Sony’s PlayStation 5 is nearing its 5th anniversary and with it, many supposed rumors and leaks have popped up about the PlayStation 6 and the games it may launch with, such as the third mainline Horizon game. According to the YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead, Sony is currently aiming to debut the PS6 console in late 2027 or early 2028 alongside a rumored handheld console. The leak doesn’t go into details on potential launch games, but many other rumors have suggested that Sony and Guerrilla Games may be planning to release the third mainline Horizon game with the PS6. If this turns out to be true, Guerrilla should strive to launch Horizon 3 without the same notable content flaws as Horizon Forbidden West.
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Horizon Forbidden West’s Launch and Content Issues
Following the global critical and financial success of 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, Sony and Guerrilla Games immediately began working on its direct follow-up with the PlayStation 5 in mind as its intended console. After The Frozen Wilds expansion and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition were released in late 2017, the PlayStation 4 had already reached the midpoint of its lifetime and developers and Sony executives were already looking towards future hardware to power their next standout games. Development on Horizon Forbidden West began in 2018 and Guerrilla originally intended to release Forbidden West on both PS4 and PS5 consoles, but the PS4’s aging hardware limited the scope in which Guerrilla desired to expand the series in terms of gameplay and visuals.
For example, Guerrilla nearly had to scrap aerial exploration via the pterosaur-like Sunwing machine in Horizon Forbidden West due to the PS4’s hardware limitations. While Guerrilla did manage to keep all of Forbidden West’s core gameplay and basic visuals intact for the PS4 version when the game launched in 2022, it pushed the nine-year-old PS4 to its limits. However, not all of Forbidden West’s content was made available for the PS4 version, notably the 2023 expansion Burning Shores and Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition. This left many players upset as several Horizon fans in 2023 only had access to PS4 consoles due to a global chip shortage that limited the production of PS5 consoles.
Horizon 3’s Potential Launch
Guerrilla Games is currently working on a story-focused multiplayer spin-off of Horizon following the release of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered and LEGO Horizon Adventures. Since 2022, Sony and Guerrilla have been prioritizing expanding the Horizon series with spinoffs such as 2023’s Horizon Call of the Mountain as well as bringing the series to new platforms such as PC and the Nintendo Switch in LEGO Horizon Adventures’ case. It’s unknown if pre-production on the mainline Horizon 3 has even begun, but with Guerrilla being split between working on several spin-offs and likely having a part in the production of Columbia Pictures’ Horizon Zero Dawn film, Horizon 3 could still be many years away from launch.
If the supposed leaks of the PS6 debuting in late 2027 are true, it would be a good release window for the third mainline Horizon game to launch with or at least shortly after the PS6’s debut. However, Guerrilla should probably strive to make Horizon 3 a true PS6 exclusive game. This would allow Guerrilla to not be limited by the PS5’s aging hardware and ensure that no content will be split between two console generations. If Horizon 3 is being developed to be a PS6 launch title, Guerrilla and Sony could additionally produce a Horizon-themed limited edition PS6 console to celebrate the end of the mainline Horizon trilogy.
Horizon Forbidden West
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 96%
- Released
- February 18, 2022
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Guerrilla Games
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Engine
- Decima
- Franchise
- Horizon
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
