Every Horizon Game You Can Play on PS4 Today

The Horizon franchise, developed by Guerrilla Games, has become one of the most significant pillars of the PlayStation ecosystem. While the series is now pushing the boundaries of the PlayStation 5 hardware, its roots and a significant portion of its library remain deeply embedded in the PlayStation 4 era. For players who still own a PS4 or PS4 Pro, there are two massive, high-quality entries available that offer hundreds of hours of exploration and tactical combat.

Currently, the two Horizon games available on PS4 are Horizon Zero Dawn (including its expansion, The Frozen Wilds) and Horizon Forbidden West.

Horizon Zero Dawn: The Masterpiece That Started It All

Released in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn represented a massive shift for Guerrilla Games, moving from the linear first-person shooters of the Killzone series to a sprawling open-world action RPG. On the PlayStation 4, it remains one of the best-looking titles ever released for the platform, pushing the Decima Engine to its absolute limits.

The World of the Old Ones and the Nora Tribe

The game is set in a post-apocalyptic United States, specifically around the regions of Colorado, Utah, and Northern Arizona, but roughly 1,000 years in the future. Nature has reclaimed the ruins of human civilization. Great skyscrapers are now skeletal remains covered in vines, and the dominant species on Earth is no longer organic life, but highly advanced, animalistic machines.

Players take on the role of Aloy, a young woman who begins the game as an outcast of the Nora tribe. The narrative is dual-layered: it follows Aloy's personal quest to find her mother and discover why she was cast out at birth, while simultaneously unraveling the global mystery of what happened to the "Old Ones" (the 21st-century humans) and why the world ended.

Core Gameplay Mechanics on PS4

The gameplay is built around tactical third-person combat. Unlike many action games where you can simply "hack and slash" your way through enemies, Horizon Zero Dawn requires careful observation. Using Aloy's "Focus"—a piece of ancient wearable technology—players can scan machines to identify their elemental weaknesses and specific components that can be shot off.

• Tactical Archery: Aloy primarily uses various types of bows (Hunter, Sharpshot, and War Bows) to fire arrows ranging from standard impact projectiles to elemental ones like fire, ice, and shock.
• The Tripcaster and Ropecaster: These tools are essential for managing larger machines. The Tripcaster allows you to set wire traps, while the Ropecaster can literally tether a massive machine to the ground, temporarily neutralizing it.
• Machine Overriding: One of the most iconic features is the ability to hack or "override" machines. Once overridden, some machines can be used as mounts (like the Strider), while others will fight alongside Aloy against other enemies.

The Complete Edition and The Frozen Wilds

For PS4 players today, the only version worth considering is the Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition. This version includes the base game plus the substantial expansion, The Frozen Wilds.

The Frozen Wilds takes Aloy to "The Cut," a snowy, mountainous region occupied by the Banuk tribe. This expansion is significantly more difficult than the base game, introducing new "Daemonic" versions of machines that are more aggressive and harder to stun. It also adds the "Werak" skill tree and several powerful new weapons like the Forgefire and Icerail.

Horizon Forbidden West: The Ambitious Sequel on Aging Hardware

In 2022, Guerrilla Games released Horizon Forbidden West. While it was marketed heavily as a showcase for the PS5, it also launched on the PS4. It is arguably the most technically impressive "cross-gen" game ever made, managing to fit a massive, incredibly dense world onto hardware that debuted in 2013.

Expanding the Frontier

As the title suggests, the story takes Aloy west into the remains of Nevada, California, and San Francisco. The scale of the world is significantly larger than the first game, and the environmental variety is vastly improved. You move from the scorching deserts of Las Vegas (hidden beneath the sands) to the lush, tropical jungles of the coast and the submerged ruins of ancient cities.

The plot continues exactly six months after the end of the first game. A mysterious red blight is killing the biosphere, and Aloy must find a backup of the GAIA AI system to reboot the planet's terraforming systems. Along the way, she encounters new tribes like the fierce Tenakth and the technologically mysterious Quen.

Gameplay Evolutions

Horizon Forbidden West refined almost every system from the first game:

• Improved Traversal: Aloy now has access to a "Pullcaster" (a grappling hook) and a "Shieldwing" (a holographic glider). These tools change the way players navigate the environment, allowing for verticality that wasn't possible in the first game.
• Underwater Exploration: For the first time, players can dive beneath the surface of lakes and oceans to explore sunken ruins, adding a completely new dimension to the map.
• Expanded Skill Trees: The skill system was overhauled into six distinct paths: Warrior, Trapper, Hunter, Survivor, Infiltrator, and Machine Master. This allows for much more specialized "builds" depending on your playstyle.
• Melee Combat: The spear combat received a significant upgrade with "Resonator Blasts," allowing Aloy to build up energy through melee strikes and then detonate it with a well-placed arrow.

The PS4 Version Limitations: The Missing DLC

It is crucial for PS4 owners to understand one major caveat: The Burning Shores expansion is not available on PS4.

Unlike the first game's expansion, which was available to all players, The Burning Shores was developed exclusively for the PS5. The developers stated that the technical requirements for the expansion—specifically the highly detailed clouds and the massive final boss battle—were too much for the PS4's CPU and slow hard drive to handle. If you play Horizon Forbidden West on PS4, your journey ends with the main story; you cannot access the Los Angeles-based DLC unless you move your save file to a PS5.

