Forza Horizon 6 Dominates Steam Pre-Orders: A Look at Racing Games’ Dwindling Status

Forza Horizon 6 is making waves on Steam even before its official release, having racked up over 500,000 pre-orders by mid-April! This impressive figure has likely soared since, as the game has remained a staple on Steam’s revenue charts. To put this into perspective, let’s remember that Battlefield 6 garnered around 1.7 million pre-orders right before its launch in October 2021.

Now, I’m not one to jump on the pre-order bandwagon myself, but it’s intriguing to see what drives gamers to do so. For those who pre-order Forza Horizon 6, there’s a shiny bonus ride: the “Pre-Tuned Ferrari J50.” Although, with over 500 cars available in the game, that bonus might not be the main attraction. The $120 Premium edition, which gives four days of early access along with future DLC, likely does the trick for many.

Curious about the landscape of racing games, I dug into Steam’s charts to see if any recent titles have made a similar impact. When was the last time a racing game made it into the top ten? Excluding games that involve driving but aren’t purely racing, like GTA 5 or RV There Yet?, it seems the competition is stiff. Sonic Crossworlds almost broke into the top ten during its launch week, clocking in at 11th place, while F1 25 peaked at number 5 upon its release.

On the flip side, titles like Tokyo Xtreme Racer and Assetto Corsa Evo have had mixed success, failing to crack the upper echelons despite their hype. Forza Horizon 6 stands out as a beacon in a genre that used to be a pillar of gaming but has since seen its star dim. Big names like Need for Speed and Ridge Racer seem more like distant memories now, leaving Forza Horizon as the sole multi-platform racing franchise that seems to command attention.

It’s interesting to note that even with solid sales, racing games often fail to dominate discussions like they used to. Sure, we’ll see lots of flashy gameplay videos from Horizon 6, but the buzz might not linger for long. Given that the gameplay formula hasn’t radically changed from previous versions, there may not be much new to debate once the initial excitement fades.

So, will I be diving into Forza Horizon 6? Absolutely! But probably while I have a podcast playing in the background. It’s a fun ride for sure, but I wonder how much of an impact it will have in the grand scheme of gaming conversations moving forward.

As for the current top Steam games, here’s a snapshot from the revenue charts: Counter-Strike 2 is still leading, followed by Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era and PUBG: Battlegrounds. Forza Horizon 6 is impressively ranked at number 5, showing that racing games can still grab attention, even if they aren’t the talk of the town like they once were.

While the Steam Controller didn’t make the top 100 despite its recent launch, the Steam Deck is hanging in there at number 86. It’s curious how the stock situation might be affecting these rankings.

As we continue into May, let’s keep an eye on how Forza Horizon 6 unfolds in the gaming world and what it signifies for the future of racing games.