Guerrilla Games took Aloy’s odyssey up a notch with the highly anticipated sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. Now the game is out, and it’s received immense praise for its overwhelming open-world design, fine-tuning of the combat system, and just making every already perfected detail superior to its predecessor.
The Horizon Zero Dawn sequel surely lives up to its name. It builds upon the sound architecture of the first game, enriching every brilliant technicality by making it bigger and better. Aloy’s crusade is available to play on the PS4 and PS5, but it’d be a waste not to unlock the full potential of Horizon Forbidden West on PC.
As you know, Horizon Forbidden West‘s predecessor is already out on PC, and who’s to say it won’t be following soon enough itself? Though details about the when, where, and if are scant, here’s a quick rundown of everything we know so far about a possible PC porting of the game.
Will There Be a Horizon Forbidden West PC Port?
Officially? No, Sony hasn’t announced any plans for porting Horizon Forbidden West to PC. But this isn’t the first time they’ve pulled out the Only on PlayStation card, so you can be hopeful to expect Forbidden West arriving on PC ways down the line.
However, document leaks have surfaced that claim we might be getting an announcement pretty soon.
Now, considering the number of projects Sony has itself currently chained in, we will not be getting a Horizon Forbidden West PC Port Until late 2023. However, Sony’s announcement to cover ports in events is still standing, so nothing is set in stone just yet!
Why is Horizon Forbidden West PC Port Not Released Yet?
As you can see in the Tweet below, Guerrilla Games’ bold claim didn’t age that well. Their exuberant action-adventure game hit Steam only after 3 years of joining the PlayStation 4 exclusive line-up.
You may have already seen Sony’s sudden interest in the PC market. They’ve been releasing back-to-back ports of almost every PlayStation exclusive in their catalog. Initially starting off with Death Stranding and most recently released Spider-Man Remastered.
And if that weren’t enough, Uncharted: Legacy Of Thieves Collection is also slated to head over to Steam soon.
Leaks about Multiple Horizon Projects
Though no official confirmations about the hopeful Horizon Forbidden West PC exist, MP1st has reported that it is most definitely in the works. But that wasn’t the only thing they revealed. Presumably, a Horizon Zero Dawn Remake is in development at Guerilla Games too. Although “Remake” might be a strong term to describe the process.
The game has barely aged that much, so a remake feels like a total waste of resources and time. However, if it’s a patch of sorts or a PS5 upgrade, then it’ll be a nice cherry on top of the awesome original.
We know that upgrades for a better visual experience are being done. Texture changes seem like they’ll be added too, which would probably be an attempt at making the game more similar to Horizon Forbidden West in that regard. The details still remain hazy, so it’s better to buckle up than be surprised by a remake announcement.
But wait, there’s even more. Soon after the remake rumors, a document that’s being speculated to be an official Sony leak was found. The spreadsheet has names of a few familiar first-party PlayStation titles and about what’s next for them.
The document states that “Horizon 2 PC“, “Horizon PS5 Remaster“, and “Horizon Online” are three things that Guerilla Games is working on right now. If any of this turns out to be remotely true, then we’re not only getting a PC port and a Remaster but also the first-ever multiplayer IP in the franchise.
The leak keeps it going with mentions of other new and recurring IPs as well. Most noticeable among them is “Project Ocean” by Kojima Productions & “Heartbreak” by Firesprite.
Our guess is that Project Ocean is Death Stranding 2 in disguise because the other game Kojima’s been working on is an Xbox exclusive. There’s no doubt the leak has stirred up quite some waves in the gaming industry. And hopefully, most of it turns out to be true as, in the end, it’ll be a win-win situation for everyone from the gamers to Sony.
Is Sony Developing Its Own Game Store?
In a recent finding by VGC, some files have been uncovered from Spider-Man Remastered, which hint toward an imminent PlayStation PC launcher. The files are titled “PSNAccountLinked” and “PSNLinkingEntitlements.” This could suggest that PlayStation might be developing an original store.
If this does come to fruition, you’ll probably see many PlayStation PC ports head to the rumored store. A bunch of other affiliated games will likely be joining the fray as well. Also, what better way could there be to launch a new store than by releasing Horizon Forbidden West as a day-one inclusion?
