UPDATE: Playground Games has threatened to ban anyone who it detects has accessed the leaked build of Forza Horizon 6, and denied it emerged as a result of a pre-load issue.

In a statement published to social media, the Microsoft-owned studio asked fans to wait for Forza Horizon 6's official release date, rather than pirate the game on PC.

"We are aware of reports that a build of Forza Horizon 6 has been obtained prior to its release and can confirm this is not the result of a pre-load issue," Playground insisted.

"We are taking strict enforcement action against any individuals found accessing this build including franchise-wide and hardware bans. We encourage fans to sit tight for the game’s release on May 19."

ORIGINAL STORY: Forza Horizon 6 suffered a significant leak after the entire game was reportedly made available via an unencrypted Steam preload.

According to various online reports, 155 gigabytes of unencrypted Forza Horizon 6 files were spotted on SteamDB over the weekend, four days ahead of early access and nine days before full launch, suggesting the files were made available on Steam proper. As a result of the leak, Forza Horizon 6 was made available to download from piracy websites.

It appears the leak stems from the Forza Horizon 6 preload, which under normal circumstances allows players to download files in an encrypted format. When a game goes live officially, Steam will push an update through that decrypts the files so players can use them. It looks like the Forza Horizon 6 preload and its decryption update were released early.

While the damage is essentially done, Microsoft may be working to plug the leak. One prominent Reddit thread detailing Forza's availability on piracy websites saw its opening post removed by Reddit’s Legal Operations team, according to an online message. There are also reports that people are streaming the game early, although Microsoft will no doubt be keen to ban those doing so.

IGN has asked for comment.

It’s a major error from Microsoft, one that may end up costing the business and Forza Horizon 6 developer Playground dearly. The hotly anticipated racing game is set to launch across PC and Xbox and, as a Microsoft game, straight into Game Pass, but Steam is expected to be a significant driver of sales. Currently, Forza Horizon 6 is the second top-selling game by revenue on Valve’s platform (you can prepurchase it now). That suggests that despite this leak, it will enjoy significant success. It’s the third most-wishlisted game on Steam, too.

Microsoft has yet to say exactly when Forza Horizon 6 will officially unlock and become playable, or if this leak will affect the game's launch plans. Its general release date is May 19, but early access starts four days early, from May 15.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.