Forza Horizon 6 Dev Issues Hardware Ban Until Year 10,000 to Pirate Who Leaked Gameplay—But Leak Continues

Playground Games, the developer behind Forza Horizon 6, has followed through on its threat to ban players who accessed a leaked build of the game before its official release. One pirate reported receiving a hardware ban lasting until December 31, 9999—the maximum possible with four-digit years—effectively a lifetime ban.

Over the weekend, reports emerged that 155 GB of Forza Horizon 6 files appeared on SteamDB four days before early access and nine days before the full launch, leading some to believe a Steam pre-load error was to blame. However, Microsoft-owned Playground denied this, stating: "We are aware of reports that a build of Forza Horizon 6 has been obtained prior to its release and can confirm this is not the result of a pre-load issue. We are taking strict enforcement action against any individuals found accessing this build including franchise-wide and hardware bans. We encourage fans to sit tight for the game’s release on May 19."

Despite the denial, the build was quickly shared on piracy sites, and gameplay footage appeared on YouTube and social media. One YouTuber who uploaded footage with their Xbox gamertag visible reported receiving a hardware ban until the year 10,000. Remarkably, the same person later uploaded another Forza Horizon 6 video using an alt account and with their gamertag blurred, claiming: "I’m not worried about it at all. I’m free to play online as much as I want, and there’s nothing they can do to really stop it."

Playground faces an uphill battle containing the leak, though it has been taking down Reddit threads. Meanwhile, SteamDB distanced itself from the leak, suggesting someone with early access (like a reviewer) was responsible: "Forza Horizon 6 was very likely leaked by someone with early access to the build. At around the same time, the file list appeared on SteamDB because someone used our token dumper. SteamDB does not display or share keys, nor can it provide downloads."

Forza Horizon 6 launches on PC and Xbox, and will be available on Game Pass. On Steam, it is currently the second top-selling game by revenue and the third most-wishlisted, indicating strong sales despite the leak. Early access begins May 15, with a general release on May 19. Microsoft has not commented on whether the leak will affect launch plans.