Touch grass? No thanks - we're too busy clocking in lap times. According to Metacritic's rankings, Forza Horizon 6 has officially taken the top spot as the highest-rated video game of 2026 so far, per a report from Pure Xbox. Critics and players have been absolutely flooring it with the praise, and the scoreboard shows it.
This is a massive W for Xbox, a platform that hasn't exactly been swimming in exclusive critical darlings lately. Forza Horizon 6 rolling in and snatching the number one position on a multiplatform list is the kind of achievement board Microsoft can actually frame and hang on the wall - right next to their collection of "we're investing in the future" press releases.
Here's where it gets a little weird though - and buckle up, because Metacritic's scoring system is its own kind of final boss. Despite being the top-rated game overall on the multiplatform list, FH6 does NOT hold the number one spot specifically on the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S charts. Yes, you read that right. The game that wins the whole tournament somehow doesn't top its own home turf leaderboard. Metacritic's aggregation quirks strike again, and honestly, it's giving chaotic speedrun logic.
The reason comes down to how Metacritic calculates scores differently depending on which platform-specific review pool it's pulling from - so a game can dominate the combined multiplatform rankings while another title edges it out within a single platform's ecosystem. It's the kind of rules lawyering that would make any seasoned tabletop gamer nod knowingly while sighing deeply.
Still, none of that really takes the shine off what is a genuinely impressive performance. Forza Horizon 6 being the best-reviewed game of 2026 so far - across ALL platforms - is no small feat in a year that's already seen some heavy hitters roll through. Xbox fans, you are permitted to do a small victory lap. Preferably in a Lamborghini, obviously.
