Horizon Forbidden West has been one of the most hotly anticipated PlayStation exclusives since its first reveal. Much ado has been made about the game’s potential on the PlayStation 5, but all this hype raises a question. Will Horizon Forbidden West release for the PlayStation 4? Or is Aloy’s latest adventure exclusive to the PlayStation 5?
Is Horizon Forbidden West a PS5 exclusive game?
No, Horizon Forbidden West is not a PS5 exclusive. Even though gameplay footage and trailers make a big show of its PS5 performance, Horizon Forbidden West will also release for the PlayStation 4.
This information was revealed in a PlayStation blog post in September of last year. There, the PlayStation team mentioned that Horizon Forbidden West “will also launch on PS4” in addition to its PS5 release. The same applied to Spider-Man: Miles Morales, another buzzworthy PS5 exclusive. No surprise there, of course: With a game as big as this one, Sony wants to make sure players who still can’t get a PS5 won’t miss out on the action.
The Horizon Forbidden West PS4 version is also mentioned on the game’s PlayStation Store page. There, the game is listed for both PS4 and PlayStation 5.
This isn’t a matter of backward compatibility, either. Both versions of the game will be distinct, though the PS5 version will obviously be optimized for its current-generation hardware. Thankfully, it will also be possible to upgrade between editions. Those who pick up Forbidden West on PS4 will be eligible to upgrade to the PS5 version free of charge. Digital-to-digital upgrades will be available, and physical-to-digital upgrades will be open for those who own a PS5 with a disc drive.
In other words, don’t worry. PlayStation 4 users won’t miss out on Horizon Forbidden West, as it will be releasing for PS4 in addition to PS5. Plus, whether you buy physical or digital, you’ll be eligible to upgrade your PS4 version of the game to PS5 when the time comes.
