Horizon Zero Dawn is a 2017 action role-playing game created by Guerrilla Games and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is the first game in the Horizon series and takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States where large robotic machines control the Earth, and humans live in simple tribes with different levels of technology. The story follows Aloy, a young hunter who tries to learn about her past. Players use guns, spears, and stealth to fight mechanical creatures and enemies. A skill tree helps players gain new abilities and advantages. Players can explore the open world to find places and complete side quests.
Horizon Zero Dawn was Guerrilla Games' first new game idea since Killzone in 2004 and its first open-world and role-playing game. The game’s director, Mathijs de Jonge, said it was the most challenging idea proposed. Development started in 2011 after Killzone 3 was finished. The game used the Decima engine, which was first made for Killzone: Shadow Fall and later updated for Zero Dawn. The game uses bright colors and was designed to feel adventurous and hopeful even though it is set in a ruined world. Experts in anthropology helped create the world’s appearance, while robotics specialists helped design realistic machines. Books by Jared Diamond and stories like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Princess Mononoke (1997) inspired the game’s setting and story. The game featured actors Ashly Burch and Lance Reddick, and the music was composed by Joris de Man with help from The Flight.
The game was released for the PlayStation 4 in February 2017. It was later released for Windows computers in 2020, becoming the first PlayStation-exclusive game to appear on personal computers. A remastered version, made by Nixxes Software, came out in October 2024. Critics gave the game mostly positive reviews, praising its world, story, visuals, and combat, but some criticized its role-playing features and gameplay. The game won many awards, including one British Academy Games Award and two D.I.C.E. Awards, and sold over 24 million copies. An expansion called The Frozen Wilds was released in November 2017. A sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, came out in February 2022. The game’s story is also featured in Lego Horizon Adventures, a humorous version of the game. A movie based on the game is being made by PlayStation Productions and Columbia Pictures.
Gameplay
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action role-playing game played from a third-person view. The player controls Aloy, a huntress who travels through a world that has been ruined after a major disaster. This world is ruled by large machines and human enemies, such as bandits and members of a group. These machines and humans are the main enemies in the game. Aloy can move quickly by dodging, sprinting, sliding, or rolling to avoid danger. She uses a spear for close combat and can also attack enemies with bows and arrows, set traps like tripwires, use a harpoon to stop enemies from moving, or throw explosives with a slingshot. Different types of arrows and ammunition have special purposes. For example, some arrows can take apart parts of machines to disable their weapons, while others can burn or temporarily stop enemies. Weapons can be changed to improve their power or how easy they are to use. Aloy wears a Focus, a small earpiece that scans machines to show their location, weaknesses, level, and what items they drop. This information is saved in a journal in the game. Machines are grouped into categories, such as Acquisition, Combat, Recon, and Transport, which affect how they act and react to the player. Players can hide in plants to surprise enemies or throw rocks or whistle to distract them.
The game has an open world that players can explore freely. Campfires are used to save progress and travel quickly to other places on the map. Aloy can use her spear to hack certain machines, some of which can be used as temporary mounts. Hacking large, giraffe-like machines called Tallnecks reveals hidden locations on the map. Exploring underground ruins unlocks more machines to hack. The main story explains the mystery of Aloy's past, while side quests provide details about the world’s culture and answer smaller questions. Players can choose how to respond to other characters, which affects how Aloy behaves during conversations. Optional tasks include attacking bandit camps, completing hunting challenges, and fighting in difficult areas. Players can find collectibles such as vantage points that show views of a past civilization, metal flowers with poetry, and old items like mugs and tribal artifacts.
