HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST: HUNTING METAL DINOSAURS WITH A BOW
8.5 of 10 bananas. The best machine fights in gaming, buried under a crowded backpack.
By the Alpha. Complete Edition with Burning Shores. PS5 Complete Edition listing. Updated Oct 2026.
Platforms: The PS5 Complete Edition disc is the Amazon button. The base game also came to PS4, and the Complete Edition is on PC through Steam. This page sells the PS5 Complete Edition only.
Get Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition on AmazonSit with me a moment. A Thunderjaw came over the hill and I panicked. I ran, I hid, I wasted arrows. On the third try I sat still, scanned it, and shot the disc launcher off its back. Then I picked up that launcher and used it on the beast. No other game makes a hunt feel this smart.
What It Wants To Be
Guerrilla Games' sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, released on PS5 and PS4 in February 2022. Aloy heads west to stop a blight killing the land and finds new tribes, new machines, and an old enemy waiting. The Complete Edition bundles the Burning Shores expansion, a PS5 story set in a ruined Los Angeles. The PC version arrived on Steam in March 2024, ported by Nixxes Software.
What Works
Machine combat is the heart. Every beast has parts you can tear off, weak spots by element, and weapons you can steal and turn back on it. The world looks stunning, from snowy peaks to drowned cities, and the faces in conversation are some of the best on PS5. Climbing the Tallnecks still feels like an event. Burning Shores adds a strong finale and a great new set of fights.
What Breaks
Listen well. The backpack is a mess. Too many weapons, too many crafting parts, and menus layered on menus. Aloy talks to herself constantly, solving puzzles before you can. Human enemies and melee are much weaker than the machine fights. Many side quests are fetch jobs dressed up with nice cutscenes, and the story leans on long talks full of lore words.
Who Should Play
Play if you want big, tactical fights against huge creatures and a world that is a joy to look at. Skip if crafting clutter and chatty heroes wear you down fast. For a tighter action game on the same console, read my Ghost of Tsushima verdict.
STRENGTHS
- Elite machine combat with tear-off parts
- A world that looks stunning everywhere
- Burning Shores expansion included
- Great facial work in conversations
HONEST COSTS
- Crowded inventory and crafting menus
- Aloy explains puzzles before you can
- Weak melee and human enemies
- Button is the PS5 disc, not PC
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