The Horizon Forbidden West countdown is over! The Horizon Forbidden West release date is out now and the Horizon Forbidden West UK launch time has been and gone.

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Ashly Burch reprises the role of Aloy in this hotly-awaited sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, and fans have been waiting for years to see how her story will develop in Horizon Forbidden West. Before the end of this week, we'll be experiencing the next chapter of her action-packed story in the far-flung future.

And so, before you jump in to Horizon Forbidden West for the first time, we've got all the essential details to get you started right here. Check it all out below!

Horizon Forbidden West release date

The Horizon Forbidden West release date is 18th February 2022, the developers have confirmed. That's the day when you'll be able to play Horizon Forbidden West for the first time, whether you're based in the UK, USA or somewhere totally different.

Horizon Forbidden West UK release time

When does Horizon Forbidden West come out? Wherever you are in the world, Horizon Forbidden West will launch at midnight local time on the morning of 18th February. So that's 12am BST for players in the UK – you should be able to jump in now, then!

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Horizon Forbidden West review round-up

Horizon Forbidden West is coming soon.
Horizon Forbidden West is coming soon. Sony

The first Horizon Forbidden West reviews are in, and we've pulled together some of the most mouthwatering ones for you right here!

Kimberly Wallace from Game Informer gave the game 9.25, offering this tantalising summary: "Horizon Forbidden West reaches a new high bar for Guerrilla Games. It does more than surpass its predecessor; it takes Horizon’s fiction to captivating places and builds a rich world that rewards you for the effort you put into it."

Sam Loveridge at GamesRadar described Horizon Forbidden West as "nothing short of phenomenal", adding that it "iterates on the original in every way" with its "rich, compelling world" and "even more robot dinosaurs". Honestly, what more could you want?

At Tom's Guide, Tony Polanco said, "Horizon Forbidden West is an exceptionally crafted sequel, delivering a thrilling open-world experience that fans of the original game will love." Although he did note that the new game "doesn't distinguish itself from its predecessor" in his opinion.

The main gist of this first set of Horizon Forbidden West reviews has been overwhelmingly positive, though, so here's hoping that the fans at home receive the game in a similar way come Friday.

The Horizon Forbidden West Metacritic score is currently sitting at 89/100, if you were wondering, with that score being based on 100 critic reviews.

Can I pre-order Horizon Forbidden West?

Horizon Forbidden West pre-orders have ended, seeing as the game is out now, but of course you can still buy it! Amazon lists the Horizon Forbidden West price like so:

Or you can head over to Very where you can buy either version of the game.

When does the Horizon Forbidden West Official Strategy Guide come out?

Clocking in at a whopping 656 pages, the hardback Horizon Forbidden West Official Strategy Guide book is looking like a very tempting purchase at £31.05 on Amazon. The book has a release date of 31st March, though, so you'll have to wait a little while to pick it up after the game itself launches.

Horizon Forbidden West gameplay footage

Want to see Horizon Forbidden West gameplay in action? Well, you're in luck. Just shy of 20 minutes of full gameplay footage was shown during a Sony State of Play live stream, with this extended trailer giving us our best look yet at the game. Take a look for yourself below and you'll surely feel your eyes watering.

What consoles and platforms will Horizon Forbidden West be available on?

The original Horizon Zero Dawn game launched exclusively on PS4, but a PC version did come along later, so it's only sensible to wonder whether Horizon Forbidden West will release in the same way. The recent launch of the PS5 is also something that changes the situation, so keep on reading for the full lowdown on where this game will be available.

Is Horizon Forbidden West a PS5 exclusive or will it be on PS4?

Horizon Zero Dawn 2 will be available on both PS5 and PS4, as Sony confirmed in a blog post last year. Although Horizon Forbidden West will certainly have better graphics and loading times if you play on PS5, it's nice to know that PS4 users won't be missing out this time. That's good news for anyone that has been struggling to buy a new console due to PS5 stock issues.

Horizon Forbidden West PC release: will it be on PC?

Sony has not yet announced a PC release date for Horizon Forbidden West, which shouldn't come as a massive surprise. After all, the original Horizon Zero Dawn game was a PlayStation console exclusive for over three years: it launched on PS4 in early 2017, and it eventually came to PC in summer 2020. If Horizon Forbidden West does come to PC, we wouldn't expect that to happen for quite a while.

What is the Horizon Forbidden West story about?

Horizon Zero Dawn is set in a post-apocalyptic world where giant robot creatures have taken over the Earth and the surviving humans have been reduced to a tribal-like society.

Sadly very little is known about the sequel, but the first game's ending provides us with some (spoiler-ridden) clues. Hades, a rogue AI hell-bent on human destruction, is found to have survived the climactic showdown at the end of the game, and interestingly has been captured by supposed ally Sylens. This nicely sets up the villains for the sequel, who will likely be much more nuanced considering the friendship the player has with Sylens.

The official synopsis does tell us a little more and while it does not give a huge amount away, it does tell us that there is more trouble afoot that we will need to try and sort out: "Horizon Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy, a young huntress of the Nora tribe sent on a quest to a mysterious frontier spanning Utah to the Pacific coast to find the source of a mysterious plague that kills all it infects. ... one that will change Aloy forever."

List of all the machines in Horizon Forbidden West

Oh, and the sequel will be sure to have more varieties of machine animals - which we're very much on board for. Since the game has not been released yet, we don't have a full list of machines at the moment, but we do know a few of them: you'll be going up against Bristlebacks, Clawstriders, Chargers, Shellsnappers, Snapmaws, Sunwings and Tremortusks in the game.

Is there a trailer for Horizon Forbidden West?

Only time will tell if this becomes one of the best PS5 games, but for now, we'll just have to enjoy looking at the Horizon Forbidden West marketing materials. Take a look at the latest story-based Horizon Forbidden West trailer below and get yourself hyped for the game's release date.

Why is Aloy's face different? How old is Aloy in Horizon Forbidden West?

One question that popped up on social media following that gameplay reveal was 'why does Aloy's face look different?' and the answer to that has not been officially revealed yet. But there are a couple of theories floating around.

The role of Aloy is still being played by Mythic Quest star Ashly Burch, so there's no actor-related reason why the character would look different.

Perhaps the graphics-based upgrade supplied by the PS5 has altered the way in which Aloy is constructed in the game, with higher levels of fidelity and more dynamic lighting making her look different. Or maybe the changes here were made for story reasons.

After all, Horizon Forbidden West is believed to take place six months after Horizon Zero Dawn, so Aloy would have aged a little bit between the two games. She was in her late-teens in the first game, but Aloy could be closer to her early 20s now. However old she is, though, we're looking forward to playing as Aloy again when this sequel finally comes out!

Looking even further into the future, Sony's PSVR 2 virtual reality headset will eventually play host to another Horizon game, Horizon Call of the Mountain, which is also very exciting. More on that as we hear it.

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