Forza Horizon 6 Events Explained: All Race Types, Controls, and How to Explore on Foot

Forza Horizon 6 drops you into Japan with a massive open world, two distinct progression paths, and more event variety than any previous entry in the series. Whether you want to know the PC controls, figure out how to step outside your car, or understand how Wristband Events unlock, this guide covers everything before you hit the road.

Can You Get Out of Your Car in Forza Horizon 6?

The short answer is no. Forza Horizon 6 does not let you physically exit your vehicle and walk around the map. You cannot run down the streets, talk to NPCs, or interact with the environment on foot. Japan is yours to explore, but only from behind the wheel.

That said, two in-game tools let you view the world from outside your car.

Drone Mode

Open the pause menu, navigate to the My Horizon section, and select Drone Mode from the right column. This lets you fly the camera freely around the map, far from your parked vehicle. Drone Mode is one of the best ways to scout barn find locations before you drive to them, and it makes spotting XP Boards on hard-to-reach ledges much easier.

On PC, activate ANNA first by pressing C, then press 1 to launch Drone Mode. On Xbox, use the D-pad Down + D-pad Up input.

Photo Mode and Car Meets

If you want your player character standing outside the car for screenshots, head to one of the Car Meet spots scattered across Japan. Park up and open Photo Mode with P on PC or D-pad Up on Xbox.

Inside Photo Mode, enter Effects Mode and scroll down to find the Drivers, Character, and Emote options. You can place your avatar inside or outside the vehicle, adjust their pose, trigger emotes, change the time of day, alter weather, and clear the surrounding NPC crowd for a cleaner shot.

Once you start purchasing player homes in Forza Horizon 6, the Customizable Garage option at any owned property works exactly the same way as a Car Meet for photos. Your garage becomes a personal studio as your housing collection grows.

Forza Horizon 6 Controls and PC Keybindings

Every control in Forza Horizon 6 can be remapped under Settings > Controls. The defaults are sensible, but knowing the less obvious shortcuts saves a lot of menu time. Controls break down into four groups below.

Driving and Transmission

These are the inputs you use constantly during every race and free roam session.

Camera and View

These controls handle everything you see while driving, including switching between car views and looking around.

HUD and Navigation

Quick-access inputs for the map, leaderboard, radio, and in-game actions.

ANNA Shortcuts

ANNA handles smart features like Drone Mode and AutoDrive. Activate her first with D-pad Down on Xbox or C on PC, then use the following inputs.

The What’s Next shortcut is the one to memorize first. It removes the guesswork of deciding where to go when the map feels overwhelming with unlocked content.

Horizon Festival vs Explore Japan: Two Progression Paths

Forza Horizon 6 splits its content between two distinct progression tracks, both visible in your Collection Journal.

Horizon Festival follows the traditional structure from earlier entries. You complete sanctioned races, earn wristbands, and work toward Legend status. Each milestone grants XP and unlocks increasingly difficult Wristband Events.

Explore Japan is optional content, but it carries some of the best rewards in the game. Completing it unlocks player housing, exclusive cars, and credits. Discovering Japanese landmarks alone eventually rewards you with the Koenigsegg Agera RS, which makes the optional path more than worth your time.

You can view the reward breakdown for each subsection by selecting a path in the Collection Journal and pressing RB or LB to scroll through the milestones.

Forza Horizon 6 Event Types Explained

Forza Horizon 6 has more event variety than Horizon 5, and each type feeds a separate progression pathway. Events unlock gradually as you climb the wristband ranks, so you will not see everything on day one.

Road Racing

Road Racing is the most familiar event type in the game. Races run on closed roads with no traffic, and each event comes with car class or category restrictions. The opening race, Shirakawa Circuit, requires Class C cars or Retro Sports Cars. The Toyota Celica GT-Four ST205 you receive from Mei at the start fills that requirement perfectly.

If you do not own a car that meets an event’s requirements, start the event anyway. The game prompts you to buy a recommended car before you commit to the race. Completing the full Road Racing progression tree rewards you with a Lotus Exige WTAC.

Dirt Racing

Dirt Racing mixes asphalt sections with off-road terrain and targets rally fans directly. Entry requirements apply here too. The Sekibe Scramble, for instance, locks the entry to the Subaru Impreza vs. Mitsubishi Evo rivalry and excludes every other car. Reaching the end of the Dirt Racing progression tree earns you a Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato.

Cross Country

Cross Country races take everything fully off-road. Trucks and buggies handle the terrain here, and the conditions get rough throughout. Finishing the Cross Country progression pathway earns you a Mini JCW Buggy.

PR Stunts

PR Stunts return from earlier Forza Horizon titles and cover five distinct types:

• Speed Zones: Maintain the highest average speed through a marked section of road
• Speed Traps: Hit maximum speed past a single speed camera
• Drift Zones: Rack up drift points without leaving the marked area
• Danger Signs: Launch from a marked jump and achieve the longest possible distance
• Trailblazers: Point-to-point time trials across mixed terrain

Each PR Stunt type runs its own separate progression pathway. The penultimate rewards for most types are standout cars: the GMA T.50 for Speed Traps, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS4 ’12 for Speed Zones, the M12S Warthog CST for Danger Signs, and the #99 Mazda RX-8 for Drift Zones. Trailblazers deliver a Mercedes-Benz G 65 as the second reward. All five pathways end with a super wheelspin as the final prize, which is a letdown compared to the cars earlier in the chain.

Wristband Events

Wristbands structure your Horizon Festival progression from Yellow Rookie all the way up to Gold Legend status. Each rank requires completing a dedicated Wristband Event that tests a specific driving discipline.

The first Wristband Event, Pier Pressure, puts you in a Ford RS200 around and along Tokyo’s docks. Each event awards one, two, or three stars based on how cleanly you run it. Three stars requires a near-perfect run. Unlocking each new wristband opens additional event categories on the map. The first reward from the wristband pathway is a Fireworks horn, with all subsequent milestone rewards being super wheelspins.

Street Racing and Touge

Street Racing mirrors Road Racing but uses open roads with live traffic still flowing, which makes every corner more unpredictable. Touge races strip the event down to a one-on-one duel down mountain roads against a single opponent, keeping things tense and personal.

Progressing through the Street Racing and Touge tree unlocks credits, a 90s outfit, and ultimately the Lexus LFA FE.

Story Events, Jobs, and Collections

Three additional content types sit under the Explore Japan banner.

Day Trips group you with other drivers for a scenic tour of Japan that ends with a competitive challenge, such as a race or a Speed Zone. They are not required for main progression, but they are a good way to see parts of the map you might otherwise skip.

Jobs put you in the role of a food delivery driver working for customers with very specific and often entertaining requirements. They are short, self-contained missions you can run between races.

Collectibles are mascot characters scattered across the map. Each one you smash grants credits and pushes you toward milestone rewards.

Full completion rewards for each Story challenge:

Multiplayer Events and Rewards

Multiplayer progression sits inside both the Horizon Festival and Explore Japan banners rather than in a separate menu. Completing these pathways against real players earns some of the best cars available in Forza Horizon 6:

The Porsche 918 alone makes Horizon Play worth prioritizing early if you plan to spend any time in multiplayer. Play Now!

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