There's something special about entering a new country, cruising down the tarmac in a flashy sports car, scoring to an up-tempo beat, unwrapping the shiny plastic from the new Forza Horizon box and slipping the disc into the console for the first time. You'll use that initial drive to whatever new locale playground you're using, whether it's Britain or Great Japan.
I guess, these days, it's a lot of… turning on that sweet, sweet pre-install button? Doesn't really have the same visual oomph.
I may have skipped Forza Horizon 5, and I didn't really click with the series' more arcade-y remnants like Burnout, Need for Speed, and Midnight Club (which I've yet to return), but those opening moments remain etched in my mind, and I often find myself restarting the game to start over. However, with Forza Horizon 6, you don't have to toss your progress to return to the prologue — for the first time in the series' history, it's replayable.
As u/SpeedStepGD points out in the series' subreddit, you can now access the prologue at any time from the map, allowing you to “re-experience” the initial drive. If you're one of the many players currently enjoying Advanced Access, you may have missed it as it wasn't shown to you right away. As noted by u/The_Accountants, the initial drive “stays hidden until you find that exact spot,” which you can see in the picture below.
Where to find the initial drive
“It's kind of upper, left, above the first asset you unlock,” u/The_Accountants explained. “Just drive into it, and it will pop.”
It may have taken six entries for Playground to add a replay option, which in hindsight seems like an obvious quality-of-life feature, but in fairness, those early drives are electricity in a bottle, and risk losing their star quality after a few replays. Still, it's nice to have the option after all these years, instead of restarting the game over and over again or drowning in demos.
There are plenty of fun little details coming to light ahead of its full launch on May 19, such as a tidbit revealed by design director Torben Allert. every The tree is endangered, except for the cherry blossoms because of their cultural significance in Japan. Players have also noticed that the mascots' expressions change when they get in, and there's a giant cigarette floating in the water (“Biggerette” as one fan put it). Oh, and there's a dinosaur hiding in the garage.
- issued
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May 19, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone / light song, user interaction, in-game purchases
- developer(s)
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Playground Games
