Horizon Forbidden West

Sony Interactive Entertainment
Available on
PS5 PS4
Released 02/18/2022
  • Offline play enabled
  • 1 player
Game overview

Join Aloy as she braves the Forbidden West – a majestic but dangerous frontier that conceals mysterious new threats.

Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.

The land is dying. Vicious storms and an unstoppable blight ravage the scattered remnants of humanity, while fearsome new machines prowl their borders. Life on Earth is hurtling towards another extinction, and no one knows why.

It's up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. Along the way, she must reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past – all the while trying to stay one step ahead of a seemingly undefeatable new enemy.

Horizon Forbidden West key features

An epic action RPG adventure.

Brave an expansive open world

Discover distant lands, new enemies, rich cultures and striking characters.

A majestic frontier

Explore the lush forests, sunken cities and towering mountains of a far-future America.

Confront new dangers

Engage in strategic battles against enormous machines and mounted human enemies by using weapons, gear and traps crafted from salvaged parts.

Unravel startling mysteries

Uncover the secret behind Earth's imminent collapse and unlock a hidden chapter in the ancient past... one that will change Aloy forever.

Why you should play Horizon Forbidden West

"The follow-up to Guerrilla’s break-out sci-fiction hit Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West expands upon nearly every facet of the original’s winning formula, delivering a spectacular open-world adventure that marries breathtaking visuals, a high-concept narrative, and intense, varied combat.

Brought to life with an eclectic cast of characters and outstanding technical artistry, Horizon Forbidden West shows the power of the gaming medium to deliver outstanding entertainment, emotive storytelling and compelling artistic vision."

- PlayStation.com Editorial Team

Available on PlayStation Store

Buy Horizon Forbidden West

Editions

Standard Edition

PS4
  • Horizon Forbidden West™ (PS4™)
  • Digital upgrade to PS5 version

Standard Edition

PS4PS5
  • Horizon Forbidden West™ PS5 & PS4

Digital Deluxe Edition

PS4PS5
  • Horizon Forbidden West™ PS4 & PS5
  • Digital soundtrack + art book
  • Digital comic book
  • Two Carja Behemoth Elite items
  • Two Nora Thunder Elite items
  • Machine Strike piece
  • In-game resources pack
  • Extras in Photo Mode

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores

Travel beyond the Forbidden West as Aloy’s story continues in this epic expansion to Aloy's adventure. Enter the Burning Shores once you've completed the main quest. 

PlayStation 5™ features

PlayStation 5™ features

  • Fast loading: Fast-travel across the map and get back into the game almost instantly with the PS5 console’s ultra high-speed SSD and fast load times.
  • Stunning visuals: Experience the vast world of Horizon Forbidden West in stunning 4K and HDR.* From mountain tops to small sprigs of leaves, everything is realized to incredible detail at an enormous scale. Targeting 60fps, Performance Mode further enhances smoothness of movement, animations and controls.
  • Haptic feedback: Get closer to each fight Aloy takes on with the DualSense™ wireless controller’s haptic feedback. Feel the sensation of blades of grass you brush past when making a stealth approach, melee swipes you make against machines and armored humans, and the directional impact from enemy attacks when you attempt to evade.
  • Adaptive triggers: Enjoy a new level of immersion when you interact with different objects using the DualSense wireless controller’s adaptive triggers. Feel the tension in the string of your bow, the pull of your new grappling tool and the resistance of the triggers on heavy tribal and mechanical weapons.
  • Tempest 3D AudioTech on compatible headphones: Listen to the landscapes of Horizon Forbidden West come to life around you with the PS5 console’s Tempest 3D AudioTech. Hear vegetation rustle in the wind, birds flying overhead and large mechanical machines swimming in the water below as you explore environments teeming with wildlife and machines.

*4K resolution gameplay requires a compatible 4K TV or display. 

Machines of Horizon Forbidden West

Meet some of the machines in the Forbidden West.

Tips and tricks for Horizon Forbidden West

Top tips for getting the very most out of Horizon Forbidden West’s incredible world.

Explore the world
Know your enemy
Meet the locals
Prepare for war
Pick your style

Explore the world

It’s easy to get wrapped up in Aloy’s story and find yourself racing towards the next quest marker. Take time between key events to explore the world around you. Follow your curiosity even if that means scaling a mountain or diving into a sunken ruin.

