New Horizon Co-Op Game Revealed for PS5

Sony and Guerrilla Games have just announced Horizon Hunters Gathering for PlayStation 5 and PC. Horizon Hunters Gathering will be a 3-player co-op action game with roguelite elements and is set to support both cross-progression and crossplay for PC and PS5 when it eventually launches at an unspecified date.

All the way back in December 2022, Guerrilla Games officially confirmed that it was working on a multiplayer Horizon game, one that would feature a “unique stylized look” and introduce a new cast of characters. Over the last few years, bits and pieces of information have surfaced online regarding Guerrilla’s Horizon multiplayer game, but the studio hadn’t confirmed any official gameplay or story details until today.

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Sony Reveals Horizon Hunters Gathering — A 3-Player Co-Op Game Coming to PS5 and PC

Announced rather nonchalantly via a PlayStation Blog post, Horizon Hunters Gathering is a three-player co-op game that will see players choose from a roster of hunters, each coming with their own unique abilities, playstyles, and weapons. Players will embark on missions set across several modes where they’ll defeat Machines, collect loot, and upgrade their abilities via a roguelite perk system that refreshes between runs.

While Guerrilla studio director Jan-Bart Van Beek says that Horizon Hunters Gathering “stands on its own,” its narrative and cast of characters will be “fully canon” to the wider Horizon universe. Horizon Hunters Gathering will feature a story mode at launch that can be played either solo alongside NPCs or in co-op with real-world players. This mode will introduce “new mysteries, characters, and threats,” and its story will continue after the game’s launch.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

Currently, Horizon Hunters Gathering features two distinct game modes: Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent. The former mode will see players fighting against waves of Machines, upgrading their gear, and facing a major boss. Machine Incursion also features a Fortnite-like storm that forces players to keep moving. The latter mode is a longer multi-stage mission that has players exploring the chambers of a Cauldron, an underground facility where Machines are created. Players will solve environmental puzzles, face challenging foes, and loot the chambers to find new gear and upgrades.

Along with the four explorable regions of the American west that are each said to pose unique challenges, Horizon Hunters Gathering will feature a social hub area simply called ‘Hunters Gathering.’ Here, players can socialize with one another between missions, customize their hunters, upgrade their gear, and visit vendors.

Alongside the PlayStation Blog announcement, Guerrilla Games released a 9-minute behind-the-scenes video showcasing these elements in greater detail. This deep-dive features a short story trailer that shows Horizon Zero Dawn and Forbidden West protagonist Aloy tasking fellow series hero Erend with recruiting a new band of hunters. A total of six new hunters are shown throughout the deep-dive, all featuring very distinct visual designs, personalities, and playstyles.

No launch window has been given for Horizon Hunters Gathering, but fans will be able to try the game very soon via a closed playtest. To be a part of the Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest, fans need to sign up via the PlayStation Beta Program and register their interest in future playtests. The “first, small-scale closed playtest” is set to take place at the end of February and will be open to both PS5 and PC players. Crossplay between the two platforms will also be supported in Horizon Hunters Gathering, as will cross-progression if players are logged into their PlayStation account on both PC and PS5. It should be noted that Horizon Hunters Gathering is said to still be early in development, though Guerrilla has stated that fans can expect more regular development updates and playtest announcements in the coming months.