Unencrypted files were downloaded from Steam and shared by pirates.
Gaming Forza Horizon 6 has leaked a week ahead of launch By Steve Dent May 11, 2026 8:40 am EST Turn 10 Studios Microsoft's Xbox division can't get a break these days.
Forza Horizon, from studio Playground Games, was set to arrive on May 19th, but has been leaked online and cracked by pirates, Video Games Chronicle reported. Downloads for the PC version starting popping up on sharing sites like GameDrive after Steam users reportedly got hold of an unencrypted preload version of the game.
It appears that Playground Games itself uploaded the preload files on Steam without encryption, and those were quickly shared by pirates. Links to the files (totaling around 150GB) were swiftly deleted from Reddit but are widely available on other, less regulated parts of the web. The leak follows a similar one for the PC version of Death Stranding 2 .
Forza Horizon 6 is a highly online-centric game, but the cracked version is playable offline, according to several Reddit users. Gamers who decided to purchase the Premium Upgrade Bundle for $120 in order to get early access to the game (starting May 15th) might be upset that they've been beat to the punch. "What an insane screw up," gaming fan page @videotech noted on X.
Forza Horizon 6 takes the arcade racing series to Japan, with official images showing cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji and other iconic imagery. The "unique culture" of Japan — from its cars to its music and fashion — was the impetus for the decision, according to Playground Games art director Don Arceta.
Xbox has been struggling mightily of late, with hardware and game sales both in decline due to rising prices, tariffs and other issues. Even Game Pass, once renowned as one of the best deals in gaming, nearly doubled in price last year. With all that going on, the company would love Forza Horizon 6 to be a hit, but this leak won't help.
