Driving sims were once all the rage – will Forza Horizon 6 get them back on track?

Key points

• I have spent the last week careening around Japan in a Porsche 911, seeing the sights, racing other cars and occasionally veering off the road to plummet through an ancient bamboo forest.
• You all know what’s coming next …
• this wasn’t in real life, folks – it was in Forza Horizon 6, the latest instalment in Microsoft’s series of open world driving games set in authentic-looking, real-world locations.
• Reviewing this game (which is out now on Xbox and PC, and coming to PS5 later in the year) has reminded me of the sheer fun and exhilaration that driving games can provide.
• It’s easy to forget, but this was the biggest genre in town from the 1990s to the early 2000s.