but only if they purchased its Premium Edition upgrade. Regularly priced at $60, the DLC was—and is—also obtainable with Microsoft Rewards points.

When Will Forza Horizon 6 Come to Xbox Game Pass Premium?

Ever since Microsoft locked day-one releases behind its higher-priced subscriptions in late 2024, the company has avoided saying when individual titles would reach Xbox Game Pass Premium, formerly called XGP Standard. However, it pledged that its first-party games would join the service’s middle tier no more than 12 months later. Recently, its AAA games have most often trickled down shortly before their first anniversary. For instance, Doom: The Dark Ages joined Xbox Game Pass Premium a few days ago alongside Subnautica 2‘s Ultimate-tier release, exactly one day before the first-person shooter was set to turn one. If Microsoft were to continue this pattern with Forza Horizon 6, the game would reach Xbox Game Pass Premium around May 2027.

Upcoming Xbox Game Pass Games with Confirmed Release Dates

Date	Game	Game Pass Tier(s)	Platform(s)	Notes
May 19	Forza Horizon 6	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day-one release.
May 21	Beastro	Ultimate	Series X/S	Day-one release.
May 27	Echo Generation 2	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day-one release.
May 28	Crashout Crew	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day-one release.
Jul 13	Ascend to Zero	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day-one release.
Aug 4	Beast of Reincarnation	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day-one release.
Aug 14	Grave Seasons	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day-one release.

Looking at the more immediate future, cooking roguelite Beastro is coming to Xbox Game Pass on May 21, followed by turn-based RPG Echo Generation 2 six days later. Party racing game Crashout Crew is then scheduled to arrive on May 28. While there are no more confirmed arrivals for this month, that is only because the Wave 2 lineup for May 2026 has not been revealed yet. The announcement is likely to happen later today, May 19, based on Microsoft’s typical PR cadence.

Forza Horizon 6 has already achieved a record number of Steam players during its early access period, which only included players who paid for its $120 edition. Another series first concerns progression mechanics, with the game offering support for seamless cross-platform progression. While that means it will be possible to, e.g., continue a campaign started on PC Game Pass on the PlayStation 5 once the game reaches Sony’s console later this year, DLC content itself is locked to specific platforms, with one exception being the Xbox Play Anywhere program, which unifies the Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft/Xbox Store versions of the game.