Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition Early Access Friday — Is It Worth $120?

Forza Horizon 6 Premium Edition early access kicks off Friday, May 15 — three days before the Standard Edition's May 19 day-one Game Pass drop. Premium costs $119.99 / £109.99 outright (not $100 — close enough that everyone rounds it, but the real price is $120). Standard IS on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass day one. Premium is NOT — it's a separate purchase. The honest question this post answers: is Premium actually worth the extra $50 over Standard, or the extra $60 Premium Upgrade Bundle on top of Game Pass? Below: every edition's real price, what you actually get in each, the math on whether 4 days early + 2 unannounced expansions is worth $60, and the smarter path for most people.

The Three Editions — Real Prices and What's In Each

Forza Horizon 6 ships in three tiers plus a Premium Upgrade Bundle for Game Pass members. Here's the actual breakdown across all four purchase paths.

Standard Edition — $69.99 / £59.99

Just the base game. 550+ cars at launch, full Japan open world, all of Tokyo, the main Horizon Festival campaign. No early access. Comes with the Ferrari J50 pre-order bonus (any edition pre-order gets the J50). This is what Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass subscribers get for free on May 19 at no additional cost.

Deluxe Edition — $99.99 / £89.99

Standard + Welcome Pack (5 pre-tuned cars + Car Voucher) + Car Pass (30 cars delivered weekly post-launch) + 3 clothing tickets. No early access. This is the "I want the cars but not the expansions or the head start" tier — and frankly the worst-value tier of the three.

Premium Edition — $119.99 / £109.99

Everything in Deluxe + 4 days early access (May 15) + VIP Membership (2× race credits, exclusive Forza Edition cars, weekly Super Wheelspins, an elite Tokyo property) + Time Attack Car Pack (8 cars) + Italian Passion Car Pack (4 cars including the 2025 Ferrari F80) + two post-launch expansions (locations unannounced).

Premium Upgrade Bundle — $59.99 / £59.99

The Game Pass member's path. Includes every Premium extra (early access, VIP, all car packs, both expansions) but strips out the base game because you already have it via Game Pass. This is the smartest buy for the 30% of players who plan to play primarily through Game Pass — you get Premium-level content for half the Premium Edition price.

What You Actually Get in Premium That Standard Doesn't

Here's the honest content breakdown, ranked by how much each item actually adds to a long-term playthrough.

Two post-launch expansions (the big one)

These are the major value lever. Each Forza Horizon expansion historically adds a new map area, ~20-50 new cars, and a story campaign. Forza Horizon 5's Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure expansions launched at $19.99 each (so $40 total at retail) but typically went on sale to ~$10-15 each within a year. The expansions are completely unannounced — no locations, no themes, no release windows. You're paying $60 for two DLCs sight-unseen.

4 days early access (May 15 instead of May 19)

Useful for streamers/content creators, community challenge first-movers, or hardcore fans who want bragging rights on map completion. Genuinely irrelevant if you're playing solo without a content schedule. The Pure Xbox community poll showed 25% of respondents are picking up Premium specifically for this, while 30% are happy waiting for Game Pass day one.

VIP Membership (2× race credits + perks)

This is the slow-burn value. 2× credits compounds across an entire playthrough; if you play 100+ hours, you'll earn roughly twice the in-game money, which means buying more cars without grinding. Weekly Super Wheelspins also stack up. Plus an exclusive elite Tokyo property. The longer you play, the more VIP earns back its cost. If you play under 30 hours, VIP barely matters.

Time Attack Car Pack (8 cars) + Italian Passion Car Pack (4 cars)

12 specific cars including the 2025 Ferrari F80, 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 Spider, and various Alfa Romeos. Cool for collectors. Most cars in Forza Horizon are unlockable through normal play anyway — these are early-grab convenience packs, not unique content.

Welcome Pack + Car Pass + clothing tickets

Welcome Pack (5 pre-tuned cars + Car Voucher) gives you a head start. Car Pass drips 30 cars over the first 30 weeks post-launch, which is genuinely substantial. Clothing tickets are cosmetic.

Premium Edition vs Premium Upgrade Bundle — The Math

This is where it gets interesting. The Premium Edition is $119.99 — that's the base game ($69.99) plus all Premium content ($50 worth). The Premium Upgrade Bundle is $59.99 — same Premium content, no base game, because Game Pass covers the base game. Three scenarios cover almost every reader's situation.

If you're a Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass subscriber

The math is obvious. Premium Upgrade Bundle at $59.99 + Game Pass (already paying for it) = you save $60 vs. buying Premium Edition outright. This is the smartest path for any current Game Pass member who wants the Premium experience.

If you're not a Game Pass subscriber

The comparison is Premium Edition $119.99 vs. Standard $69.99 + Game Pass Ultimate $22.99/month. If you only want Forza Horizon 6 and nothing else for 4-5 months, Standard Edition at $69.99 is cheaper. If you'll use Game Pass for other 2026 releases (DOOM: The Dark Ages, Subnautica 2, future Halo/Gears/Fable drops), 6 months of Ultimate ($138) + Premium Upgrade ($60) ends up close to Premium Edition price but gets you 13+ other day-one games.