If you’re looking to get a better vantage point, keep an ear open for the boom of wandering Tallnecks – scale these mighty machines and you’ll be able to harness their powerful radar censors to uncover additional information about the surrounding area.

Not only will you discover great new locations, interesting side stories and new characters, but you’ll also discover Hunting Grounds to hone your skills, and local rumor merchants with secrets and wisdom to impart.

Know your enemy

That nifty device Aloy wears isn’t just a fetching adornment. With a quick tap your Focus will highlight useful resources and points of interest to explore, plus it’s also key to understanding the many adversaries that stand between you and your goals. 

Take some time to properly scan the machines and enemies of the Forbidden West; doing so will reveal vast amounts of information

You can even tag key parts to help you aim during battle and can even help you upgrade your equipment or fulfill a merchant request! Horizon Forbidden West’s combat is built as much around strategy as it is skill. Being able to anticipate your enemy’s movements, exploit their weakness and use their own weapons and abilities against them can rapidly turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Meet the locals

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. The Forbidden West is teeming with potential allies who’ll be willing to do you a good turn if you do them one in return. Engage with locals in towns and cities you visit and find out what they have offer; help those in need or just shoot the breeze to learn more about the local area.

You can also try your luck with the popular board game Machine Strike or hone your combat skills in the many Melee Pits around the world.

Prepare for war

Preparation is key. Search for cooks in local settlements who’ll help you prepare tasty meals that provide buffs to your stats, giving the edge against large machines. 

There are dozens of weapons to acquire across the Forbidden West, including Spears, Bows, Slings, Shredder Gauntlets, Spike Throwers and more. Each of these has rare and legendary variants to collect and multiple ammo types to craft. Collecting, modifying, and mastering them will not only make you stronger, but may also grant access to new areas.

Offense is only half the battle though: to really thrive, you’ll need a strong defense. Hunt down different armor sets across the world, and recolor and modify them to ensure that no matter what you’re up against, you’re always dressed to kill.

 

Pick your style

As you progress through the Forbidden West, you’ll be able to unlock new abilities on Aloy’s skill tree. There are six different areas that Aloy can specialize in and you’ll need to focus on which best suits your playstyle. 

Invest in Warrior skills to unlock more options in face-to-face combat, in Hunter skills to improve your finesse with weapons and traps, and Infiltration to strengthen your ability in stealth and surprise attacks. 

Latest news for Horizon Forbidden West

The most up-to-date details about Horizon Forbidden West from PlayStation Blog.*

Horizon Forbidden West cosplay guides

Explore these detailed cosplay guides so you can embody Aloy in the most authentic way. Download now.

Horizon Forbidden West papercraft guides

Create your own papercraft models of the Clawstrider and Sunwing machines with these free templates.

Horizon Forbidden West official soundtrack

A pensive mixture of guttural timbres, melancholy strings and soaring vocals, the soundtrack for Guerrilla’s Horizon franchise – much like the games themselves – marries disparate themes and ideas to build a unique audio landscape. 

The full soundtrack is now available on your choice of streaming platforms. 

Horizon Forbidden West videos and screenshots

Videos
Screenshots

Horizon Forbidden West wallpapers

Download wallpapers for desktop and mobile.

Horizon Forbidden West FAQs

Horizon Forbidden West FAQs

Aloy will be facing a variety of deadly new machines in the Forbidden West including the armored Rollerback, the graceful Sunwing, and the acid-spitting Slitherfang, and more. Take a closer look at the machines of the Forbidden West.

The Forbidden West will be an immersive open world, filled with adventure, culture, and opportunity. But it will also be vast and deadly, filled with ancient ruins, awe-inspiring machines, and hidden threats.

The Living World team at Guerrilla worked on aspects of the game that make the world feel authentic and alive: the tribes, the settlements, and the people within them.

Yes. Building upon the foundation of Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy will have a number of new ways to move through the world like high vault traversal mechanics, the ability to free climb, and swimming underwater which opens up new aspects of exploration.

Weapons and outfits are also even more potent than before, and new tools like the Pullcaster and Shieldwing make her more agile during both exploration and the inevitable battles she’ll be fighting in the West.

Discover the Horizon universe

Browse the full range of Horizon games in the series and learn more about Aloy's story on the official Horizon franchise hub.

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