Xbox Game Pass adds the top-rated game of 2026

Forza Horizon 6 is now available on Xbox Game Pass in two membership tiers. Its arrival marks the ninth new addition to Microsoft's May 2026 subscription catalog 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 collector's database contains 106 reviews with a perfect recommendation rating and an average score of 91. Critics have widely praised the game's diversity of content, customization options, and scalable graphics that look great on a variety of hardware. The core driving experience has also been praised for pairing arcade fun with sufficiently granular settings to deliver something a little more immersive for those looking to engage with a heavier physics model.

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers have more benefits to claim for May 2026

Xbox Game Pass subscribers have new perks to claim, from updated monthly deals 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 Xbox Series X/S and PC starting May 19. Like every other modern 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 the upgrade to the Premium Edition. Normally priced at $60, the DLC was – and is – also available with Microsoft Rewards points.

When is Forza Horizon 6 coming to Xbox Game Pass Premium?

Ever since Microsoft locked Day One releases behind its more expensive subscriptions at the end of 2024, the company has avoided saying when individual titles would reach Xbox Game Pass Premium, formerly known as XGP Standard. However, it promised that its first-party games would join the service's middle tier no more than 12 months later. Lately, its AAA games have mostly crashed just before their one-year anniversary. For example, Doom: The Dark Ages joined Xbox Game Pass Premium a few days ago Subnautica 2s Ultimate tier release, exactly one day before the first-person shooter's one-year anniversary. If Microsoft were to continue this pattern with Forza Horizon 6should the game reach Xbox Game Pass Premium around May 2027.

Upcoming Xbox Game Pass games with confirmed release dates

Date	Game	Game Pass Level(s)	Platform(s)	Notes
May 19	Forza Horizon 6	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day one release.
May 21	Beastly	Final	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.
July 13	Go up to zero	Ultimate, PC	Cloud, PC, Series X/S	Day one release.
Aug. 4	The 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 roguelit Beastly coming to Xbox Game Pass on May 21, followed by the turn-based RPG Echo Generation 2 six days later. Party racing game Crashout Crew is then scheduled to arrive on May 28. While there aren't any more confirmed arrivals this month, that's only because the Wave 2 lineup for May 2026 hasn't 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 deals with progression mechanics, where the game offers support for seamless cross-platform progression. Although this means that it will be possible to e.g. continuing a campaign started on PC Game Pass on PlayStation 5 when the game hits Sony's console later this year, the DLC content itself is locked to specific platforms, with one exception being the Xbox Play Anywhere program, which unites the Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft/Xbox Store versions of the game.