During exploration, players gather natural materials and parts from machines to make arrows, traps, and potions. Hunting animals gives materials to upgrade Aloy’s equipment, allowing her to carry more arrows and supplies. Players can sell unused materials to merchants or buy new weapons and clothing. Aloy earns experience points (XP) by completing quests and tasks. While killing enemies gives basic XP, the game rewards careful actions, like sneaking up on enemies or hitting them in the head, with extra XP. When enough XP is earned, players get Skill Points to improve Aloy’s abilities. Skills are divided into three groups: stealth, combat, and gathering or healing. Upgrades allow Aloy to aim a bow slowly, shoot multiple arrows at once, or collect more resources from defeated enemies. As the game progresses, players find less common versions of weapons, which offer more ammo types and more places to modify them.
Synopsis
The story takes place in the Western United States in the 31st century, long after a major disaster. Humans live in small groups called tribes, which vary in how much technology they use. Their ancestors, who had advanced technology, are called the "Old Ones." Large robotic machines control much of the Earth. Most of these machines live peacefully with humans, who sometimes hunt them for parts. However, an event called the "Derangement" made the machines more aggressive and caused larger, more dangerous machines to appear. Humans are divided into different cultures, such as the mountain-dwelling, matriarchal Nora tribe, who hunt and gather, and the Carja, a powerful desert-based civilization.
Aloy is born outside the Nora tribe and raised by another outcast, Rost. As a child, she receives a "Focus," a special tool that helps her see things more clearly. Curious about her past, Aloy trains for years to win the "Proving," a competition that would force the Nora matriarchs to share her history. She wins the competition, but is attacked by masked cultists. Rost sacrifices his life to save her from their leader, Helis. When Aloy wakes up, the matriarchs explain that she was found as a baby near a sealed door in the Nora’s sacred mountain. They allow her to leave to find the cultists. Aloy learns the cultists are a group called the Eclipse, and she was targeted because she resembles an ancient scientist named Elisabet Sobeck. Exploring the ruins of Faro Automated Solutions, Aloy discovers that Faro’s civilization was destroyed a thousand years ago when its self-replicating, biomass-consuming machines lost control. Sobeck led a project called "Zero Dawn," which aimed to create an automated system to stop the machines and restore life to Earth.
Aloy is contacted by Sylens, a mysterious person who wants to learn about the past. He leads her to a military base beneath the Citadel, the Eclipse’s headquarters. Aloy learns that "Zero Dawn" was a network of cloning facilities and databases controlled by an artificial intelligence named GAIA. After life on Earth ended, GAIA shut down the Faro machines and created new machines to rebuild the environment. She then used stored DNA to restart life, hoping to teach humans to avoid past mistakes. However, Ted Faro destroyed the part of GAIA’s system that held human history, causing humans to live in tribes. Aloy also finds out that the Eclipse are secretly controlled by HADES, another part of GAIA’s system designed to cause a controlled extinction if the terraforming process failed.
After obtaining a key to open the sealed door in the Nora mountain, Aloy is captured by Helis but escapes with Sylens’s help. She returns to the Nora, helps them defeat the Eclipse, and unlocks the mountain’s door. Inside, a message from GAIA explains that an unknown signal caused HADES to become dangerous. GAIA tried to stop HADES by destroying herself but failed, losing control of her machines. As a backup plan, GAIA created a clone of Sobeck—Aloy—to one day destroy HADES and restore her systems. Aloy retrieves a tool to destroy HADES. Sylens admits he started the Eclipse but now realizes HADES plans to restart the Faro machines and destroy all life. Aloy attacks the Citadel, kills Helis, and fights the corrupted machines. She uses the tool to destroy HADES, ending the conflict. Aloy visits Sobeck’s childhood home to honor her. In a post-credits scene, Sylens captures HADES’s remaining part to find out who sent the signal that awakened it.