Technical Performance: PS4 vs. PS4 Pro

When playing these games on the older generation of consoles, expectations regarding performance and visuals need to be managed, although both games hold up remarkably well.

Horizon Zero Dawn Performance

• Standard PS4: Runs at 1080p resolution with a target of 30 frames per second (FPS). The frame rate is incredibly stable, with only minor dips during massive explosions or when fighting multiple large machines like Stormbirds.
• PS4 Pro: Offers a "checkerboard" 4K resolution (2160p) which looks significantly sharper on UHD televisions. It also features a "Performance Mode" that stays at 1080p but ensures a rock-solid 30 FPS, though it does not offer a 60 FPS option like the PS5 version.
• Loading Times: This is the biggest drawback on PS4. Fast traveling or loading a save can take anywhere from 40 to 90 seconds due to the limitations of the mechanical hard drive.

Horizon Forbidden West Performance

Guerrilla Games performed what many critics called "technical wizardry" to get this game running on the base PS4.

• Visuals: While it lacks the high-resolution textures, dense foliage, and advanced lighting of the PS5 version, it is still one of the most beautiful games on the PS4. The character models for Aloy and the main cast are exceptionally detailed.
• Resolution: The base PS4 runs at 1080p, while the PS4 Pro targets 1800p (checkerboard).
• Performance: Both consoles are capped at 30 FPS. In our testing, the base PS4 occasionally struggles in very dense areas like the city of Thornmarsh, where the frame rate might dip into the mid-20s, but for 95% of the experience, it remains playable and smooth.
• Disk Activity: On an original PS4, you will likely hear the cooling fan working at maximum speed. The game is incredibly demanding, and the console will generate significant heat.

Understanding the Horizon Game Ecosystem

Beyond the two main titles, there are several other projects within the Horizon universe. It is important to clarify which ones are accessible to PS4 users and which are not.

Why Some Titles Are Missing

• Horizon Call of the Mountain: This is a dedicated VR experience designed specifically for the PSVR2 headset. Since the PSVR2 is only compatible with the PS5, this game cannot be played on a PS4.
• Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: Released in late 2024, this version adds PS5-specific features like haptic feedback, vastly improved lighting, and native 4K assets. Because it is a "remaster" intended to bring the first game up to the visual standards of the second, it is exclusive to newer hardware.
• LEGO Horizon Adventures: This family-friendly retelling of Aloy's story was built using Unreal Engine 5 features that are difficult to scale down to the aging Jaguar CPU of the PS4.

Is It Still Worth Playing Horizon on PS4 in 2025?

From an experience-based perspective, the answer is a resounding yes. While the gaming world has moved toward 60 FPS and 120 FPS standards, the Horizon games were designed from the ground up to be cinematic 30 FPS experiences.

If you are a player who values narrative, art direction, and deep combat mechanics over raw frame rate, these games remain top-tier. Horizon Zero Dawn in particular feels like a complete, self-contained epic. The transition to Forbidden West on PS4 is also surprisingly graceful; unless you have a PS5 sitting right next to your PS4 for a side-by-side comparison, the PS4 version of Forbidden West feels like a premium, high-budget miracle.

The main frustration for a PS4 player in 2025 will be the loading times. In a game that encourages fast travel across a massive map, waiting a minute for the world to load can break the immersion. However, the sheer quality of the writing and the satisfaction of dismantling a mechanical T-Rex with a bow and arrow far outweigh these technical hurdles.

Summary of the Horizon PS4 Experience

The Horizon series on PS4 represents the peak of what that console generation could achieve. Horizon Zero Dawn set a new bar for open-world storytelling and mechanical design, while Horizon Forbidden West proved that even decade-old hardware could still deliver a breathtaking, modern blockbuster. While you will miss out on the Burning Shores DLC and the VR spin-offs, the hundreds of hours of content available in the two main games provide one of the best value-for-money experiences in the PlayStation library.

Comparison of Horizon Games on PS4

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my Horizon Zero Dawn PS4 save on the PS5 Remaster? Yes, Sony allows you to transfer your save data from the PS4 version of Zero Dawn to the Remastered version on PS5, allowing you to keep your trophies and progress.

Does Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 include a free PS5 upgrade? Yes. If you buy the PS4 version of Horizon Forbidden West (either physical disc or digital), you are entitled to download the PS5 digital version at no extra cost. This is one of the few remaining major titles that offers a completely free cross-gen upgrade.

Do I need to play Zero Dawn before Forbidden West? Highly recommended. Forbidden West begins mere months after the first game and assumes you know who the characters are and what the "Zero Dawn" project actually was. You will be very confused by the plot if you skip the first game.

Is there a multiplayer mode in the Horizon PS4 games? No. Both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West are strictly single-player, narrative-driven experiences. While there are rumors of a future multiplayer Horizon project, it is not expected to support the PS4.

How big are the install sizes for these games on PS4? Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition requires approximately 48GB of space. Horizon Forbidden West is much larger, requiring around 90GB to 100GB depending on your region and language packs. Make sure you have enough hard drive space before starting the download.