Forza Horizon 6 Xbox Controller: A Standard Pad in Festival Colours

Microsoft’s Forza Horizon 6 controller is down to $74.99 on Amazon right now, $15 under its $89.99 list price. If you haven’t seen it, it’s the translucent cyan and hot pink one Xbox made for Forza Horizon 6, which came out in May... and the controller is hard to miss.

What is the Forza Horizon 6 controller?

It’s Microsoft’s limited-edition Xbox Wireless Controller for Forza Horizon 6, the open-world racing game set in Japan. Xbox announced it on April 20 alongside a matching headset, and Xbox Wire calls it “one of the most vibrant controllers Xbox has ever released.” It’s the only controller in the collection, which also includes the headset and a charging dock from 8BitDo.

How much does it cost?

It lists at $89.99, and that’s what you’ll pay at the Microsoft Store. On October 19, Amazon had it for $74.99, shipped and sold by Amazon itself, so no third-party seller roulette. In the UK, it’s £84.99 at the Microsoft Store.

When did it come out?

VGC lists May 19, 2026, as the release date for both the controller and the headset, the same day Forza Horizon 6 launched on Xbox Series X|S and PC. Pre-orders opened with the April announcement. Five months later, it’s still easy to find: it’s in stock at Amazon and the Microsoft Store.

What makes the design different?

The colours do almost all the work here. Xbox describes a transparent cyan top case that fades into a metallic gradient, with volt green, hot pink and silver accents. The thumbsticks are hot pink, every ABXY button is a different colour, and the D-pad is silver metallic. Those lime lines across the front? They trace a top-down view of Japan’s winding mountain passes, so you’ve got mountain roads under your thumbs.

Flip it over and the theme keeps going. The grips have a black and pink diamond pattern, the translucent triggers and bumpers are textured, and the white battery door carries the game’s Horizon Festival logo.

Does it light up?

The Xbox button does, same as on every Xbox controller. On this one, the button itself is pink with a lime X, and Microsoft says the translucent case shows off its “dynamic lighting effects.” What colour does it glow? Microsoft doesn’t say. If a coloured glow is what you’re after, the Gears of War: E-Day edition is the one Microsoft markets with a crimson glow.

Does it come with an in-game car or code?

None is listed, so don’t go looking for a bonus car in your garage. Microsoft’s announcement, its store page and Amazon’s listing describe only the hardware, and none of them mention an in-game car, DLC or download code. Everything Forza about it lives on the shell.

Is it a standard Xbox controller underneath?

Yes, with one twist: some owners report a sealed expansion port. Otherwise, you get the usual hybrid D-pad, Share button, USB-C port and 3.5mm headset jack of any current Xbox Wireless Controller. Microsoft doesn’t name a stick type or claim the sticks resist drift, and there are no back buttons. Want paddles? Microsoft keeps those for its Elite Series 2, and drift-resistant magnetic sticks show up in the leaked Elite Series 3.

The expansion port sits on the bottom edge, where older accessories like the Chatpad keyboard used to plug in. Engadget reported in May that some owners found the port sealed on this controller, and Microsoft’s standard controller page now notes that not all versions include the port. Microsoft hasn’t announced the change, so if you still use one of those accessories, check before you buy. The Gears of War: E-Day edition that followed has the same sealed port.

Is it rechargeable, and is there a matching dock?

Not out of the box. It runs on two AA batteries, which Microsoft rates for up to 40 hours, so keep a spare pair handy. For a matching charger, 8BitDo makes an officially licensed Forza Horizon 6 charging dock, $34.99 on Amazon, with a 1,100 mAh battery pack and a battery door for the controller. Xbox says it fully charges a controller in about three hours. If the matching look doesn’t matter, 8BitDo’s standard Ultimate Charging Dock for Xbox controllers is $29.99 in white or black.

What does it work with?

It connects to Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles over Xbox Wireless, with no dongle needed. Windows 10 and 11 PCs, Android phones and iPhones connect over Bluetooth, and Xbox Cloud Gaming takes it to phones, handhelds, smart TVs and supported VR headsets. Button remapping runs through the Xbox Accessories app, though on Windows the app needs a USB-C cable, sold separately.

Is there a matching headset?

Yes. The Xbox Wireless Headset comes in the same cyan, volt green and hot pink for $134.99 at the Microsoft Store. It plays custom sounds that mix a Japanese V8 engine with the game’s menu sounds, and Microsoft rates its built-in battery at up to 20 hours. The controller and headset sell separately.

How does it compare with the Gears of War: E-Day and standard controllers?

The look and the price change the most, and the expansion port varies too. All three share the same hardware, AA batteries and lack of back buttons. A standard Xbox Wireless Controller lists at $64.99, and some colours are on sale from $49.06 at the Microsoft Store. The Gears of War: E-Day Limited Edition lists at the same $89.99 and is out of stock there. It’s the opposite look: a cracked black shell and an Xbox button that glows crimson.

	Forza Horizon 6 Limited Edition	Gears of War: E-Day Limited Edition	Standard Xbox Wireless Controller
List price	$89.99	$89.99	$64.99
Price on October 19	$74.99 on Amazon; $89.99 at the Microsoft Store	$89.99, out of stock at the Microsoft Store	From $49.06 on sale at the Microsoft Store
Look	Translucent cyan, hot pink sticks and grips, silver D-pad	Cracked black shell, translucent red front	Solid colours
Xbox button	Pink with a lime X	Glows crimson	Glows white
Power	Two AA, up to 40 hours	Two AA, up to 40 hours	Two AA, up to 40 hours
Back buttons	None	None	None
Expansion port	Sealed (reported)	Sealed	Not on all versions
Released	May 19, 2026	September 30, 2026	2020

Is the Forza Horizon 6 controller worth it?

At $74.99? It’s a much easier sell than at $89.99. Amazon’s price cuts the premium over a $64.99 standard controller from $25 to $10, and that $10 buys the translucent shell, the pink grips and the Horizon Festival details. It won’t shave anything off your lap times, though, because it plays like any other Xbox controller. And if you catch a standard one on sale at $49.06, the gap grows to about $26.

Who is it for?

Forza Horizon 6 players and collectors who love the colours. It’s also an easy pick if you’re grabbing a second Xbox controller and want to tell it apart from the other one at a glance. If you want back buttons or drift-resistant sticks, though, it adds nothing, and the Elite Series 2 is Microsoft’s controller with back paddles. I’m not a Forza fan myself, but a special-edition controller is a special-edition controller, so I wasn’t skipping this one.