Summary
TheHorizonfranchise has had a pretty interesting history so far. After working solely on theKillzoneseries for the best part of a decade, Guerrilla Games decided it wanted to try its hand at something completely new, and thusHorizon Zero Dawnwas born. Debuting in 2017,theHorizonserieshas quickly become one of PlayStation’s flagship properties. Now,Horizon Forbidden Westcements the franchise as some of the most impressive open-world video game offerings out there.
Building off the first game’s excellent groundwork,Horizon Forbidden Westoffers a gigantic, gorgeous open world to explore, filled with engaging side activities, hulking robot monsters, and breathtaking vistas.Horizon Forbidden Westquickly proved itself to be one of the best PlayStation first-party games of the generation, and as of March 2024, PC players can now experience the game for themselves.
Horizon Forbidden West’s PC Sales Are a Big Deal For a Few Different Reasons
The Horizon Series Has Always Been Overshadowed
TheHorizonfranchise has had an infamous history of being overshadowed by some of the biggest games of all time. Released back in February 2017,Horizon Zero Dawnwas surrounded by huge releases like the long-awaited return oftheResident Evilfranchise, a much-requested sequel toHalo Wars, and of course, the launch of the Nintendo Switch, which brought with it massive games likeZelda: Breath of the Wild,Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and eventually,Super Mario Odyssey. ThoughHorizon Zero Dawnearned a great deal of critical praise and its sales were still excellent, it took some time for the game to earn the recognition it deserved.
Horizon Forbidden Westthen stumbled into the same pitfall in early 2022,launching just a week beforeElden Ring, one of the most anticipated video game releases of all time.Horizon Forbidden Westdidn’t even have the courtesy of being the only major PlayStation first-party release in 2022, withGod of War Ragnarokdropping at the end of the year and stealing much of the spotlight.
But theHorizonfranchise may have just gotten its biggest break yet. Despite it being a fairly subtle launch,Horizon Forbidden West’s PC releasehas seemingly shot the game back into the public consciousness. According to industry analyst Mat Piscatella,Horizon Forbidden Westmanaged to shoot up to the US market’s top 10 best-selling video games just following the game’s weekend launch on Steam back in March. This is particularly impressive considering thatForbidden Westwasn’t even in the top 100 best-selling games in the US the week prior.
Horizon Might Need a Second Home Soon
TheHorizonseries has, and probably always will be,a PlayStation franchisefirst and foremost, but that mindset might need to change soon. Though its plans have been chopped and changed a few times over the last few years, PlayStation is still aiming to release at least six live-service games by March 2026, and it’s going to need all the help it can get to make these games successful on launch, and keep that success going long after.
The recently releasedHelldivers 2has proven just how influential the PC market can be. Releasing simultaneously on PS5 and PC,Helldivers 2has had an incredibly successful launch, and with over 200,000 PC players currently active at the time of writing (according to SteamDB) it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.
ThoughHelldivers 2would probably still be successful if it was exclusive to the PS5, it wouldn’t be raking in nearly as many players, and that’s something PlayStation needs to keep in mind for its future live-service games—games like thestill-unannouncedHorizonmultiplayer title. WithHorizon Forbidden Westmaking a big impact on Steam, andHelldivers 2proving that a PlayStation live-service game can thrive on PC, it’s clear that theHorizonmultiplayer game needs to launch on PC on day one.
Horizon Forbidden West
WHERE TO PLAY
Join Aloy as she braves a majestic but dangerous new frontier that holds mysterious new threats. This Complete Edition allows you to enjoy the critically acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West on PC in its entirety with bonus content, including the Burning Shores story expansion that picks up after the main game.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, and life on Earth is hurtling toward another extinction.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.
