Best GPU for Forza Horizon 6 (2026): 5 Picks by Monitor Tier

Forza Horizon 6 runs on almost anything at its lower presets, so the real GPU question is narrower: what does your monitor need at Extreme, and do you want ray tracing on? The launch benchmarks answer that with numbers. Ray tracing is the switch that splits the field, frame generation is NVIDIA-only in this game, and Extreme textures want more than 12 GB once ray tracing is on.

The five picks below are sorted by the panel you play on, from a 1080p high-refresh screen to 4K at 120 Hz and up. Every frame rate quoted comes from a published test, with the source named.

Our top pick: ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti OC

The ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti OC is the pick for most FH6 players: it averaged 72 fps at native 1440p Extreme with ray tracing in Notebookcheck's desktop test, 118 fps with DLSS Performance, and it can stack frame generation on top for a 165 Hz or 240 Hz panel.

ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card | Nvidia GeForce RTX5070 Ti DLSS 4, 2.5 slot design, PCIe 5.0, 3X DisplayPort 2.1b, 1x HDMI 2.1b

$1,920.06

Buy the ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti OC on Amazon

Quick picks

Specs at a glance

Benchmarks

These charts use the game's built-in benchmark, a rainy run around the Electric Town circuit, on a Ryzen 7 9800X3D desktop. Notebookcheck published the numbers on May 14 and updated the article on October 5. The preset is Extreme with ray traced reflections and global illumination switched on, which is the hardest load the menu offers, so read them as worst-case figures for each card.

Two cards in the slate have no row. Notebookcheck did not test the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, and the RX 9060 XT 16GB was only run at 1440p. In the same test the RTX 5080 scored 50 fps at native 4K and 71 fps with DLSS Performance, which matters for the step-up question in How we picked.

With ray tracing off, the bar drops a long way. TechPowerUp's 30-plus GPU review puts the 60 fps floor at native 4K Extreme around an RTX 5070, RTX 4070 Ti or RX 9070 XT, and says only the RTX 5090 stays above 60 once ray tracing is added at 4K.

How we picked

Ray tracing is optional, and expensive for what it adds. FH6 uses ray tracing for reflections and global illumination, replacing the screen space versions. On a GPU-bound card the cost is large: Notebookcheck's RTX 5070 Ti Laptop drops from 116 fps at 1080p Extreme to 67 fps with ray tracing on. PC Gamer's analysis calls the result uninspiring. So each pick is judged twice, once at Extreme without ray tracing and once with it, and the tier labels assume ray tracing off unless they say otherwise.

Frame generation is NVIDIA-only in this game. DLSS Frame Generation works on RTX 40 and 50 cards, and Multi Frame Generation on RTX 50. There is no FSR or XeSS frame generation in the menu, per Wccftech's tuning guide and PC Gamer. Radeon cards get FSR 4.1 upscaling on RDNA 4 (older Radeons fall back to FSR 3.1.5), which is good, but nothing that multiplies frames. That is why an RTX card holds two of the five slots at the high-refresh end even where a Radeon matches it on raw frame rate.

12 GB is the line for Extreme with ray tracing. TechPowerUp measured about 9.2 GB at 1080p Extreme, 10.4 GB at 4K Extreme and 13.5 GB at 4K Extreme with ray tracing, rising to 14.4 GB with 4x frame generation. Wccftech's settings notes say Extreme environment textures need 12 GB or more and that ray tracing adds at least 2 GB. PC Games Hardware concluded that anything under 12 GB is too little for ray tracing. Every pick here has 16 GB or more, and that rule is the reason the 12 GB RTX 5070 dropped out of this list.

The CPU sets the ceiling at high refresh. FH6 spreads work across many cores, and Wccftech found that at high frame rates the limit moves to the CPU's cache and memory latency rather than the GPU. A 240 Hz target needs a fast CPU as much as a fast card; our CPU guide for Forza Horizon 6 covers that half of the build. It is also why the two 1080p picks are mid-range cards and not a big GPU held back by its processor.

Why no RTX 5080. In the Notebookcheck 4K test the RTX 5080 was 19% faster than the RTX 5070 Ti at native resolution (50 against 42 fps) and 16% faster with DLSS Performance (71 against 61). That gap is real but small for the step in cost, and neither card reaches 60 fps at native 4K with ray tracing. For 4K, the meaningful jump in this game is to the RTX 5090. Our broader GPU and monitor pairing guide covers the same trade-off outside FH6.

Settings to change before you upgrade

Before buying a bigger card, three menu changes recover a lot of frame rate in FH6. Wccftech's optimized presets gained 15% average fps over Extreme without ray tracing and 23% with it on an RTX 4090, mostly from these settings:

• Keep Raytraced Reflections at Low and Raytraced GI at Medium if you use ray tracing. Extreme on both costs the most for the smallest visual change.
• Match Environment Texture Quality to your VRAM: Extreme for 12 GB and up, Ultra for 10 GB, High for 8 GB. This one setting decides whether an 8 GB card stutters.
• Use the upscaler your card supports natively: DLSS on RTX, FSR 4.1 on RX 9000, XeSS on Arc, FSR 3.1.5 on older Radeons. Change settings, then restart the game before benchmarking, since results can drift without a restart.

