diff --git a/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js b/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js
index bf46ca62881b71..29b4d597b799aa 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test_runner/harness.js
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ function setup(root) {
       topLevel: 0,
       suites: 0,
     },
+    shouldColorizeTestFiles: false,
   };
   root.startTime = hrtime();
   return root;
diff --git a/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js b/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
index af060cc014528e..656d4b2c51234a 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test_runner/runner.js
@@ -351,6 +351,9 @@ function runTestFile(path, root, inspectPort, filesWatcher, testNamePatterns) {
       stdio.push('ipc');
       env.WATCH_REPORT_DEPENDENCIES = '1';
     }
+    if (root.harness.shouldColorizeTestFiles) {
+      env.FORCE_COLOR = '1';
+    }
 
     const child = spawn(process.execPath, args, { signal: t.signal, encoding: 'utf8', env, stdio });
     if (watchMode) {
diff --git a/lib/internal/test_runner/utils.js b/lib/internal/test_runner/utils.js
index a7674e8a086245..2029fb7ea68642 100644
--- a/lib/internal/test_runner/utils.js
+++ b/lib/internal/test_runner/utils.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ const { createWriteStream } = require('fs');
 const { pathToFileURL } = require('internal/url');
 const { createDeferredPromise } = require('internal/util');
 const { getOptionValue } = require('internal/options');
-const { green, red, white } = require('internal/util/colors');
+const { green, red, white, shouldColorize } = require('internal/util/colors');
 
 const {
   codes: {
@@ -116,9 +116,10 @@ function tryBuiltinReporter(name) {
   return require(builtinPath);
 }
 
-async function getReportersMap(reporters, destinations) {
+async function getReportersMap(reporters, destinations, rootTest) {
   return SafePromiseAllReturnArrayLike(reporters, async (name, i) => {
     const destination = kBuiltinDestinations.get(destinations[i]) ?? createWriteStream(destinations[i]);
+    rootTest.harness.shouldColorizeTestFiles ||= shouldColorize(destination);
 
     // Load the test reporter passed to --test-reporter
     let reporter = tryBuiltinReporter(name);
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ async function getReportersMap(reporters, destinations) {
 
 async function setupTestReporters(rootTest) {
   const { reporters, destinations } = parseCommandLine();
-  const reportersMap = await getReportersMap(reporters, destinations);
+  const reportersMap = await getReportersMap(reporters, destinations, rootTest);
   for (let i = 0; i < reportersMap.length; i++) {
     const { reporter, destination } = reportersMap[i];
     compose(rootTest.reporter, reporter).pipe(destination);
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored-1.js b/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored-1.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..0fd1018e632278
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored-1.js
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const test = require('node:test');
+console.log({ foo: 'bar' });
+test('passing test', () => {
+  console.log(1);
+});
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.js b/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..b09eeeb9971cf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../../../common');
+const { once } = require('node:events');
+const { spawn } = require('node:child_process');
+const fixtures = require('../../../common/fixtures');
+
+(async function run() {
+  const test = fixtures.path('test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored-1.js');
+  await once(spawn(process.execPath, ['--test', test], { stdio: 'inherit', env: { FORCE_COLOR: 1 } }), 'exit');
+  await once(spawn(process.execPath, ['--test', '--test-reporter', 'tap', test], { stdio: 'inherit', env: { FORCE_COLOR: 1 }  }), 'exit');
+})().then(common.mustCall());
diff --git a/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.snapshot b/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.snapshot
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..87866602f04559
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.snapshot
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+{ foo: [32m'bar'[39m }
+
+[33m1[39m
+
+[32m✔ passing test [90m(*ms)[39m[39m
+[34mℹ tests 1[39m
+[34mℹ suites 0[39m
+[34mℹ pass 1[39m
+[34mℹ fail 0[39m
+[34mℹ cancelled 0[39m
+[34mℹ skipped 0[39m
+[34mℹ todo 0[39m
+[34mℹ duration_ms *[39m
+TAP version 13
+# { foo: [32m'bar'[39m }
+# 
+# [33m1[39m
+# 
+# Subtest: passing test
+ok 1 - passing test
+  ---
+  duration_ms: *
+  ...
+1..1
+# tests 1
+# suites 0
+# pass 1
+# fail 0
+# cancelled 0
+# skipped 0
+# todo 0
+# duration_ms *
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-runner-output.mjs b/test/parallel/test-runner-output.mjs
index bd8c9f1bd071ee..0d670c37bc9319 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-runner-output.mjs
+++ b/test/parallel/test-runner-output.mjs
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ import * as fixtures from '../common/fixtures.mjs';
 import * as snapshot from '../common/assertSnapshot.js';
 import { describe, it } from 'node:test';
 
+const skipForceColors =
+  process.config.variables.icu_gyp_path !== 'tools/icu/icu-generic.gyp' ||
+  process.config.variables.node_shared_openssl;
+
 function replaceTestDuration(str) {
   return str
     .replaceAll(/duration_ms: 0(\r?\n)/g, 'duration_ms: ZERO$1')
@@ -46,8 +50,14 @@ const tests = [
   { name: 'test-runner/output/unresolved_promise.js' },
   { name: 'test-runner/output/default_output.js', transform: specTransform, tty: true },
   { name: 'test-runner/output/arbitrary-output.js' },
+  !skipForceColors ? {
+    name: 'test-runner/output/arbitrary-output-colored.js',
+    transform: snapshot.transform(specTransform, replaceTestDuration), tty: true
+  } : false,
   { name: 'test-runner/output/dot_output_custom_columns.js', transform: specTransform, tty: true },
-].map(({ name, tty, transform }) => ({
+]
+.filter(Boolean)
+.map(({ name, tty, transform }) => ({
   name,
   fn: common.mustCall(async () => {
     await snapshot.spawnAndAssert(fixtures.path(name), transform ?? defaultTransform, { tty });