Sony's Horizon franchise is a compelling one, to be sure, despite its open-world issues and hit-and-miss character writing. It's the strongest aspects of the franchise—the visuals, combat, and RPG elements—that will keep it sustained into the future, and the follow-up to Horizon Forbidden West will no doubt attempt to expand on such crown jewels.

But whatever the next Horizon game looks like, it's safe to say that it will be a PlayStation exclusive, at least at first. Guerrilla Games, the studio behind the Horizon franchise, is a Sony-owned studio, and has been instrumental in the so-called "console wars" during the past two hardware generations, further buttressing PlayStation's robust first-party library. But Sony's attitude toward console exclusives could be shifting, as evidenced by the recent announcement that Helldivers 2 would be coming to Xbox. If this Helldivers port is indicative of the company's strategy moving forward, then anything is possible, and heavy-hitters like Horizon 3 could conceivably leave the PlayStation and PC ecosystem. Assuming this happens, then the next Horizon game could find a comfortable home, not on Xbox, but on the Nintendo Switch 2.

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Horizon 3: After Their Forbidden West Downgrade, This Iconic Horizon Machine Could Use a Makeover

One of Horizon Zero Dawn's most famous robotic foes saw a bit of backslide in Forbidden West, and should return to form in Horizon 3.

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The Case for Horizon 3 To Get a Nintendo Switch 2 Port

The Nintendo Switch 2's Portability and Mouse Controls Are Perfect for the Horizon Franchise

The first Nintendo Switch became an unlikely bastion for open-world gaming. Perhaps the portable nature of the console, which encourages short-term gaming sessions as much as long-term ones, synergizes especially well with the open-world format, which often incentivizes quick, bite-sized activities. There's also the fact that so many open-world games, including games like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, leverage escapism and immersion to a greater degree than other genres, making players feel like they've truly been transported to a new world; there's something undeniably novel about having that experience in the palm of one's hand.

For these reasons alone, Horizon 3 would be a great fit for the Nintendo Switch 2, but there's another, more impactful Switch 2 feature that would be well-suited for Aloy's next adventure: mouse controls. The Joy-Con 2s can be detached and used in a manner indistinguishable from a computer mouse, which makes the Switch 2 a surprisingly great platform for shooters. Since the Horizon franchise relies heavily on ranged combat, the Switch 2's mouse controls would be an obvious boon. Who knows, maybe this theoretical Switch 2 port of Horizon 3 could even leverage the system's motion controls.

Horizon 3 Would Be a True Test of the Switch 2's Power

For many, the best part about the Switch 2 isn't its mouse functionality or exclusives, but its sheer increase in raw power compared to its predecessor. Indeed, the first Nintendo Switch was far behind the pack in terms of rendering and processing power, and while the Switch 2 isn't quite as good as something like the base PlayStation 5, it's still a major upgrade. The sequel console can run demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 without major problems, so there's no reason to believe that it couldn't handle something like Horizon 3, under the right circumstances.

On top of all this, Nintendo is already somewhat cozy with the Horizon series courtesy of LEGO Horizon Adventures, which launched on the original Switch. That game wasn't exactly a critical or commercial darling, but it did demonstrate that Sony is being less stingy with its first-party properties, allowing them to roam and graze in different pastures—so long as they always come home to PlayStation. With this loose connection already established, and Xbox effectively bowing out of the exclusive games market, a game like Horizon 3 coming to the Switch 2 doesn't seem like such a far-fetched idea.

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9 /10

Horizon Forbidden West
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Action
RPG
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1
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Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 96%
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Released
February 18, 2022
ESRB
T for Teen: Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
Developer(s)
Guerrilla Games
Publisher(s)
Sony
Engine
Decima
Franchise
Horizon
Steam Deck Compatibility
Unsupported
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Join Aloy as she braves a majestic but dangerous new frontier that holds mysterious new threats. This Complete Edition allows you to enjoy the critically acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West on PC in its entirety with bonus content, including the Burning Shores story expansion that picks up after the main game.

Explore distant lands, fight bigger and more awe-inspiring machines, and encounter astonishing new tribes as you return to the far-future, post-apocalyptic world of Horizon.

The land is dying. Vicious storms and an unstoppable blight ravage the scattered remnants of humanity while fearsome new machines prowl their borders, and life on Earth is hurtling toward another extinction.

It's up to Aloy to uncover the secrets behind these threats and restore order and balance to the world. Along the way, she must reunite with old friends, forge alliances with warring new factions and unravel the legacy of the ancient past.

Genre(s)
Action, RPG
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
How Long To Beat
29 Hours
PS Plus Availability
N/A