Forza Horizon 6 leak caused Steam preload files

Forza Horizon 6 accidentally leaked via Steam preload

Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 6 has been making headlines for the wrong reason: multiple reports say the full game was accidentally made available through an unencrypted Steam preload ahead of release.

The situation appears to have started when an update pushed downloadable files to Steam customers early. Those files were visible on SteamDB, and the size was reported as roughly 155GB, matching a complete build rather than a small teaser or patch. As the leak spread, it quickly became clear that the preload wasn’t protected the way many studios handle near-launch content.

In response, players and publishers were facing two immediate consequences:

• Potential early access for regular users: people who downloaded the preload could effectively play before the intended launch window.
• Piracy and distribution risk: because the files were reportedly unencrypted, third parties had more opportunities to extract assets and share them.

Separate coverage also said accounts connected to would-be piracy attempts were met with bans, indicating Steam or the publisher was actively monitoring and reacting.

Why it matters for the wider industry: leaks like this can reshape launch-week expectations, undercut marketing timing, and force dev teams to spend time on damage control rather than final certification. It also highlights how a single mistaken Steam build configuration—especially around encryption and access controls—can turn a routine rollout into a full-day (or longer) scramble.

With Forza Horizon 6 still officially due out later, the main open question is how much the leak will affect launch positioning and whether studios adopt stricter safeguards after similar incidents.