Forza Horizon 6 decided to make certain buildings and trees that have cultural significance in Japan indestructible. The decision comes after several other AAA games that also take place in Japan Forza Horizon 6faced criticism for depicting sacred elements that some Japanese considered irreverent.
One recent example is the backlash against Assassin's Creed Shadows. Despite the game's financially successful release, Ubisoft faced early criticism for allowing players to destroy some sacred artifacts in shrines. Some Japanese politicians also expressed concerns about the feature, which eventually led the developer to apologize and make adjustments to make such cultural objects indestructible.
One Forza Horizon 6 player has reportedly been banned for nearly 8,000 years
A player was reportedly banned from playing Forza Horizon 6 for 8,000 years after modding the game before its official release.
Forza Horizon 6 chose respect over realism
IN Forza Horizon 6players cannot knock down cherry blossoms. Other trees may be destroyed, but not cherry blossom trees. While this choice may go against the high level of immersion the series is known for, it's for good reason. Forza Horizon 6Design director Torben Ellert said the team was careful to remain respectful and consider the game a “simcade,” a mix of simulation and arcade that doesn't sacrifice everything just to feel realistic.
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Some temples or other cultural features are also excluded so that players are not tempted to drive through shrines or places of cultural significance.
In an interview with The Japan Times, Ellert also said, “Some temples or other cultural features are also excluded so that players are not tempted to drive through shrines or places of cultural significance.” One reason Forza Horizon 6 was so careful with details like this, the game's cultural advisor Kyoko Yamashita. Yamashita played a key role in researching the Japanese values and beliefs of the Playground Games developers, which likely influenced the decision to protect specific elements in Forza Horizon 6world.
Why Forza Horizon 6 is especially careful with trees
For those wondering why trees should be treated differently in the game, the answer lies in Japanese spiritual beliefs. According to Glenn Moore and Cassandra Atherton, two university professors who have studied the variations of ancient trees in Japan, some trees used to be “marked with a sacred rope called a shimenawa, which warned that if someone cut down the tree, they would have to deal with an angry spirit.” Forza Horizon 6The Japanese-inspired map may not mark every unbreakable tree or scare reckless drivers with vengeful ghosts, but it won't let players damage them regardless.
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Forza Horizon 6The fan base doesn't seem to be particularly concerned with the decision. Some players even appreciated that the game features dense forest areas where most trees and objects can still be punched through. In some previous ones Forza Horizon One common complaint was how some trees and obstacles would suddenly stop the player after crashing. That seems to be less of a problem this time around, as developers Playground Games have made most of the vegetation destructible. The change seems to have helped balance the decision to keep the cherry blossoms and a few other objects.
At the time of writing and based on early access data, most Forza Horizon 6 reviews were positive. It has received over 12,000 user reviews on Steam alone, with over 70% recommending it to other players. That's not to say the game has escaped criticism entirely, but most complaints focus on performance issues and crashes, as opposed to anything that isn't sensitive to settings.
- Released
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May 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone / Mild texts, user interactions, in-game purchases
- Publishers
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Xbox Game Studios
