How to Get XP in Forza Horizon 6 and Level Up Fast
TL;DR
- XP in Forza Horizon 6 is tied to the Wristband progression system — seven tiers from Tourist to Horizon Legend.
- Winning races, smashing Mascots, hitting XP Boards, and completing PR Stunts are the fastest ways to earn XP.
- Link Skills are a new mechanic that rewards you for matching skills with nearby players.
- Smashing all 200 Mascots gives a combined total of 1,000,000 XP.
- Never fast travel — driving manually earns bonus XP from stunts and exploration along the way.
- Reaching Gold Wristband unlocks Legend Island, the best late-game XP farming spot.
Levelling up in Forza Horizon 6 is not just about racing as fast as possible. The game rewards you for almost everything — drifting, exploring, smashing objects, taking photos, and even just driving between events. But if you want to climb through the Wristband tiers efficiently and unlock the best content quickly, you need to know which activities give the most XP and how to stack them together.
This guide covers every method to earn XP fast in Forza Horizon 6, from the basics to the best farming techniques available on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
How XP Works in Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon 6 uses a Wristband progression system with seven tiers. These go from Tourist all the way up to Horizon Legend. Each Wristband gates certain events and content, so progressing through them opens up more of what the game has to offer. You earn XP — called Influence Points — by completing races, stunts, exploration activities, and multiplayer events. Hit the required milestone for your current Wristband tier and you move up.
The progression is more structured than previous Forza Horizon games. It is not purely open-ended. That means choosing high-influence activities matters more here than it ever did in FH5. Reaching the Gold Wristband is the big early goal — it unlocks Legend Island and some of the best events in the game.
If you are brand new to the game, the Forza Horizon 6 beginner’s guide is worth reading first so you understand how the whole progression loop fits together.
Win Races and Adjust the Difficulty
The most reliable way to earn XP is simply to win races. Completing an event gives you Influence Points, and winning gives you a bonus on top. First-time completions give even more, so always try a new event before replaying an old one. Moving to a fresh event is almost always more efficient than grinding the same race repeatedly.
Turning up the difficulty is one of the best things you can do early. Higher Drivatar difficulty and using manual transmission with fewer assists increases your XP multiplier. If you need consistent wins to stay motivated, lower the difficulty slightly — steady wins across many events will beat occasional wins on hard mode in terms of overall XP per hour.
Look for events with a green exclamation mark next to them in the menu. These are special milestone events that give large XP bursts and directly push your Wristband progress. Showcase events and Rush events also deliver some of the highest single-event XP rewards in the game.
Smash All 200 Mascots
This is one of the single best XP farms in Forza Horizon 6 and you can do it from day one. The Japan map has 200 Mascots — small collectible emoji-style figures scattered across the world. Each one gives 5,000 XP when you drive through it. Smash all 200 and you earn a combined 1,000,000 XP total. A few hours of exploring the map while hunting them down is one of the most efficient ways to push through the early Wristband tiers.
Mascots also contribute to your Discover Japan stamp progress, which unlocks player houses and Barn Find rumours. So you are earning XP and unlocking content at the same time.
Break XP Boards
XP Boards are glowing signs placed across Japan’s roads, highways, and mountain passes. Each one gives a fixed amount of XP when you drive through it:
- 1,000 XP Boards — give 10 Wristband points each.
- 3,000 XP Boards — give 30 Wristband points each.
- 5,000 XP Boards — give 50 Wristband points each.
None of these are huge on their own, but they add up fast. The key is not to go out of your way to hunt every single board at once. Instead, grab them naturally as you drive between events. You will find them along roadsides, on bridges, and tucked into scenic spots across the map. Check our guide on the best roads and mountain passes — many of the best driving routes in the game pass through clusters of XP Boards.
Drive Everywhere — Never Skip the Journey
Forza Horizon 6 removes the cost for fast travel entirely and also adds an auto-drive feature. It is tempting to skip straight to your next event. Do not do it. Every journey you make manually is an XP opportunity.
While driving between events you will naturally pass through Speed Traps, Danger Zones, and Drift Zones — all of which give Influence Points. You will also uncover new regions, spot Mascots, hit XP Boards, and trigger new events. All of this compounds your XP rate significantly over a session. Skipping travel skips all of that.
Use Link Skills With Nearby Players
Link Skills are a new mechanic introduced in Forza Horizon 6. When you perform the same skill as another nearby player — a drift, a near-miss, a jump — you earn a Link Skill bonus. You do not need to be in a Convoy with them. Simply being in the same area is enough.
The first time you complete each unique Link Skill, you earn 10 Wristband points. This stacks up quickly if you drive in busy areas like the Tokyo streets, festival sites, or popular race event zones where other players tend to congregate. It is essentially free XP just for driving near other people and doing what you would be doing anyway.
