Forza Horizon 6 is out now in early access and available globally on May 19, and it’s already proving to be one of the highest-rated games of 2026. It has secured top marks from reviewers worldwide (including from Insider Gaming), and many are regarding it as the greatest Forza Horizon game ever made.
If you’re eager to learn more about Forza Horizon 6, you might appreciate this tidbit. The game’s core make-up has been impacted by Japanese traditions, much in the same way that Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was little more than a year ago.
The Cherry Blossom Concept in Forza Horizon 6
Last year, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was released by Ubisoft, and it quickly became one of the most positively received games in the series in a hot minute. Our review spoke highly of the game, which boasted a solid story, sumptuous visuals, and genuinely interesting characters.
In the days after the game arrived on the market, a scandal of sorts surfaced after it was revealed that players could destroy shrines and wreak havoc through temples. In Japan, these are locations of serious cultural and societal importance, and the situation became so severe that it was discussed in the Japanese parliament.
Ubisoft eventually made drastic changes, locking down the destruction elements around shrines, and the world moved on. I spoke to the actor behind the game’s main character, and she agreed that it shouldn’t have been allowed to happen in the first place.
Now, in an interview with The Japan Times, it has been revealed that Forza Horizon 6 has adopted a similar concept.
Players have noticed that they can smash their powerful (or perhaps not so much) vehicles through basically anything, except cherry blossom trees and shrines or temples. There’s a reason for that.
Forza Horizon 6’s design director, Torben Ellert, explained why this is:
Almost all trees in the game are smashable to ensure that traversing the world map is both fun and rewarding. However, several tree types are not, for example, the cherry blossom trees, because they’re an iconic element of Japanese culture.
Certain temples or other cultural elements are also excluded so that players aren’t tempted to drive through shrines or locations of cultural importance.
(Thanks to Dexerto for the spot)
It was noted by Ellert that the Japan map in Forza Horizon 6 is more of a ‘fictional distillation’ of the country, which takes the geography and makes it more playable and scaled down, but the cultural influences certainly aren’t imaginary.
Are you enjoying Forza Horizon 6? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news about the recent Sea of Thieves community scandal
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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