Forza Horizon 6 is being painted as a runaway success on Steam, if the figures being discussed are accurate. According to Pure Xbox, which cites data from Alinea Analytics, the Steam release of Forza Horizon 6 has allegedly driven gross revenue of $197.7M. Take this with a pinch of salt, but if true these are headline-making numbers.
What Was Reported
Per Pure Xbox — relaying information from Alinea Analytics — the Steam edition of Forza Horizon 6 is being called the “top new game of the year by Steam revenue.” The breakdown cited includes around $4M attributed to DLC, with roughly $2M coming from the VIP Membership (described as double event cash and other perks).
The figures as presented claim that Forza Horizon 6 has pulled revenue “three times faster” at launch than Forza Horizon 5 did, and that the Steam storefront tally sits at approximately 3.5M copies sold on Steam alone. Pure Xbox also points out that this Steam performance places Forza Horizon 6 above titles such as Resident Evil Requiem and Crimson Desert in the revenue rankings.
Earlier estimates from Alinea Analytics — mentioned by Pure Xbox as coming from last month — put total sales across all platforms and marketplaces at about 6.4 million copies, and suggested that around six million extra people had been playing via Game Pass. These wider numbers imply that just over half of total sales may have come through Steam, if those estimates are accurate.
The Source & Credibility
These claims are being reported by Pure Xbox, who attribute the raw analytics to Alinea Analytics. The data is presented as estimates and industry analysis rather than studio- or publisher-confirmed accounting. As such, these are third-party numbers that should be treated as provisional — alleged performance figures rather than official financial statements.
Why Caution Is Warranted
- The revenue and unit figures originate with Alinea Analytics as reported via Pure Xbox, which means they are based on analytics methodology rather than direct publisher disclosure.
- Pure Xbox itself frames some details as assumptions — for example, that many PC players may be accessing the game through Game Pass or Xbox Play Anywhere via the Xbox PC app, which complicates how sales and engagement are counted.
- Claims like “pulling revenue three times faster than Forza Horizon 5” are presented as comparative analytics; the exact basis for that cadence (metrics, timeframes, included revenue streams) is not detailed in the reporting.
In short: the numbers are striking, but they are third-party estimates and should be viewed accordingly — allegedly impressive, but not officially audited.
What It Could Mean
If these numbers hold up, Forza Horizon 6 would represent a significant commercial win for Playground Games and Xbox on PC. Strong Steam revenue performance — particularly a claimed $197.7M haul — would underscore the commercial value of the franchise on digital PC storefronts.
Pure Xbox highlights that the Steam performance is “quite an achievement” in a competitive marketplace, and if the split between Steam and other platforms really looks like the estimated figures, it suggests the PC audience contributed a substantial share of early sales. That same reporting also speculates that the apparent success could be a factor in why there hasn’t been public word about staff cuts at Playground Games, pointing to both the title’s performance and the upcoming release of Fable as possible stabilising influences — an assumption, not confirmed fact.
Again, much of this is hypothetical: the implications are exciting if true, but they depend on the reliability of Alinea Analytics’s model and on how platform-specific revenue is being attributed.
Why This Matters
At face value, the claimed Steam revenue — a headline figure of $197.7M, plus DLC and VIP contributions — would be a loud signal that Forza Horizon 6 is resonating commercially on