Take Horizon Promo Photos
Every car in the game has a small amount of XP attached to it via the Horizon Promo photo system. Taking a photo of a car gives you 10 Wristband points per vehicle. With over 600 cars available, that is a potential total of over 6,000 points just from photos alone.
The best way to make use of this is to enter photo mode at the start of every race and take a quick photo of each car in the event. You earn race completion XP, win bonus XP, and photo points all from a single event. It is the most efficient combo in the game for consistent XP gains.
If you want to get serious about photography in FH6, check out the Forza Horizon 6 photo mode guide for tips on getting the best shots.
Complete PR Stunts
PR Stunts — Speed Traps, Danger Zones, Drift Zones, Speed Zones, and similar events — are scattered all across Japan’s map. They reward Influence Points for meeting or beating the target score. Some PR Stunts give more points than standard circuit races, especially when you hit the top target threshold.
The best approach is to hit them as you drive past rather than making dedicated runs. If you pass a Drift Zone on the way to a race, hit it. That extra XP costs you almost no time and keeps your hourly XP rate high. Check our guide on best drift cars and tuning setups to make Drift Zones much easier to max out.
Stack Car Mastery Skill Chains
Every car in the game has a Car Mastery skill tree. Investing Skill Points into perks — especially XP multipliers, chain protection, and crash forgiveness — compounds your XP gains from every drive. A car with a high skill multiplier turns every drift, near-miss, and jump into a much bigger payout than a stock vehicle.
When building skill chains in free roam, combine drifts, near-misses, jumps, and speed bursts. The longer your chain runs without a crash, the higher your multiplier climbs. Cars with x7 or x10 skill multipliers — including Forza Edition vehicles — are the best for active skill farming. Try this on open roads or wide areas where traffic is light and crash risk is low.
If you are just starting to build your garage, our guide on the best starter cars to buy first will help you find capable vehicles early on.
Spend Skill Points on Cheap Cars for XP
This is one of the more efficient XP methods for players who have built up a reserve of Skill Points. Buying a cheap car like the Wuling Sunshine S costs just 1 Skill Point and gives you 3,000 XP. You also get an extra 200 XP for the act of spending the Skill Point itself, making it 3,200 XP per 1 SP spent. You can then auction the car back or give it away and repeat the process.
Other cheap cars work similarly. The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV 2022 (Rare) costs 5,000 Credits and gives 3,000 XP, and can be auctioned for 6,000 Credits — making it essentially free. Use this method when you have accumulated Skill Points but want to convert them into level progress quickly.
Use the Collection Book
The Collection Book tracks everything you have done and everything you have not done yet. First-completion bonuses are some of the best XP rewards in the game, and the Collection Book tells you exactly what activities you are missing. Check it regularly to make sure you are not leaving big XP bonuses unclaimed from events you have not tried yet.
Farm XP on Legend Island
Once you reach the Gold Wristband and unlock Legend Island, you gain access to the longest Goliath race in the game. This is one of the best repeatable XP farms available in the late game. The race is long, it is offline friendly, and the XP return per run is very high. Check our full Goliath race guide to prepare the best car and tune setup before attempting it.
Play Horizon Play Multiplayer
The multiplayer side of Forza Horizon 6 — Horizon Play — has its own XP system. Modes include The Eliminator, Hide and Seek, Touge Showdown, Spec Racing, Horizon Racing, Horizon Drift, and more. Every level you earn in Horizon Play up to Level 25 also contributes Influence Points toward your Horizon Festival Wristband. So online play feeds your offline progression as well. If you enjoy multiplayer, this is worth doing consistently.
Do Seasonal Events and the Festival Playlist
Weekly Seasonal Events and the Festival Playlist rotate every week and offer some of the best XP rewards in the game for the time investment. They are tailored to specific car classes and challenges, keeping things varied. Always complete the Seasonal Playlist challenges each week. Missing them means missing large XP bonuses that reset and cannot be claimed again once the season ends.
Quick Summary – Best XP Methods Ranked
- Smash all 200 Mascots — 1,000,000 total XP, can start immediately.
- Win races on high difficulty — consistent XP with multiplier bonuses.
- Take Horizon Promo photos at every race start — stacks race XP and photo XP together.
- Drive manually between events — hits stunts, boards, and mascots along the way.
- Stack Link Skills in busy areas — free XP just for driving near other players.
- Farm the Legend Island Goliath race — best late-game repeatable XP source.
- Complete Seasonal Events every week — high rewards, time-limited bonuses.
- Use Car Mastery perks for XP multipliers — compounds every drive.
