Overview
- Early access for Premium Edition buyers began Friday in most regions, granting a four‑day head start for a $119.99 buy‑in.
- SteamDB showed more than 170,000 concurrent players during early access on PC, a franchise record despite the paywall.
- The full release arrives May 19 on Xbox Series X|S and PC with day‑one Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere support, with a PS5 version planned later in 2026.
- Reviews praise the visuals, stable performance and the expansive Japan map anchored by Tokyo, with many calling it a high point for the series.
- Critics flag downsides that include less convincing handling on wheels and severe frame‑rate drops with racing wheel setups, issues reviewers say are known and unresolved.