Beginner’s Guide#
🚗The Horizon Festival in FH6 is bigger than any before it, yet the entry barrier is actually lower - thanks to the Wristband, a clear progress ladder. This page isn’t about “how to drive fastest”; it’s about “what to do with your first few hours,” and which tempting choices are actually traps.
1. Four Things to Know Before You Start#
1. You’re a “Festival-Goer,” Not a “Racer”#
You arrive at the Japanese festival as a tourist. That means the first events are onboarding showcases teaching launch technique, trail braking, racing lines, and stunts. Don’t skip or fast-forward them - they hand you Horizon’s whole basic driving vocabulary.
2. Progress Is Measured in Wristbands, Not Levels#
The Wristband is the game’s core progress ladder, inherited from Horizon 1’s tier system. Races, stunts, and challenges all push it upward, and each tier unlocks higher-end events, cars, and regions. Don’t fixate on one event type early - pushing the Wristband up fast opens far more doors than grinding laps on one track.
3. Tokyo Is the City to Learn First#
Tokyo is the largest urban environment in the series and FH6’s showcase. Your first hours of photography, street races, and shortcut hunting all concentrate here. Don’t rush to the mountain passes or the Alps yet - learn Tokyo’s blocks, expressways, and docks first, and the game’s “designed for streets” philosophy will click faster.
4. More Cars Doesn’t Mean “Every Purchase Is Right”#
There are 550+ cars at launch, but you don’t need most of them. Ten half-tuned cars are worth far less than two or three cars you’ve tuned properly and learned to drive. This game rewards depth over breadth.
2. Three Recommended Opening Routes#
Different players should open differently, depending on what they enjoy:
| Route | Best for | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| Street route | Tokyo night streets and crowds | Clear Tokyo street races and expressway events first; learn the C1-style loop |
| Touge route | Wall-hugging lines and 1v1 duels | Head straight for the Haruna / Bandai-Azuma-style Touge battles |
| Sightseeing route | Photography, collecting, slow pace | Follow the “explore Japan” quests and photograph the landmarks first |
The routes aren’t mutually exclusive - switch anytime. Just pick a primary one first so you don’t skim everything and master nothing.
3. The Five Traps New Players Fall Into#
- ❌ Tuning one car straight to S2: S2 handling gets twitchy fast; newcomers spin out constantly. Steady your lines in B to A class first.
- ❌ Stacking power and ignoring the chassis: tires, brakes, and suspension improve lap times far more directly than a bigger turbo.
- ❌ Ignoring seasonal road conditions: winter demands snow tires or AWD, or every highway straight becomes bumper cars.
- ❌ Hoarding all your challenge currency: spend it when needed. Wristband progress comes from consistently competing, not from a fat bank.
- ❌ Assuming multiplayer means fighting strangers: CoLab co-building and Car Meets are “playing together,” not “fighting each other.”
4. Wristband Progress Cheat Sheet#
| Stage | How to climb | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Starting out | Clear blue-badge and rookie events | More street races, basic showroom cars |
| Pushing up | Stunts and collecting (Barn Finds, photo spots) | Higher Wristband tiers and event types |
| Advancing | Touge, Horizon Rush, multiplayer | Legend Island (Gold Wristband), team co-building |
| Late game | Long-haul circuits, The Eliminator, Legend Island | Top-tier cars and the most open courses |
Key point: the Wristband isn’t grinded from one event type - it climbs naturally as you touch everything. That’s deliberate “breadth-driven” design: the game wants you to try it all.
5. How to Spend Your First Hours#
- Hour 1: run the onboarding showcases; dial in controls and assists.
- Hours 2-3: street races in Tokyo, learn the expressway shortcuts, open some photo spots.
- Hours 4-6: climb to mid-tier Wristband, try Touge and Horizon Rush, sweep a round of collectibles.
- Hour 6+: go deep on your favorite route, or drift into Car Meets / CoLab social play.
6. One Word About Assists#
If you just want an easy on-ramp, braking assist on, traction control on for your first sessions, stability control off, automatic transmission is a great starting setup. Once racing lines feel natural, peel assists off one by one and switch to manual - the game genuinely rewards manual shifting, and the gap automatics lose shows up hardest in narrow Touge duels.
7. Quick Answers to New-Player Questions#
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What car should I buy first? | Drive the onboarding car first; buy after you know which route you like |
| Do I need to have played earlier games? | No - new map, new progress; the festival teaches everything |
| Can I play on PS5? | Yes, but later in 2026; the game launches on Xbox and PC first |
| Can I play solo without friends? | Absolutely - tons of solo content (collecting, Touge, Legend Island) |
For deeper car, tuning, and event choices, see the Cars guide, Tuning & Upgrades, and Event Types pages.
8. The Value of a Second Playthrough#
There’s no traditional “new game plus,” but restarting still means something:
- Take a different route: street first time, Touge or sightseeing the second.
- Build differently: grip to drift, RWD to AWD - a completely different game.
- Raise the difficulty: once comfortable, turn assists off and chase purer technique.
9. What Beginners Over- and Under-Estimate#
| Common mistake | Reality |
|---|---|
| Overestimating horsepower | Chassis and tires move lap times more |
| Underestimating map knowledge | Knowing shortcuts and corners beats a faster car |
| Overestimating car count | Two or three tuned cars beat ten random ones |
| Underestimating social play | Car Meets and co-building are core experiences too |
10. The New-Player Phase in One Sentence#
Push the Wristband up, learn Tokyo, then go deep on the route you love (street / Touge / sightseeing). Don’t overreach - master a few cars completely, and the game’s real pleasure reveals itself.