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 mainlineHorizongame. 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 mainlineHorizongame with the PS6. If this turns out to be true, Guerrilla should strive to launchHorizon 3without the same notable content flaws asHorizon Forbidden West.
Horizon Forbidden West’s Launch and Content Issues
Following the global critical and financial success of2017’sHorizon 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 andHorizon Zero Dawn Complete Editionwere 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 onHorizon Forbidden Westbegan in 2018 and Guerrilla originally intended to releaseForbidden Weston 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 inHorizon Forbidden Westdue to the PS4’s hardware limitations. While Guerrilla did manage to keep all ofForbidden 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 ofForbidden West’s content was made available for the PS4 version, notably the 2023 expansion Burning Shores andHorizon Forbidden West Complete Edition. This left many players upset as severalHorizonfans 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 ofHorizonfollowing the release ofHorizon Zero Dawn RemasteredandLEGO Horizon Adventures. Since 2022, Sony and Guerrilla have been prioritizing expanding theHorizonseries with spinoffs such as 2023’sHorizon Call of the Mountainas well as bringing the series to new platforms such as PC and the Nintendo Switch inLEGO Horizon Adventures’ case. It’s unknown if pre-production on the mainlineHorizon 3has 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 Dawnfilm,Horizon 3could 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 mainlineHorizongame to launch with or at least shortly after the PS6’s debut. However, Guerrilla should probably strive to makeHorizon 3a true PS6 exclusivegame. 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. IfHorizon 3is being developed to be a PS6 launch title, Guerrilla and Sony could additionally produce aHorizon-themed limited edition PS6 console to celebrate the end of the mainlineHorizontrilogy.
