Horizon Forbidden West’s release on PC was all but guaranteed after the success of the first game, Horizon Zero Dawn, on the previously foreign platform for first-party Sony exclusives.
Years after Sony opened the door to PC ports of its best-selling games, Horizon Forbidden West looks to set a similarly massive mark as its predecessor. While it won’t be one of the first PlayStation games to be available to play on PC, it will be first in line to take advantage of a particularly impressive technology.
Revealed at CES 2024 earlier this week, Nvidia confirmed that Horizon Forbidden West will support its proprietary Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology on PC. This technology, specifically designed to improve graphical fidelity and performance for those using the newer line of 40 series Nvidia graphics cards, is designed to improve frame rates in games, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
A GOTY nominee when it first came out in 2022, Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is a re-release that includes both the base game and its DLC, The Burning Shores. This bundle was already released on PlayStation 5 last October 6.
This time, the PC port will be handled by Nixxes Software, Sony’s resident porting specialists. In addition to DLSS, it will also support DLAA and Reflex technology, promising a noticeably superior gaming experience on appropriately powered systems.
While a specific release date for the PC version hasn’t been confirmed yet, the Steam page for the game lists 2024 as a tentative release window. The new trailer showcased by Nvidia at CES 2024 has also further heightened anticipation, offering a glimpse of what PC gamers can expect.
Horizon Forbidden West originally released for PS4 and PS5 in February 2022 and had sold 8.4 million copies by mid-April 2023, according to its developers, Guerilla Games. The game follows the protagonist, Aloy, in her quest to save the planet’s biosphere from catastrophic threats.
The support for Nvidia’s DLSS 3 on 4000 series GPUs is a significant enhancement, as demonstrated by Nvidia in other games such as Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 RT Overdrive Mode. This technology has convinced many to develop an appreciation of the graphical improvements it brings. There’s also speculation and hope among fans for the inclusion of ray-traced effects in Horizon Forbidden West, following the trend seen in other first-party Sony titles on PC, including Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.
Nvidia’s showcase at CES 2024 also highlighted other games that will support DLSS 3 and other RTX technologies coming this year. Aside from Horizon Forbidden West, titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, among several others, are set to benefit from these enhancements.
For Sony, Guerilla Games, and Horizon Forbidden West, this represents an opportunity to leverage the latest technology to deliver an immersive and visually stunning experience for PC gamers.
Horizon Forbidden West on PC isn’t just about the technological enhancements but also about the gameplay and story experience that captivated so many on PlayStation. The game’s predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, was highly acclaimed for its narrative and world-building. But, many have expressed diverse opinions on the sequel, finding Forbidden West to have a less compelling story but improved gameplay and world design compared to Zero Dawn. These contrasting views highlight the unique strengths of each game in the series.
With a threequel likely in the works alongside other spin-offs, including a potential standalone MMO and a live-action adaptation on Netflix.
With the support of Nvidia’s latest technologies and the expertise of Nixxes Software in porting, it’s safe to say Horizon Forbidden West will offer an exceptional gaming experience on PC.
