Apex Speed Craft

Series 3 lands July 13, and it’s the most drama-packed update Horizon Japan has seen yet.

Playground Games just dropped the third series of Forza Horizon 6, and it’s exactly the kind of update that makes you cancel your evening plans. “Italian Exotics” bathes Horizon Japan in Ferrari red, Lamborghini fury, and a healthy dose of Alfa Romeo soul. But beyond the gorgeous new metal, this update quietly makes one of the boldest moves we’ve seen in a live Horizon game: a full leaderboard wipe. Let’s get into what actually matters.

The Italian Passion Car Pack headlines the show

The paid Car Pack is where the heavy hitters live, and the star is unquestionably the 2025 Ferrari F80. Built to mark Ferrari’s 80th anniversary, it packs a Brembo-co-developed braking system, an in-house electric motor, 1,050 kg of downforce, and a jaw-dropping 1,200 horsepower — making it the most powerful road-legal Ferrari ever made. If you only chase one car this series, chase this one.

It’s not alone. The pack also brings the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB4 Spider (just 10 ever built — an instant garage centerpiece), the track-bred 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm with 533 hp and Kimi Räikkönen’s fingerprints on the setup, and the exotic 1990 Alfa Romeo SE 048SP Group C racer with its Ferrari-sourced V12. That’s a genuinely well-curated four-car set — modern hypercar, vintage elegance, road-legal weapon, and pure competition machine. Premium Edition owners get all four free starting Tuesday, July 14 at 3:00 PM UTC; everyone else can grab it on the Microsoft Store or Steam.

The Festival Playlist reward cars are stacked

Ten reward cars this series, and the lineup rewards showing up every week. The 2024 Lamborghini Temerario is the one to circle — the Huracán’s successor brings back a V8 (a twin-turbo 4.0-liter) plus three e-motors for 907 combined horsepower. It’s the future of the Raging Bull, and it’s yours for 80 points.

The rest of the rotation is a proper greatest-hits reel: the 2022 Ferrari 296 GTB, the ferocious 2004 Maserati MC12 (217 mph and still one of the best-looking cars in the game), the rally-legend 1982 Lancia 037 Stradale, the elegant 2020 Ferrari Roma, and the track-only 2022 Pagani Huayra R with its screaming 838-bhp V12. There’s even the 1984 De Tomaso Pantera GT5 — Italian style, American Ford muscle — to round out the personality picks. Playing through all four weeks nets you the lot plus a new profile badge.

The real story: leaderboards are getting wiped

Here’s the news that’ll split the community. Playground is doing a complete reset of all Rivals Leaderboards with this update, patching the glitches and pre-June-15 Drag Tire exploits that flooded the boards with impossible times. PR Stunts boards are next once their fixes land.

It stings if you posted legit times — but it’s the right call. A leaderboard full of cheated runs isn’t a leaderboard, it’s noise. And crucially, any clean times you posted to earn Collection Journal items stay unlocked, so you’re not losing rewards, just the polluted rankings. Everyone starts Series 3 on a level track. Honestly, more live games should be this willing to hit the reset button.

Quality-of-life wins worth cheering

The patch notes are refreshingly substantial. AI cars should now bump you far less on corner entry, the annoying LINK Clean Sweep skill-tracking bug is fixed, and the Auction House price cap has been removed for cars you can’t buy in the Autoshow. Playground also swung hard at exploiters — AFK Auto Drive credit farming, Estate Skill Point farming, and the Eliminator’s un-challengeable trick are all patched. It’s a good sign the team is watching the feedback portal closely.

Everything else in the bag

Creators eat well this series: 52 new EventLab props land, from Japanese urban details (gacha machines, vending machines, coin lockers) to festival gantries and Horizon Decades branding. The Aftermarket dealership near the Horizon Stadium gets an Italian Exotics makeover, with six normally Wheelspin-exclusive rarities — including the 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO and 2011 Lamborghini Sesto Elemento — able to spawn there. There’s also a cozy Tank Latte Cup Collectible to hunt in the Ito region, a 500-point lifetime Series History reward (the lovely 1972 Mazda Cosmo 110S Series II), and four fresh Car Pass arrivals headlined by the 2003 Aston Martin DB7 GT.

Key dates to remember

• Monday, July 13, 5:00 PM UTC — Italian Exotics update goes live
• Tuesday, July 14, 3:00 PM UTC — Italian Passion Car Pack unlocks
• Thursday, July 16, 2:30 PM UTC — Festival Playlist series begins (runs through August 13)

The verdict

Italian Exotics is a confident, content-rich series that pairs some of the most desirable cars in automotive history with the kind of housekeeping a healthy live game needs. The F80 and Temerario alone justify the download, the exploit fixes make the whole game feel fairer, and the leaderboard wipe — controversial as it’ll be — is the kind of decision that respects the players who race clean. With PS5 owners set to join later this year and a “Horizon Mascot Party” teased next, Horizon Japan is only getting better. Time to warm up the garage.