Best Overall: ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti OC

This is the card the launch numbers point to for a 1440p screen at 144 Hz or more. It is the lowest-priced card in the slate that clears 60 fps at native 1440p with ray tracing on and can add frame generation on top.

ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GDDR7 OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card | Nvidia GeForce RTX5070 Ti DLSS 4, 2.5 slot design, PCIe 5.0, 3X DisplayPort 2.1b, 1x HDMI 2.1b

$1,920.06

Buy the ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti OC on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

At native 1440p Extreme with ray tracing, Notebookcheck measured 72 fps on the desktop RTX 5070 Ti and 118 fps with DLSS Performance. That second figure is the useful one. A base frame rate above 100 is where DLSS frame generation stops costing you feel, so 2x frame generation lands a 240 Hz panel close to its ceiling with ray tracing still on.

The 16 GB of GDDR7 covers TechPowerUp's 13.5 GB measurement at 4K Extreme with ray tracing, which a 12 GB card cannot. At 4K the card reached 61 fps with DLSS Performance, so a 4K 60 Hz or 4K 120 Hz panel works with upscaling on.

The ASUS Prime cooler is a triple-fan, 2.5-slot design, slimmer than most 5070 Ti boards, so it fits mid-towers and larger small form factor cases without giving up a second slot.

What you give up

Native 4K with ray tracing is out of reach: 42 fps in the same test. If you refuse to upscale at 4K, this is not the card.

It also costs well above the RX 9070 XT for a gap of about 8 fps at 1440p with ray tracing (72 against 64). If you play with ray tracing off, most of what you are paying for over the Radeon is frame generation. The board pulls 300 W through a 16-pin connector, so plan on a quality 750 W unit.

Who it's for

A 1440p 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitor, ray tracing on, and DLSS frame generation used to close the last stretch. It is also the sensible floor for a 4K screen if you accept DLSS. Matching monitors for this card are in our RTX 5070 Ti monitor guide.

Best Value: PowerColor Hellhound RX 9070 XT

FH6 is a game where RDNA 4 holds up well: PC Games Hardware found the RX 9070 XT ahead of the older RX 7900 XTX with ray tracing off, and with it on the gap to the RTX 5070 Ti is narrow.

PowerColor Hellhound AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT 16GB GDDR6

Buy the PowerColor Hellhound RX 9070 XT on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

Notebookcheck measured 64 fps at native 1440p Extreme with ray tracing, against 72 for the RTX 5070 Ti, and TechSpot's 47-GPU test put the 5070 Ti only 4% ahead at the same preset. At native 4K the two cards were 4 fps apart (38 against 42). For a 1440p panel at 120 Hz to 165 Hz with ray tracing off, there is little the more expensive NVIDIA card does better.

It has the same 16 GB as the 5070 Ti, so Extreme textures fit at 1440p with ray tracing on. FSR 4.1 is the upscaler on RDNA 4, and it closes much of the image-quality gap that FSR 3 left against DLSS.

What you give up

No frame generation in FH6. The game offers no FSR frame generation at all, so what the card renders is what you see. On a 240 Hz panel with ray tracing on, that is the difference between the 5070 Ti and this card.

The Hellhound is a big triple-fan board fed by two 8-pin plugs at roughly 304 W, so check case length and budget for a 750 W unit. Our RTX 5070 Ti vs RX 9070 XT comparison covers how the two trade places outside this game.

Who it's for

A 1440p 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitor where you would rather run Extreme without ray tracing than pay for frame generation. It is also the right Radeon for anyone on Linux, though PC Games Hardware measured the 9070 XT up to 14% slower under Proton than on Windows.

Best Premium: MSI RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC

At 4K with every effect on, FH6 has one card that does not need help: 68 fps native in Notebookcheck's run, the only desktop result above 60.

msi Gaming RTX 5090 32G Gaming Trio OC Graphics Card (32GB GDDR7, 512-bit, Extreme Performance: 2497 MHz, DisplayPort x3 2.1a, HDMI 2.1b, NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture)

Buy the MSI RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

With DLSS Performance it reached 120 fps at 4K Extreme with ray tracing, and 112 fps at native 1440p. Those are the base rates that make Multi Frame Generation worth turning on for a 4K 240 Hz OLED, because frame generation multiplies a good base well and a poor one badly.

The 32 GB of GDDR7 is far beyond FH6's measured 14.4 GB peak, which matters if the same PC runs VR, local AI models or video work. MSI's Gaming Trio OC pairs a triple-fan cooler with a 2,497 MHz boost clock.

