Horizon Zero Dawn vs Forbidden West - Game Scout

Start with Horizon Zero Dawn. Forbidden West is a direct continuation that picks up roughly six months after the first game and builds straight on its plot, so playing it first spoils the mysteries at the heart of Zero Dawn, the questions about Aloy's origins and what happened to the old world that drive the whole series. The first game is also the natural on-ramp: it introduces Aloy, establishes the machine-hunting combat, and sets up the tribes and factions the sequel expands.

You do not need any other game to follow the story. Zero Dawn is a self-contained opening chapter, and its combat teaches the toolkit that Forbidden West refines rather than replaces. Play Zero Dawn first, then move on to Forbidden West for the payoff.

Both games share the same core: third-person, tactical combat against robotic machines, built around a bow, elemental ammo, traps, and stripping components off enemies before a fight turns into a straight brawl. Horizon Zero Dawn established that loop, along with the skill trees, crafting, and override mechanic that let Aloy turn machines into mounts and allies.

Forbidden West keeps the feel and widens it. It adds new weapon types and a Valor Surge special-move system, a larger and more aggressive machine roster, and reworked melee. Player reviews in our catalogue praise the sequel's richer open world and improved side missions, while the recurring complaints are a weapon and armor upgrade system that can feel cumbersome and melee that struggles against the biggest machines. If Zero Dawn is where the combat was built, Forbidden West is the deeper, higher-ceiling version of it.

The clearest split is scope and movement. Horizon Zero Dawn is largely a ground-based journey across forests, mountains, and ruins, with climbing limited to marked handholds. Horizon Forbidden West opens the map west into a bigger, more layered world and hands Aloy the tools to explore it in three dimensions: free climbing, a Shieldwing glider for descents, a pullcaster grapple, and underwater diving that turns whole regions into new territory.

The trade is focus against freedom. Zero Dawn keeps a tighter grip on where you go and when, while Forbidden West offers far more to see and reach at the cost of a busier map. Both draw the same core praise in reviews, the visuals and the world, and the same core criticism, that some open-world side content grows repetitive.

Both are substantial single-player campaigns, and Forbidden West is the larger of the two. Full completion of Horizon Zero Dawn runs around 68 hours, while Horizon Forbidden West climbs to roughly 81 hours for everything, reflecting its bigger map and deeper systems. A story-focused run of either is considerably shorter than its completion time. If length is a deciding factor, Zero Dawn is the tighter commitment; if scale is the appeal, Forbidden West gives you more to do. One caveat for completionists: the true ending of the Forbidden West story arc continues in the paid Burning Shores expansion.

Critics rate the two almost level: Horizon Zero Dawn holds an 89 on Metacritic and Horizon Forbidden West an 88, both among the stronger PlayStation exclusives of their generations. Game-Scout players are close as well, with Zero Dawn at 4.75 out of 5 across 210,423 ratings and Forbidden West at 4.63 from 63,300.

The written reception tracks that gap. Both games draw near-uniform praise for their visuals, world-building, and Aloy as a lead. Zero Dawn's recurring knocks are repetitive side quests, weaker human combat, and occasional technical issues. Forbidden West earns the same praise for presentation and improved side content, but a slice of players felt its story did not land as sharply as the original's and found the upgrade systems fiddly. Both still sit firmly in the well-reviewed range.

There is no loser here. These are two chapters of one story rather than rivals, so the honest answer for most players is both, in order. Start with Horizon Zero Dawn for the tighter, more focused introduction and its central mystery, then play Horizon Forbidden West for the larger, more free-roaming sequel that pays off the first game's setup.

If you only have time for one, pick Zero Dawn as a newcomer for its pacing and lower commitment, or Forbidden West if you want the bigger, more feature-rich adventure and do not mind meeting Aloy mid-journey. Both rank highly on our best open-world RPG games and best story-driven games lists, where they sit in context against the wider PlayStation catalogue.