Development
Guerrilla Games started working on Horizon after the release of Killzone 3 in 2011. In late 2010, Guerrilla asked all employees in the studio to share ideas for their next game. The only rules were that the game could not be a puzzle or racing game. Around 45 ideas were shared, and one of them was Horizon Zero Dawn, proposed by art director Jan-Bart van Beek. Game director Mathijs de Jonge called this idea "the most risky" of all the suggestions. Guerrilla co-founder and Managing Director Hermen Hulst explained that the team wanted to move away from the dark, serious tone of the Killzone series to create a game that felt more beautiful and lively. Horizon was also chosen because Sony, Guerrilla’s parent company, did not have a western-style role-playing game (RPG) in its collection at the time. The game’s concept was based on three main ideas: a lush, nature-filled world inspired by documentaries, robotic dinosaurs, and a red-haired main character. Development was paused briefly after the release of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (2010), which had a similar post-apocalyptic setting and red-haired protagonist. Hulst said the team worked on a different project for six months before deciding to pitch Horizon to Sony again, driven by their goal to create something "radically different." Lambert Wolterbeek Muller was the Lead Producer, while Michiel van der Leeuw and Misja Baas managed the technical and art directions, respectively.
A small team of 10–20 people built early versions of the game. After completing Killzone Shadow Fall in late 2013, the rest of the staff joined Horizon. Guerrilla had about 270 employees working on the game and used 18 outsourcing companies worldwide. Virtuos, based in Singapore, employed 65 people for over two years to design different types of machines and bandit settlements. Other contributors included 3Lateral (Serbia) for facial animation, Territory Studios (New York) for interface design, Audiomotion (London) for motion capture, and Kokku (Brazil) and XPEC Art Center (Taipei) for environmental details and robotic models. To keep the game consistent, Guerrilla gave the outsourcing teams a large collection of reference photos. Horizon had an estimated budget of over €45 million.
Unlike many role-playing games that focus on player choices, Horizon emphasized a carefully planned, personal story. It borrowed elements like interactive dialogue from RPGs but used cinematic storytelling, common in action-adventure games. To improve its RPG features, Guerrilla hired talent from games like The Elder Scrolls and The Witcher. Horizon was designed to be easy for players to understand, so the team avoided complex role-playing systems. Traditional character stats for the main character, Aloy, were removed, and the game used a simple user interface. The team was inspired by Fallout 3 (2008), an RPG that allows players to take unexpected actions. Combat was divided into three stages: "prepare," "engage," and "escape." Originally, the main character used a rifle, but this was changed to tribal weapons because high-tech guns felt out of place in the game’s setting.
Horizon was Guerrilla’s first open world game. Van Beek said the team had to change their design approach from creating "rollercoaster rides" with Killzone to building a full "theme park" with Horizon. Guerrilla studied games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) to decide how dense the game’s world should be. The team wanted players to have many ways to complete objectives. Stealth mechanics were designed to feel like a hunt rather than a traditional stealth experience. Enemy AI was programmed to be lenient when the player was first spotted but made it hard for Aloy to hide once fully discovered. This encouraged players to fight rather than run. Machines were the only enemies at first, but human enemies were added to show different tribal cultures and increase combat variety. The team had to reduce the game’s size after realizing they couldn’t fill the entire map with content. A plan for cooperative multiplayer was canceled.
Early work focused on how human tribes interacted with machines, which influenced their clothing, buildings, and tools. A major goal was to show machines as a natural part of the environment, with tribes treating them as everyday parts of life. The game explores the balance between danger and beauty, especially the idea that humans are not the dominant species. It also shows how nature and technology have merged, with nature itself becoming technological. Weapons were designed to reflect the primitive, technology-limited state of the surviving civilization. The team created distinct cultures, like the matriarchal Nora and the patriarchal, technology-focused Carja, to represent different worldviews. Guerrilla worked with anthropologists and studied books like Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) and Collapse (2005) by Jared Diamond. Despite being set in the future, characters mostly spoke plain English to keep the game accessible.
