There are three hobbies that have consistently competed for my attention over the years: photography, cars and video games. Usually, there is a big overlap between cars and games, and cars and photos. While cars are my excuse to go outside for no reason in something interesting, photography always takes me outdoors chasing the right light. And then, gaming is what happens when the weather is terrible or when I simply want to switch off for a few hours.
But Forza Horizon has the power of mixing all three together like no other game, and blend all three into a single experience. While most people see Horizon as an open-world racing game, I’ve found myself spending almost as much time with the camera as I do behind the wheel. In fact, some evenings are dedicated entirely to finding locations, waiting for (or forcing) the perfect virtual sunset and capturing images. And the fact that this installment takes place in Japan makes that experience even more special for a weeb like me.
For years, fans had been asking for a Horizon game set in Japan. The country occupies an almost mythical place in automotive culture, as the birthplace of countless performance legends, home to some of the world’s most famous mountain roads and the epicentre of a car scene that continues to influence enthusiasts across the globe. From the busy Tokyo streets to quiet countryside Shirakawa, Japan offers a visual variety that feels made for automotive photography.
One moment you’re parked beneath glowing signs of dense Akihabara. The next, you’re photographing a car against the rolling mountain backdrops of the Hakone pass, driving through coastal roads that seem inspired by countless automotive magazines and anime series. All of that while being able to change light, weather and location to your own liking. It’s photography nirvana.
Of course, a Japanese setting would mean very little without the cars that made so many enthusiasts fall in love with the country’s automotive culture in the first place. And this is where Horizon 6 truly shines, to cull a concern I had when the game was first introduced. If you want to keep it to the classics and recreate Han drifting his RX-7 across Shibuya Crossing, or Fujiwara and his iconic AE86, it is all there. But if you want something Euro, vintage, or completely out there like a delivery kei car or a lovely Nissan Be-1, the game provides an opportunity to experience and photograph some of the most celebrated machines ever created.
These are all scenes that enthusiasts have been imagining for decades. The game understands the appeal of these cars and gives them the environment they deserve, and instead of feeling like imported oddities placed into a foreign setting like they have in previous installments, they feel completely at home.
Another amazing realisation for me has been how much real-world photography knowledge transfers into the game: composition still matters, lighting plays a big role, as does background selection. The same principles that make an automotive photograph work in real life apply inside the game. To the point I’ll often lose a race because I was too focused on paying attention to a potential new locale.
That might sound ridiculous to non-photographers, but those always with a camera handy will get it. Modern games have become so visually sophisticated that virtual photography has evolved into its own creative discipline. The challenge is no longer simply taking a screenshot (although I’ve done plenty of those for this article). It’s creating an image that tells a story and captures the personality of the car.
There is another appeal that every enthusiast understands. Many of the cars we dream about owning are becoming increasingly expensive. The golden era of affordable Japanese performance cars is long gone. Skylines, Supras, RX-7s and other icons have climbed into price brackets that place them in dream-car territory for many enthusiasts.
FH6 offers a different kind of access. Within a few hours, you can build a garage containing cars that would represent millions of dollars in the real world. More importantly, you can drive them hard, modify them freely and photograph them in locations most owners could only dream of visiting. No worries about cost, rarity, time, damage. Just pure (digital) automotive enjoyment.
What keeps me coming back for more hours of Horizon 6 isn’t necessarily the racing – it’s not the most serious racing simulator out there. But it is the combination of everything I love: the cars provide the subject, Japan delivers as the backdrop, and then sprinkle photography on top to provide the creative challenge.
Every session becomes a new opportunity to discover a location, revisit a favourite car or experiment with a photographic style I haven’t tried before. Some of my favourite images from the game are a mix of all of that. And that’s probably the highest compliment I can give it. Forza Horizon 6 feels like this giant automotive automotive sandbox, a celebration of car culture and a reminder that the saying: “the best camera is the one you have on you” also works inside a virtual world.
And for someone whose hobbies revolve around photos, games and cars, that’s a pretty hard combination to beat.