No one would’ve believed it a while back that Sony could ever release its “Only on PlayStation” titles to PC. But what appeared to be incomprehensible back then is presently occurring on a frequent basis. With more and more rumors popping up about Sony further expanding its reach across PC, Horizon Forbidden West‘s PC port is more a matter of when than if.
Horizon Forbidden West PC Release Date
Sadly, no official release date for the Horizon Forbidden West PC port has been confirmed by Sony. At best, you can hope to see the game arrive sometime during late 2023 or Early 2024, and that too would be to look at the situation brightly.
The first game of the Horizon franchise was up for grabs on Steam three years after its initial release. At the moment, there aren’t enough leads to state a definite PC release date for the game. Initially, we would’ve stated the port to arrive three years later too. But considering the many leaks that have come forward recently, it feels like Sony’s really pushing for that PC audience.
On the other hand, if the rumors about the port being in development or the PlayStation PC launcher turn out to be true, you could see Horizon Forbidden West arrive earlier than anticipated.
Sony’s exclusives have been receptive to critical praise after they hit PC rigs worldwide. And likewise, the numbers are there to prove it. Horizon Zero Dawn sold over 2.5 million copies in only 2 years of its PC release. While God of War and Days Gone have already passed the milestone of a million copies sold each.
This further boosts the possible potential of economic growth for Sony. Intriguingly, due to the sudden rise of PlayStation 5 prices worldwide, seeing Sony lean towards expanding its PC repertoire doesn’t seem hard to imagine now.
Still, it remains difficult to put our fingers on when Guerilla Games will let PC players continue Aloy’s boisterous adventure.
Will Horizon Forbidden West Arrive on Steam?
Though, at first, it would’ve been confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West will be purchasable on Steam, the recent rumors about a custom PlayStation PC store emerging have made it difficult to expect so. Most likely, if Sony does launch its PlayStation PC launcher, Forbidden West might be released as a store exclusive.
But there’s still an odd man out, the Epic Games Store. Sony scraps its plans of having a PlayStation store, or if the rumors turn out to be patently just rumors, then it’s possible you might see Horizon Forbidden West PC over there.
Though this isn’t an official reason, it’s plainly clear that when Sony announced the Horizon Zero Dawn PC port, it was to create enough hype for the PlayStation 5 sales to soar, while simultaneously creating momentum for the next entry into the franchise. You might again see that happen if a third installment is revealed.
At the moment, Guerilla Games is working on Horizon Call of the Mountain. A PlayStation VR2 game that’s speculated to arrive at the device’s launch. So, for now, chances aren’t high that Guerilla is already working on a PC port.
That wraps up everything we know so far about a possible Horizon Forbidden West PC port. While you wait for an official announcement, here’s a look at more things Aloy.
Though I prefer to play games on PC, with the decline of Bioware Sony seems to be the only major publisher outside of CDPR that makes the type of Cinematic Action RPG’s I enjoy playing the most. Unfortunately, with the amount of money I invest into my PC’s and the lack of “Gaming Experience” customization on consoles, getting a PS5 isn’t a good financial investment _for me._ I would be ecstatic if Sony made their own PC store, as I’ve purchased the Original horizon Zero Dawn, God of War and Spider-Man so far and plan on grabbing Miles Morales once my Christmas shopping is wrapped up. I don’t mind the Microsoft Launcher, though I prefer GoG and Steam while the Epic launcher is a “No go” for me. Heh, I’ve actually waited the year or two for some games to come off the Epic Store exclusive list and bought it via other platforms even though I really, really wanted to play the games. I just can’t deal with that launcher, and that’s coming from someone who put up with Origin Premiere’s for 5 years or so. With Sony doing everything near pitch perfect in regards to PC ports, I’m pretty sure they’d nail the launcher. If that means more games coming to PC then I’m all for it. I’d rather have GoG so I can just toss the games on a USB and *KNOW* I own them forever, but with Sony’s quality of titles and franchises, even if they didn’t nail the landing, I’d put up with the _”Always Online”_ and Copy Protection slowing the game down a bit. Heh, basically as long as the game launches and doesn’t take 5-30 minutes to update (forgetting my login every time it does so…Fricken Origin and Epic, oh my word) every time I open it I’m thrilled with the possibilities.