Because the game is set in the ruins of an advanced civilization, the team faced challenges in making sci-fi imagery look prehistoric. They manually sculpted ancient structures to appear broken and uneven. These ruins were designed to look fragile, evoking feelings of sadness for the people who once lived there. The world was shown in vibrant colors, even though it is set in a post-apocalyptic future. The game was described as "post-post-apocalyptic," aiming to inspire adventure and hope. The team once considered setting the game in Europe or the Netherlands but chose North America for its diverse landscapes and recognizable landmarks. The game includes two types of underground structures: abandoned military bases that provide story elements and emotional connections to the past, and AI-controlled assembly lines where machines are built. Since these factories were created by AI, the design focused on bold, sculptural environments.
The team worked with the robotics department at Delft University of Technology to design Horizon’s machines. They chose an exoskeleton design, which created "soft spots" for players to target with arrows. The team avoided using too many blinking lights or bright colors so players could easily identify machine functions during combat. The machine design process started with simple sketches showing their basic structures and in-game roles. Engineers were told to design machines as if they could be built in real life, while artists used ZBrush to create detailed parts like hydraulic joints and armor. The team took courses in animal anatomy and engineering to improve their designs.
Release
The concept art and the game's codename, "Horizon," were shared without permission in September 2014. Horizon Zero Dawn was officially announced during Sony's E3 2015 press conference. At E3 2016, Sony displayed a life-sized costume version of one of the machines to greet attendees. Originally planned for a 2016 release, the game was delayed until February 2017 to allow more improvements. It was sent to manufacturers in late January 2017 and launched in North America on February 28, 2017, in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on March 1, and in Asia on March 2 for the PlayStation 4. The game is compatible with the PS4 Pro, allowing it to run at up to 4K resolution. Players who pre-ordered the game received a resource pack with weapon and outfit modifications, and materials for crafting ammo and traps. Additional bonuses were available only for GameStop and EB Games customers, who received in-game upgrades, an outfit, and a bow. The Digital Edition included resource packs, outfits, and weapons, while the Collector's Edition featured an Aloy statue, an artbook, a steelbook case, four resource packs, and the same outfits and weapons as the Digital Edition. A "Thunderjaw Collector's Edition," which included a Thunderjaw statue, was also available. Merchandise for the game included clothing, plush toys of Aloy, an official art book by Titan Books, Funko Pops, and statues of Aloy and a machine called a Stalker. The four-hour soundtrack was released on digital music platforms on March 10, 2017. A making-of documentary was shown on Dutch public television in April 2017.
Guerrilla continued to support the game after its launch. A new Game Plus mode, an Ultra Hard difficulty, additional trophies, and aesthetic features were added with a patch released in July 2017. The game's expansion, The Frozen Wilds, was announced in June 2017 during E3 and released on November 7. The Frozen Wilds added a new section to the map that can be accessed whether the base game is completed or not. The level cap was raised from 50 to 60, and a new skill tree branch called "Traveler" was added, focusing on movement while riding overridden machines. New machines and "daemonic machines," which have more health and deal more damage, were introduced. The expansion also added "control towers," which keep healing enemies in their area until they are destroyed.
The Complete Edition, which included the base game, The Frozen Wilds, and all items from the "Digital Deluxe Edition," was released for PlayStation 4 on December 5, 2017. In 2020, Sony decided to port its first-party titles to PC, with Horizon being one of the first. The game was released for Windows on Steam and the Epic Games Store on August 7 and GOG on November 24. Ported by Virtuos with additional work by Nixxes Software, the PC version included graphical improvements, benchmarking tools, unlocked frame rates, and support for ultrawide screens.
Rumors of a remaster began in 2022, and speculation increased after Zero Dawn was removed from PlayStation Plus in May 2024. Co-developed by Nixxes, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was announced for Windows and PlayStation 5 on September 24, 2024, and released on October 31. The remaster includes previously released downloadable content, such as The Frozen Wilds. Its release received mixed reactions, as some felt it was too soon to remaster the game, since it was already playable on the PlayStation 5 in 4K and 60 frames per second following a 2021 update. The Steam and Epic Games Store versions of the Complete Edition were removed with the remaster's release, and initially, PC users needed a PlayStation Network (PSN) account to play. This prevented players in over 100 countries where PSN is unavailable, such as parts of the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia, from accessing the remaster. Sony removed the PSN account requirement in February 2025.
