Forza Horizon 6 Leaks Ahead of Launch as Devs Threaten Franchise-Wide Bans

A Security Failure

Forza Horizon 6 suffered a significant pre-launch leak after its Steam preload files were uploaded without proper encryption. The game began circulating on piracy sites more than a week before its scheduled release date — a major security lapse for one of Xbox's flagship racing franchises.

Bans Incoming

Turn 10 Studios issued a firm response, warning that players caught pirating the game will face bans that extend across the entire Forza franchise, not just Forza Horizon 6. Hardware bans — which lock the device itself from accessing Forza services — were also threatened.

An Industry Problem

The Forza leak came alongside a similar incident with Subnautica 2, spotlighting concerns about pre-release security practices on Steam. Both cases point to inadequate encryption of preload content as a systemic vulnerability that publishers need to address.

With Forza Horizon 6 being one of the biggest PC and Xbox releases of 2026, the impact of the leak on legitimate sales figures will be closely watched by the industry.