Racing games do not usually compete directly. Sim racers and arcade racers have historically occupied different shelves. Forza Horizon 6 is changing that arithmetic.

With an estimated $579 million in gross revenue across Xbox and Steam, Playground Games’ open-world racer is now reported to be closing in on Gran Turismo 7 — despite having launched on fewer platforms, five years later, and without a PlayStation version at all.

The Comparison Is Not Apples to Apples

Let us be fair to both games.

Gran Turismo 7 launched in March 2022 on PS4 and PS5 and has had over four years to accumulate sales, DLC and a dedicated sim audience. It is Polyphony Digital’s meticulous sim, and it has been the default answer to “what racing game should I buy on PlayStation” since day one.

Forza Horizon 6 launched May 19, 2026 on Windows and Xbox Series X|S. It is an arcade-adventure racer set in Japan. It has had roughly five months and two platforms.

So when estimates suggest Horizon 6 is gaining on GT7’s lifetime figure, that is a statement about rate, not just total. FH6 is closing a five-year gap in under six months — and it has not yet been sold to PlayStation owners.

January 2027 Is the Real Story

The PS5 release on January 26, 2027 (January 21 for the Premium Flair edition) is where this gets genuinely interesting.

For the first time, Horizon and Gran Turismo will be on the same console at the same time. PlayStation owners who have spent four years with GT7 as their only real option are about to get a direct alternative — one that currently holds a 90 Metacritic score, 100% critic recommendation on OpenCritic, and a perfect 10/10 from IGN.

Panic Button is handling the port, and reports indicate a physical disc release as well, which still matters for a chunk of the console market.

What GT7 Still Has

None of this makes Gran Turismo 7 obsolete. Polyphony’s game remains the more serious driving simulation, with a depth of car culture and a tuning scene that Horizon does not attempt to match. Its player base is loyal for good reasons, and GT7’s lifetime revenue is not going anywhere.

But the competitive picture has shifted. Xbox built a racer that reviews better, sells faster and is about to land on the rival platform that Gran Turismo has had to itself since 2022.

The Bigger Signal

There is a strategic read here too. Turn 10 ended active development on Forza Motorsport to put everything behind Horizon 6 — Xbox has effectively decided that the open-world arcade racer, not the sim, is its flagship.

Combined with Horizon 6 being the highest-earning first-party title of 2026 by a wide margin, that decision looks justified. Whether it lasts once PlayStation players get their hands on it in January is the interesting part.

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