The remaster included gameplay, HUD, and performance options from the sequel Horizon Forbidden West (2022). The terrain system and foliage were updated, with more unique plants added. Nixxes studied the original game's biomes and used concept art to match the expected foliage for each area. The PS5's increased memory allowed more NPCs and dynamic behaviors. Deforming snow from The Frozen Wilds was expanded to cover snow and sand throughout the game. Aloy's character model was improved, using her face model from Forbidden West, which included details like peach fuzz, and upgrades to her hair, eyes, and outfits. The remaster features over 10 hours of re-recorded dialogue and new motion capture data for conversations. A new system was created to integrate animation data, making character movement and facial animations more natural. New camera angles were added to scenes. The audio mix was updated for better surround and 3D audio support. The remaster also includes features from the PS5's DualSense controller, such as adaptive triggers and haptic feedback, providing specific tactile sensations for actions. A new optional setting uses both sound and haptic pulses to notify players of interactable elements, which were previously marked only visually.
Reception
Horizon Zero Dawn received mostly positive reviews from websites like Metacritic and OpenCritic. Metacritic reported "generally favorable" reception, and OpenCritic noted that 94% of critics recommended the game. Reviewers often praised its impressive visuals and familiar gameplay style.
The combat system was generally well-received. Dan Silver from The Guardian called the combat "very exciting" and noted that each machine required different strategies to defeat. Peter Brown from GameSpot praised the creative design of the machines and how the game introduced more complex versions as players improved. Reviewers also appreciated the variety of attack patterns, which made combat encounters feel unique and memorable. Many critics said fighting larger machines was rewarding because it encouraged players to use all their tools. However, some reviewers mentioned that combat could be challenging. Phillip Kollar from Polygon compared the game’s mix of crafting, combat, and collecting to Monster Hunter, but said Horizon was easier to learn. Some critics, though, felt that melee combat and fights with human enemies were less strong parts of the game.
The game’s world design was widely praised. Andrew Webster from The Verge admired Guerrilla Games’ efforts to build a unique world, noting that each tribe had a distinct look in their buildings and clothing. Kollar said the game showed a team creating something new, giving it more personality than previous Guerrilla projects. Jeff Marchiafava from Game Informer praised the world’s sense of discovery, highlighting its different environments, machine types, and human settlements. Justin Clark from Slant Magazine called it the most vibrant open world ever made in a video game. Reviewers also liked the variety of activities and content. However, some critics said the game’s setting and design were similar to other open-world games. Webster described it as a collection of familiar ideas, while Silver felt the game lacked innovation. The game’s RPG elements, such as repetitive side quests, a basic crafting system, and a cluttered inventory, were criticized for being unpolished. Silver and Sammy Barker from Push Square noted that the game’s story and role-playing features followed a fixed path, limiting player freedom.
The story was praised for being engaging and meaningful. Webster said the game’s central mystery kept him interested, even though the beginning was slow. Kollar enjoyed the unexpected twists in the story and how it set up future adventures. Reviewers appreciated how the game blended modern tribal conflicts and politics with its ancient setting. Brown praised Aloy’s character development and the story’s themes about nature and technology. He found the main mystery fascinating but said the side content was less strong. Silver liked the story but disliked the use of too much explanation through audio and text. Aloy’s curiosity and determination were seen as key to the story. Barker compared Aloy to characters like Katniss Everdeen, Hermione Granger, and Lara Croft. The voice actor, Burch, was praised for giving Aloy an emotionally rich performance.
Some critics raised concerns about the game’s portrayal of tribes, noting similarities to Native American cultures and the choice of Aloy, a white female character, as the main hero. Dia Lacina, a Native American writer, said some terms used in the game were disrespectful. Gonzales explained that the team worked to avoid stereotypes and drew inspiration from many cultures worldwide.
The Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered version received mostly positive reviews, with 89% of critics recommending it. Reviewers praised improved graphics, smoother animations, and better performance. Some critics questioned whether the remaster was needed, while others pointed out minor technical issues. Matt Kamen from Empire said the remaster made Aloy feel more connected to the world. Niels Hassfeld from IGN Benelux noted that facial expressions were more natural. Lloyd Coombes from TechRadar said actions like firing a bow felt more dynamic with the DualSense controller. Jade King from TheGamer added that cities looked more lively with better character models.
Before its release, Horizon Zero Dawn was nominated for "Most Anticipated Game" at The Game Awards in 2015 and 2016 and "Most Wanted Game" at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2016. It was listed as one of the most anticipated games of 2017 by several publications. The game won awards at events like E3 and Gamescom.
At the 14th British Academy Games Awards, Zero Dawn won "Original Property" out of 8 nominations. It won two awards at the D.I.C.E. Awards: "Outstanding Achievement in Story" and "Outstanding Technical Achievement." At the 2017 Golden Joystick Awards, it won "Best Storytelling" and "Best PlayStation Game." It also won "Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing" at the Writers Guild of America Awards. The game’s music received multiple awards, including "Best Original Instrumental" and "Best Original Choral Composition" at the Game Audio Network Guild Awards and "Best Original Video Game Score" at the Ivor Novello Awards. Many publications named Horizon Zero Dawn one of the best games of 2017.
Horizon Zero Dawn was the best-selling game in its first week in the United Kingdom and Australia. It surpassed No Man’s Sky (2016) as the biggest launch for a new PlayStation 4 game and was the most successful launch on the platform since Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (2016). It sold nearly 117,000 copies in its first week in Japan, becoming the second best-selling game that week. It was the second most downloaded game on the North American PlayStation Store in February.
Legacy
Guerrilla announced a sequel called Horizon Forbidden West in June 2020 during the PlayStation 5 reveal event. The game was released on February 18, 2022, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It was later made available for Windows on March 21, 2024. The story happens six months after the end of Zero Dawn. In the game, Aloy travels to the Forbidden West and discovers the source of a signal that activates HADES. Ashly Burch plays Aloy again, and Carrie-Anne Moss and Angela Bassett join as new characters.
In January 2023, Guerrilla partnered with Studio Gobo, a UK-based studio, to help expand the Horizon universe. A game called Lego Horizon Adventures was announced on June 7, 2024, and released on November 14 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows. Many actors from Zero Dawn return, but the role of Sylens was taken over by Tim Russ after Lance Reddick passed away in March 2023. Lego Horizon Adventures tells the story of Zero Dawn in a more cheerful and family-friendly way, with less focus on the serious, world-ending themes.
In January 2025, Sony announced a movie based on the game was being made by PlayStation Productions and Columbia Pictures. Asad Qizilbash, president of PlayStation Productions, said the company had a script ready, was looking for a director, and planned to begin filming in 2026 for a 2027 release.
A tabletop game called Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game was announced in August 2018 by Steamforged Games. It raised money quickly on Kickstarter and started shipping in November 2020. An expansion called The Sacred Land was released on September 14, 2021. In March 2020, Titan Comics announced a comic book series, including a prequel issue for Free Comic Book Day. The story happens after the events of the game. A four-issue comic series called Horizon Zero Dawn: The Sunhawk was delayed slightly by the COVID-19 pandemic and released monthly from August to November 2020. A second series, Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation, started in July 2021 and ended in January 2022. The comics were written by Anne Toole, one of the game’s writers.
In May 2022, a live-action TV series based on the game was announced by PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. Steve Blackman was writing and producing the series through his company, Irish Cowboy. Aloy was expected to be the main character. By January 2024, writing for the series had begun. However, the project was paused in June 2024 after a January 2023 report from twelve former Umbrella Academy (2019–2024) writers and staff accused Blackman of harmful behavior.