Horizon Forbidden West, the biggest exclusive for PlayStation in 2022 yet, is now available to purchase and play on both PS4 and PS5. The highly anticipated open-world RPG continues the story of Horizon Zero Dawn regarding a post-apocalypse Earth and the survival of the human race. But humanity will have to wait to be saved again by just a little while longer, because while Horizon Forbidden West is now available it also has a day one patch that players will have to download before they play.
The patch notes for Horizon Forbidden West's day one patch are understandably vague. Listed changes include fixing instances of crashes or bugs preventing progression, as well as general performance improvements. Also noted are fixes for certain cosmetic issues. The only specific note is that there were bugs preventing Horizon Forbidden West's Notebook feature from updating correctly as the player progressed. In other words, this was Guerrilla Games' last round of polish before players got their hands on Horizon Forbidden West.
In good news, the day one patch for Horizon Forbidden West isn't too substantial of a download. Some games, particularly for next-generation platforms, require players to download multiple gigabytes of data. The Horizon Forbidden West day one patch clocks in at just 525 MB. Compared to Horizon Forbidden West's substantial 87GB download for digital purchasers, the day one patch should be a drop in the pond.
For those wondering whether the day one patch is necessary to download, it shouldn't be. Reviewers, who largely loved Horizon Forbidden West, played without the day one patch and had few serious problems. Horizon Forbidden West players should probably get it if they're able, though. It'll make for a better overall experience without as many graphic bugs and fewer risks of the game crashing or breaking.
Most PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 gamers won't even notice the day one patch for Horizon Forbidden West. For many, this is business as usual when it comes to game installation. It's just part of installing a new release. Others like to know what's happening in their games before they play them, or just like to know what their download cap is being used for.
Either way, what's important is that Horizon Forbidden West is now available and polished as much as Guerrilla was able to manage in the time it had. It can be purchased and played on both PlayStation 4 and Playstation 5. It's also worth mentioning that PS5 owners can purchase the PS4 version for $10 cheaper and receive a free upgrade to PS5.
Horizon Forbidden West is available now on PS4 and PS5.