What you give up

Cost and power. The card draws 575 W through a single 16-pin connector, so budget for a 1000 W ATX 3.1 unit and seat the plug fully. It is a very long, thick card; measure the case first.

Below 4K it is wasted in this game. At 1440p and 1080p the CPU becomes the limit before the 5090 does, so a 1440p buyer gets most of the experience from the RTX 5070 Ti.

Who it's for

A 4K 120 Hz or 240 Hz screen, ray tracing on, and no willingness to drop below native resolution. If your FH6 setup is a triple-screen or VR rig, the sim racing GPU guide is the better starting point, because display layout changes the answer more than settings do.

Best Budget: XFX Swift RX 9060 XT OC 16GB

The cheapest new card here that keeps Extreme textures on without memory warnings, which is the setting that decides whether FH6 looks like a current game.

XFX Swift AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT OC Triple Fan Gaming Edition with 16GB GDDR6 HDMI 2xDP, RDNA 4 RX-96TS316BA, Graphics Card, Compatible with Desktop PCs

$679.99

Buy the XFX Swift RX 9060 XT OC 16GB on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

With 16 GB, the XFX Swift holds TechPowerUp's 9.2 GB 1080p Extreme measurement with room left over, and it has headroom for ray tracing at 1080p, where the RX 9060 XT 8GB does not. FSR 4.1 is available as an RDNA 4 card, so 1440p with FSR Quality is a workable step up later.

It is a 160 W class card on a single 8-pin plug, so the triple-fan cooler has an easy load to handle. Most 550 W to 650 W units already in a build will run it.

What you give up

1440p with ray tracing is beyond it: 38 fps native at Extreme in Notebookcheck's run. At 1440p, plan on ray tracing off or FSR on.

No frame generation, as with every Radeon in FH6. Check the listing title for 16GB before buying; the 8 GB RX 9060 XT shares the name and runs into the texture limit at Extreme.

Who it's for

A 1080p 144 Hz screen at Extreme, ray tracing off or on, or a 1440p 60 Hz to 100 Hz screen with ray tracing off. Monitor pairings by tier are in our Forza Horizon 6 monitor guide.

Editor's Pick: MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16G Shadow 2X OC

This pick exists because of one FH6 quirk: frame generation only works on GeForce RTX cards. For a 1080p 240 Hz panel, that makes the 5060 Ti 16GB a better fit than the RX 9060 XT 16GB, even though it costs more.

msi Gaming RTX 5060 Ti 16G Shadow 2X OC Graphics Card (16GB GDDR7, 128-bit, Extreme Performance: TBA MHz, DisplayPort x 3 2.1a, HDMI 2.1b, NVIDIA Blackwell Architecture)

$837.99

Buy the MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16G Shadow 2X OC on Amazon

Specs

What it does well

Run 1080p Extreme with ray tracing off and DLSS frame generation lifts the card toward a 240 Hz refresh rate. Notebookcheck's laptop test shows how much that adds: an RTX 5070 Ti Laptop at 1440p went from 70 fps with DLSS Performance to 123 fps with 2x frame generation and 206 fps with 4x, with no latency problem the reviewer could feel.

The 16 GB version matters more here than in most games. TechSpot's 8 GB against 16 GB test measured 66 fps for the 16 GB RTX 5060 Ti against 50 fps for the 8 GB model at 4K with upscaling, and concluded FH6 needs at least 12 GB to look its best. At 180 W on one 8-pin plug, it suits small cases and modest power supplies.

What you give up

Raw speed. This is a 1080p card, and at 1440p Extreme it needs DLSS. Ray tracing on at 1080p pulls the base frame rate down toward 60, the point below which frame generation starts to show artifacts and lag. Frame generation smooths motion but does not cut input lag, so the feel stays tied to the base frame rate.

It runs on a PCIe 5.0 x8 link, which is fine on PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 boards but loses a little on an older PCIe 3.0 motherboard. MSI's Shadow 2X is the plainer dual-fan design in MSI's range, not a premium cooler.

Who it's for

A 1080p 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitor and a player who wants the smoothest motion at Extreme rather than the highest native frame rate. If you drive with a wheel, the input delay from frame generation is easier to live with than on a mouse; our racing wheel guide for FH6 covers that side of the setup.

Bottom line

If you play at 1440p on a 144 Hz or faster screen and want ray tracing on, buy the ASUS Prime RTX 5070 Ti OC. If you play at 1440p with ray tracing off, the PowerColor Hellhound RX 9070 XT gives up little and costs a lot less. If you want native 4K with every effect, only the MSI RTX 5090 Gaming Trio OC gets there.

At 1080p, buy the XFX Swift RX 9060 XT OC 16GB for Extreme textures on a budget, or the MSI RTX 5060 Ti 16G Shadow 2X OC if you have a 240 Hz panel and want frame generation. Whatever you pick, skip 8 GB cards for this game.

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