The honest comparison most players miss

Premium Edition costs $120. If you skip Premium and just buy Standard for $69.99 + wait for the 2 expansions to release individually, you'd probably pay ~$20-30 per expansion at retail, dropping to ~$10-15 each on sale within a year. So you're effectively paying $50-60 extra now for what could be $20-40 on sale in 12 months. The premium is "buy now, no waiting, full bundle" — not necessarily "best value."

The 4 days of early access is real but limited utility for most solo players. The VIP 2× credits only pays off for high-hour players. The car packs are convenience, not content. The real Premium value lives in those 2 unannounced expansions — and that's the bet you're being asked to make blind.

Game Pass Day One — What Standard Gets You Free

Confirmed day one on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on May 19. You get the Standard Edition — full Japan map, all 550+ cars, complete Horizon Festival campaign, full multiplayer, EventLab building, Horizon CoLab co-op creation, Movie Night couch co-op, all base content.

What Game Pass does NOT include

Early access (need Premium Upgrade for that), the 2 post-launch expansions, VIP Membership perks, Car Pass, or the bonus car packs. Game Pass = the base game, period.

Xbox Play Anywhere — one purchase, both platforms

Forza Horizon 6 is an Xbox Play Anywhere title — buy the Xbox version (or get it via Game Pass) and you also get the PC version automatically. Shared saves, shared achievements, shared progress. For Game Pass Ultimate subscribers this is automatic. For Standard or Premium Edition buyers on Xbox, your purchase covers both platforms without paying twice.

The Game Pass vs Standard purchase math

Game Pass Ultimate runs $22.99/month at retail. If you don't already have Game Pass and only care about Forza Horizon 6, math out one or two months of Ultimate vs. buying Standard at $69.99 outright. Two months of Ultimate is $46 — cheaper than Standard — but you only get the game while subscribed. Buying Standard means you own it forever (subject to Microsoft's storefront policies, which historically have kept Forza titles delisted within a few years anyway).

Should You Buy Premium? Honest Recommendation Per Player Type

Buy Premium Edition ($119.99) if...

You don't have Game Pass and don't want it, you'll play 100+ hours, you trust Playground Games' track record on Forza expansions enough to spend $60 on 2 unannounced ones, and the 4-day head start has practical value (streaming, content creation, community competition). For dedicated fans who play every Horizon game obsessively for a year+, Premium typically pays for itself in DLC and VIP credit savings.

Buy Premium Upgrade Bundle ($59.99) if...

You have Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass already, AND you want the Premium content. This is genuinely the best-value option of all four purchase paths — you get Premium-level content for half the Premium Edition price. The smart play for any Game Pass subscriber who values 4-day early access, VIP perks, and the 2 expansions.

Buy Deluxe Edition ($99.99) if...

...honestly, don't. Deluxe is awkward — you pay $30 more than Standard for the Car Pass and Welcome Pack, but you don't get early access or expansions. If you want the in-between tier, the Standard + Game Pass + Premium Upgrade path is more flexible. Deluxe is the trap tier.

Buy Standard Edition ($69.99) if...

You don't have Game Pass, don't want a subscription, and just want the base game forever. Solid choice if you're a moderate player who'll do one playthrough of the main campaign and move on. No expansions, no VIP, no early access — but no monthly bill either.

Use Game Pass Ultimate ($22.99/mo) if...

You want maximum flexibility, you'll play other 2026 first-party releases (DOOM: The Dark Ages, Halo: Campaign Evolved when it drops, the eventual Fable reboot, Gears of War: E-Day), and you're okay not owning the game permanently. Stack with the Premium Upgrade Bundle for $59.99 if you want the full Premium experience for half the outright price.

Skip Premium entirely if...

You're a casual player who plays one new game a month, you won't reach 50+ hours in Forza, and "unannounced expansions" feels like a bad bet to you. The Standard Edition (or Game Pass) gives you the full base game — which is hundreds of hours of content on its own. You can always buy the expansions individually post-launch if they look good after announcement.

Where to Get Forza Horizon 6 Cheaper Than Xbox Store

Xbox Store and Steam both list Premium Edition at $119.99, Standard at $69.99. Third-party authorized key retailers typically price Forza titles 15-30% below storefront from day one — Pure Xbox spotted Premium at £69.99 on one retailer (about 36% off) and Windows Central found Standard at $54.39 on another (22% off).

Got questions about whether to buy Premium vs. Premium Upgrade vs. just rolling with Standard via Game Pass — or need help picking between this and Directive 8020 (which launched today and is NOT on Game Pass)? Hit our live chat and we'll help you pick the right tier for your actual play habits.

Related Reads

• Directive 8020 Launches Today on Xbox — From the Until Dawn Creators — the other big May 2026 Xbox launch, and the one that's NOT on Game Pass
• Everything Coming to Xbox Game Pass in May 2026 — full wave 1 lineup (Forza Horizon 6, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Subnautica 2, and more)
• 13 Best PC Game Deals on Steam This Week — if Forza isn't your thing this week, what's cheap on Steam right now