Forza Horizon 6 almost sold 5 million copies in its first week and Xbox accounts for 42% of purchases

Forza Horizon 6 has started with very high numbers in both sales and players. The first estimates show one of the strongest launches of the year for Microsoft. According to a report by Alinea Analyticsthe game would have already sold 4.9 million copies between Steam and Xbox since its early access on May 15 and a few days after its general release on May 19. The firm also estimates that the title already exceeds $325 million in gross revenue.

One of the most striking data in the report is the distribution between platforms. Alinea estimates that 42% of copies sold come from the Xbox ecosystemincluding console, PC and cloud, while Steam would concentrate the remaining 58%. In volume, that puts Xbox at close to 2.1 million copies, compared to about 2.8 million in Valve’s store. Even so, the revenue distribution appears practically tied, with 51% for Xbox and 49% for Steam.

This difference between units and income has a geographical explanation. According to Alinea, Xbox maintains a stronger weight in Western markets, where prices are higher and where more players opted for the early access edition. In total, 1.7 million users would have purchased the $120 Advanced Access editionalso including the add-on for those who play through Game Pass. Steam, for its part, brings together a more diverse base in markets such as China, Japan or Brazil, where the regional price reduces the average income per copy.

Strong launch in sales and also in Game Pass

The other big leg of the premiere is the subscription. The report estimates that More than 3 million players accessed Forza Horizon 6 through Game Pass during its launch week. This data reinforces the scope of the game, although it also reopens a common discussion around Microsoft’s approach. Each player that enters through subscription is one less unit of direct sales, but it can also provide long-term value if it helps attract new subscribers or retain those who were already in the service.

Continuing with this approach, the report points out that, on the one hand, Game Pass may be cannibalizing some of the premium revenue at startup. On the other hand, it fits with the logic that Microsoft has maintained for years in its own releases. Steam pushes sales volume, Game Pass absorbs a good part of the use on Xbox and the model day onethat is, availability from day one, in subscription it continues to work as designed. Even when the growth of the service is no longer as explosive as in other phases.

China, Japan and the future arrival to PS5 complete the map

The report also highlights the weight of China within the Steam premiere. Alinea estimates that 13% of Steam players come from the Chinese marketwhich confirms that the saga already has an important base there. Japan also gains relevance, something logical due to the setting chosen for this installment. According to the firm, placing a game in a specific market remains one of the most reliable ways to increase its audience share in that country, and Forza Horizon 6 seems to have taken advantage of it.

Overall, the consultancy already places Forza Horizon 6 among the most important releases of 2026, with a combination of direct sales, strong traction in Game Pass and good international performance. The firm also emphasizes that the subsequent arrival of PS5 can further expand these figuresjust as happened with Forza Horizon 5. For now, what this first week leaves is a fairly clear conclusion. Playground Games has signed a very positive commercial debut and Microsoft already has another great title capable of moving revenue, subscriptions and global presence at the same time.