Denuvo is in every new PC game on Steam. However, the racing game Forza Horizon 6 shows that achievements can also be celebrated without Denuvo and the like. This is particularly pleasing for fans.
Forza Horizon is a new racing game that was released on Steam on May 19, 2026. Within just a few days, the title is said to have sold over 1 million copies.
What is special is not only the high sales figures but also the fact that Forza Horizon 6 forgoes two well-known measures that have become standard in every major title: Denuvo and the Unreal Engine 5. Nevertheless, there is discussion in the community about how successful Forza is.
Many players have a negative attitude towards Denuvo
What is the current situation? No matter which major release title you look at on Steam or on PC, hardly any major game comes without the DRM measure Denuvo: From Anno 117 to Crimson Desert to Civilization VII, most larger developers rely on the unpopular platform.
However, Denuvo has been criticized by players for a while now: Some complain about performance issues, others are frustrated with activation problems and the associated online constraints. The list of complaints is long. Therefore, it is particularly pleasing for many users that an AAA title like Forza Horizon 6 completely forgoes Denuvo at launch.
On Reddit, many say: A game can also sell millions of copies without ruining the mood of buyers with Denuvo. However, some retort that the lack of Denuvo has nothing to do with success. Releasing a car game about the Japanese car scene is simply a promising success concept that has worked out:
In Japan, it is a car game, and for decades people have followed the Japanese car scene with great interest – and now it is finally happening.
The Unreal Engine 5: A guarantee for poor performance
What is the problem with UE5? The Unreal Engine 5 is considered by many to be the most beautiful engine currently or at least an easy-to-use engine that can quickly create pretty images on the monitor. However, it is unmistakable that most UE5 releases are often affected by severe performance issues. The UE5 repeatedly causes problems and criticism due to lack of optimization and high hardware requirements.
Playground Games relies on its proprietary ForzaTech engine for Forza Horizon 6. For Part 6, an improved version of the engine that was already used in Part 5 will be employed. This results in stable performance and nice graphics without having to rely on the popular and controversial Unreal Engine 5.
Games like Crimson Desert or Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 show that forgoing the Unreal Engine 5 can be a good decision by the developers.
What do you think about Denuvo? Do you share the same resentment against the system as many other gamers, or do you not care? Feel free to leave us a comment.
Do you want to get some more FPS out of Forza Horizon 6 and are looking for the best settings without compromising on graphics quality? We present the best options and explain where you can save the most performance: Forza Horizon 6: The best settings for the most FPS
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!