Forza Horizon 6 has added a permanent new activity for drivers whose ideal racing line is, at least briefly, pointed somewhere other than the direction of travel. Called Drift Attack, the dedicated mode turns the existing Shimanoyama Circuit into a score-chasing drift lap, blending familiar sideways driving rules with a new layer of targets known as Clipping Zones.

The format is built for immediacy. Drift Attack lives in the open world and does not require a separate lobby or a loading sequence to get underway. Drivers simply pass through the event gantry at the circuit to start. In practical terms, it follows the same quick-access philosophy as Time Attack: find the start, cross the line, and begin trying to make tire smoke look like a carefully reasoned strategy rather than a very expensive misunderstanding.

It is an important distinction for an open-world racer. Rather than treating drifting as a detached menu activity, the new mode makes it another thing players can encounter while roaming the festival map. Shimanoyama Circuit already exists in the world, but Drift Attack gives it a more specialized purpose for anyone looking to turn a full lap into one sustained exercise in momentum, angle, and restraint.

How Drift Attack scoring works

Drift Attack uses the same basic points logic familiar from Horizon Drift events and Drift Zones. A driver earns points by maintaining drifts around the circuit. The additional wrinkle is the presence of Clipping Zones, marked areas positioned around the route. Pulling off drifts inside these boundaries increases the score.

That extra scoring condition should make the mode more than a straightforward contest of keeping a car sideways for as long as possible. A huge, loose slide may look spectacular, but Drift Attack asks players to connect that style to placement. The most productive run will require getting the car where the marked sections demand it while keeping the drift alive. In other words, there is now a reason to be elegantly sideways in a specific location, rather than merely sideways in the postal district.

The setup also gives a circuit lap a different rhythm from a single Drift Zone. Players are managing a complete course, carrying score across corners while seeking out the places where the multiplier-minded Clipping Zones can help. It places an emphasis on route knowledge and control, not just raw power or a car configuration designed to overwhelm the rear tires at every available opportunity.

Drift Attack includes the same in-world leaderboard approach used by Time Attacks. That means the competition remains visible in the driving environment, fitting the event into the broader social structure of the festival rather than relocating it to a separate competitive screen. Anyone pursuing a better position will have a clear reason to revisit the gantry, refine a setup, and attempt one more lap—the phrase that has historically launched countless sessions well past the sensible stopping point.

Campaign access and Drift Attack rewards

The mode is also connected to the Horizon Festival campaign. It becomes available after earning the yellow wristband, placing it within the game’s progression rather than making it an unrestricted activity from the outset. That requirement gives the feature a defined campaign milestone while ensuring it remains a lasting objective once unlocked.

Related coverage includes Forza Horizon 6 Adds Permanent Drift Attack Mode and Jaguar XJ-S Forza Edition.

Players who complete Drift Attack Collection Journal tasks can earn several themed rewards. The cosmetic prizes are a Drift Attack racesuit and Drift Attack helmet, appropriate attire for the person who has decided that conventional grip is a charming but optional social convention. More significantly for garages, the Collection Journal includes a new 1990 Jaguar XJ-S Forza Edition.

The Jaguar is not the only XJ-S entering the game’s vehicle selection. A standard, stock version of the 1990 Jaguar XJ-S has also been added to the Autoshow, where it can be purchased by all players at any time. The two additions create a useful split: the Forza Edition is tied to Drift Attack progress, while the regular model is available through the game’s normal car-buying route.

That distinction matters for collectors as well as drift specialists. Players who want the classic Jaguar for a stock-oriented build or their own tuning project do not have to complete the Drift Attack challenges merely to acquire the base car. At the same time, the Forza Edition gives the new mode a dedicated vehicle reward that suits its identity. Whether the XJ-S becomes a leaderboard weapon or a gorgeous participant in a wildly unnecessary parking-lot slide is, as ever, a matter for the driver.

British Automotive playlist runs through October 8

Drift Attack arrives alongside Horizon Playlist Series 5: British Automotive. The series began on September 10 and is scheduled to run until October 8. Across its seasonal and full-series objectives, it offers 10 reward cars, with three identified as new to Horizon.

The season-by-season reward structure is as follows:

  • Summer: 2019 Ginetta G40 Junior for 20 points; 2021 McLaren 620R for 40 points.
  • Autumn: 2015 Jaguar XKR-S GT for 20 points; 2021 MINI John Cooper Works GP for 40 points.
  • Winter: 2006 Vauxhall Astra VXR for 20 points; 2016 Bentley Bentayga for 40 points.
  • Spring: 2002 Lotus Esprit V8 for 20 points; 2023 Lotus Emira for 40 points.

Two further cars are reserved for progress accumulated across the complete British Automotive series. Reaching 80 points earns the 2025 Bentley Continental GT Speed, while the 2019 Aston Martin Valhalla Concept Car requires 160 points over the series as a whole.

The lineup gives the playlist a deliberately broad interpretation of British performance. There are lightweight track-focused machines such as the Ginetta G40 Junior, modern high-output options from McLaren and Bentley, compact hot-hatch representation through the MINI and Vauxhall, and Lotus models spanning the Esprit V8 and Emira. Jaguar is present in both the playlist and the new Drift Attack content, making this a particularly busy stretch for players whose automotive tastes favor long bonnets, sharp badges, and the occasional urge to arrive sideways.

As with Drift Attack itself, the series creates reasons to alternate between focused objectives and free-roam driving. Playlist point goals shape the broader month of events, while the new circuit challenge offers a permanent score target beyond the series end date. It is a useful combination: limited-time rewards for players who want a schedule, and an enduring activity for those who prefer to pursue incremental improvements at their own pace.

Horizon Meets is next on the calendar

The following series has also been named: Horizon Meets. It is set to include a temporary 7-Eleven Konbini evolving-world feature, more Eventlab content, and additional cars that are new to Horizon. Specific details beyond those elements have not been outlined here, but the confirmation indicates that the changing-world approach will continue after British Automotive concludes.

For the moment, Drift Attack is the headline addition. Its permanent status, open-world entry point, campaign connection, leaderboard support, and specific reward path make it more substantial than a simple playlist diversion. Shimanoyama Circuit is now a destination for drivers who want to test whether their best lap is the fastest one, the cleanest one, or the one that spends the greatest amount of time looking gloriously like it is about to go wrong.

The update also lands amid a continuing flow of game-industry plans and platform discussions, including recent comments on the possibilities and pressures surrounding smaller games and Game Pass. In Forza Horizon 6, though, the immediate assignment is considerably simpler: unlock the yellow wristband, head for Shimanoyama Circuit, find the gantry, and make those Clipping Zones count.