I’d think it would be a financial boon to Sony as well, not having to pay a cut to Steam or whichever store they happen to put the games on. They also wouldn’t have to worry about taking a loss on each console sold because people on PC provide their own hardware. And we aren’t talking about 250k copies sold for most games they bring over, we are talking 1m+ for almost everything. What was it for HZD, 2.3 million copies on PC? About a million for God of War and Days Gone? Over a million week one for Spider-Man? At $50-$60 a pop that is some nice icing on the cake for already successful titles. With the PC’s recent lack of Cinematic RPG’s, especially action 3rd person ones, Sony is pretty much guaranteed to sell 2m+ of every game in the Horizon Zero Dawn mold. With consoles being so close to PC’s when it comes to hardware ports are less expensive than ever when compared to PS3 and it’s “Cell” processor ports, so it makes no sense to keep the games locked up as most people on PC either won’t EVER buy a console, regardless of games, can’t find a PS5 to purchase in the first place (this happens in the US too, not just countries in South America or wherever else the console is scarce), or don’t have the extra disposable income to buy another gaming system. Heh, not to mention girlfriends/wives who make a huge stink about it regardless of how much money you make. Lol, my X-wife was livid when I had both consoles along with a WII even though we were banking/investing over $1k/wk after bills and social activities…
So, after my novel, I’d just like to reinforce my hopes that Sony gets more games on PC. I’d have bought Final Fantasy VII as well, but I’m waiting for all the games to come out as I want to experience it in it’s full form, similar to the original release which is one of my favorite games of all time, up there with Baldur’s gate 1/2, King’s Field and The Witcher 3. Oh goodness, and I wish they’d release their sports games like _”MLB: The Show.”_ Streaming it on Game Pass is OK, but the lag is tough on a game that requires pin point timing for batting. That’s another I’d most likely purchase yearly were they to make it available. That’s at least 4 games sold per year to me from Sony, and I know a bunch of other PC gamers traversing in one of the above mentioned boats regarding why they don’t have a PS5 (or do but just prefer to play on PC). So call me a “PC Port Beggar” all you like, I’m fine with that if it gets more games over here. I sure miss the Gran Turismo series as well. Forza is _OK,_ but it’s no substitute in my book. Here’s to you Sony, and thank you for the games you have brought over to the PC so far, it is definitely appreciated. 3rd person RPG’s folks, and Cinematic Action/Adventure Platformers will make you a ton of money. The linear “God of War” straight action/puzzle games won’t do quite as well, but the HZD types, the “Spiderman” types, and the “Uncharted” and “Last of Us *1,* not 2, ONE, genre of games will do gangbusters here.
I agree with the sentiment that more Sony titles should make their way to PC, and so far, apart from a few ports, their output on the platform has been quite good. Buying Nixxes to handle PC ports was an excellent move, and their ports are a cut above most modern PC releases even. The number of options that you’d think should be standard are nowhere to be found in other major releases, but PlayStation releases on PC are jam-packed with options that it’s pretty ironic how a console-first studio is investing so heavily in the PC space. You’re right about the figures, and if you refer to their recent investor presentations, Sony is pretty interested in the platform and aims to release their “traditional” single-player titles eventually (1.5-2 years), but day one when it comes to their planned live-service titles.
Though, while I do have confidence in Nixxes to release great ports, I don’t think PlayStation is ready to enter the storefront space on PC anytime soon. Even Epic, that’s investing millions in it, hasn’t been able to do anything substantial enough to pull the PC audience. With Ubisoft titles returning to Steam, it’s clear that not everyone can compete with Valve in that regard. I like GOG a lot, and the DRM-free incentive is incredible, but they don’t offer regional pricing, which can be a bummer and makes their storefront a bit less attractive from a financial standpoint.
I’m hoping that their upcoming PC releases are in an even better state, and Iron Galaxy can pool in their resources with Nixxes to ensure smoother launches because Uncharted wasn’t exactly in the best state, well, compared to something like Miles Morales, at least. I know it’s wishful thinking at this point, but what I’d really love is for them to release their Japan Studio library on PC, but considering how that doesn’t exist in the same development capacity anymore, it’s hard to see that happening.
Either way, Sony has absolutely nothing to lose when it comes to PC ports, and with the sales number they’ve shown, I’m sure they see that as well. Returnal is all but confirmed for PC at this point, and I’m guessing Ghost of Tsushima and potentially Demon’s Souls will follow.