Horizon occupies an unusual spot in the history of the action RPG. It is the work that carried Guerrilla Games from the militarized Killzone shooters into open-world ARPG territory, and it stands as one of the most successful new IPs of the PS4 generation. The 2017 PlayStation exclusive landed on multiple "best of the generation" lists at launch, and the 2020 PC Complete Edition opened the design up to a whole new audience.
A PS4 benchmark and a studio's pivot
Lifetime sales crossed 24 million copies, among the strongest figures any Sony first-party IP has posted, and the game lifted Guerrilla from a respected second-tier studio into the top rank — laying the groundwork for the sequel and its PSVR2 spin-off. The reception data backs that up: roughly 88 percent positive across more than 95,000 Steam reviews, a Metacritic PC average of 86, and a 9 from Gamersky. After the 2024 Remastered build landed, the standing only firmed up, putting Horizon in the rare company of older games that keep getting renewed rather than retired. On the awards side it drew a Best Game Direction nomination at The Game Awards 2017, a Best Original Property nomination at the 2018 BAFTAs, and Best Original Game at the 2016 Game Critics Awards.
Set against its generation's narrative ARPGs, the niche stays clear. The Witcher 3 peaks on branching quests and character writing; Horizon's main line is a touch shallower but its sci-fi setting is more singular. Red Dead Redemption 2 runs a slow Western texture where Horizon moves faster, and Breath of the Wild offers a freer physics sandbox where Horizon's combat runs deeper. In the lane of "open world plus weak-point archery plus sci-fi narrative plus a strong female lead," it simply has no true replacement — a sole-occupant position that is the most valuable asset a decade of development bought.
Who it is for, and which version to buy
The target audience is well defined: players who want bow hunting, weak-point tactics and a strong-female-lead sci-fi narrative in an open-world ARPG. If you came off Monster Hunter and like fighting around weaknesses, or loved The Witcher 3's character writing but want a more distinctive setting, or are drawn to the contrast of tribal civilization against a post-apocalyptic machine ecology, this is close to a must-buy. For players in China specifically, the official Chinese dub lowers the language barrier in a way few Sony first-party titles match.
The reverse portrait is just as clear. Anyone with zero tolerance for a slow first five hours will likely bounce during the Proving; players who dislike a tribal, primitive setting may find the world off-putting; and those sensitive to fetch-style side design will find some quests dull. One more group deserves a note: total newcomers to the open-world ARPG would do better starting here than jumping straight into The Witcher 3, since Horizon's map size, layered mechanics, complete tutorialization and official Chinese dub make it one of the gentler on-ramps to the genre.
The buying path comes down to two options. On a tight budget, the Complete Edition at its frequent half-price discount is the call; for visuals, the 2024 Remastered at 49.99 is the upgrade; and existing owners get the most value from the 10-dollar bump. The verdict returns to the angle: 25 machines, the Focus weak-point system and the Zero Dawn clone reveal have gone a decade without a genuine replacement. Even with the slow opening and the fetch-heavy side quests, Horizon remains an unavoidable must-play for narrative ARPG fans in 2026, and the essential first chapter for anyone who wants the full Horizon story before the sequel.
