Forza Horizon 6 devs threaten hardware bans for accessing game after early build somehow went public

Forza Horizon 6 somehow leaked and was cracked wide open over the weekend, leading to some players gaining access to it well ahead of its launch day. The game isn't due to launch until May 19 (the Premium Edition gets access four days earlier), but many have somehow unlocked and begun playing the game as early as a few days ago. Gameplay videos have begun appearing on YouTube, Twitch, and other websites, and it's gotten a bit out of hand, forcing the game's devs to address it. Image via Xbox Game Studios It seems that players accessing the game likely has something to do with an early access review build appearing as 155 GB of unencrypted downloadable files on SteamDB, and developer Playground Games says it is "not the result of a pre-load issue." It's possible that a content creator or reviewer with early access broke embargo and made it all possible. "We are taking strict enforcement action against any individuals found accessing this build including franchise-wide and hardware bans," Playground said. "We encourage fans to sit tight for the game’s release on May 19." The full game is now reportedly appearing on piracy sites, although some who have accessed it say they were able to do so simply by pre-ordering. The player who was first to crack the game says that its files were not encrypted, so it's turned into a bit of a blame game. No matter who or what is at fault, Playground says it may be banning people who play it early, and some have taken exception to that by claiming that it was a mistake on the studio's end and that they should not be punished for playing the game early because of it. But for those who pirated the game illegally once it leaked, there's no real argument to be had, so think twice before booting up the game before it's unlocked for real later this week or next, depending on which edition you buy. The post Forza Horizon 6 devs threaten hardware bans for accessing game after early build somehow went public appeared first on Destructoid.

May 12, 2026 - 06:00

Forza Horizon 6 devs threaten hardware bans for accessing game after early build somehow went public

Forza Horizon 6 somehow leaked and was cracked wide open over the weekend, leading to some players gaining access to it well ahead of its launch day.

The game isn't due to launch until May 19 (the Premium Edition gets access four days earlier), but many have somehow unlocked and begun playing the game as early as a few days ago. Gameplay videos have begun appearing on YouTube, Twitch, and other websites, and it's gotten a bit out of hand, forcing the game's devs to address it.

Image via Xbox Game Studios It seems that players accessing the game likely has something to do with an early access review build appearing as 155 GB of unencrypted downloadable files on SteamDB, and developer Playground Games says it is "not the result of a pre-load issue." It's possible that a content creator or reviewer with early access broke embargo and made it all possible.

"We are taking strict enforcement action against any individuals found accessing this build including franchise-wide and hardware bans," Playground said. "We encourage fans to sit tight for the game’s release on May 19."

The full game is now reportedly appearing on piracy sites, although some who have accessed it say they were able to do so simply by pre-ordering. The player who was first to crack the game says that its files were not encrypted, so it's turned into a bit of a blame game.

No matter who or what is at fault, Playground says it may be banning people who play it early, and some have taken exception to that by claiming that it was a mistake on the studio's end and that they should not be punished for playing the game early because of it.

But for those who pirated the game illegally once it leaked, there's no real argument to be had, so think twice before booting up the game before it's unlocked for real later this week or next, depending on which edition you buy.

The post Forza Horizon 6 devs threaten hardware bans for accessing game after early build somehow went public appeared first on Destructoid.

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