Highlights

  • The Horizon series' breathtaking visuals shine on PC, thanks to higher-quality graphics and imagery.
  • Not every game makes the PC jump, but Horizon's move showcases its stunning world and keeps pushing boundaries.
  • Horizon 3 isn't confirmed but is seemingly on the horizon with an expected and improved PC port at some point in the future thereafter.

One of the Horizon series' most noteworthy achievements is undoubtedly its breathtaking visuals. Both Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West boast some of the most stunning environments, detailed character models and animations, and visual effects, even on their respective PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms. This is what makes each of their moves to PC all the more worthwhile, as PCs can handle higher-quality visuals and have therefore taken Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West to unprecedented levels in their graphics and imagery.

Not every video game gets the privilege of being ported to the PC, and not every video game needs to be. The Horizon series is a different story, however, as one of its most prominent characteristics is its visuals, thereby justifying its move to a more powerful platform. While Horizon Zero Dawn's move to PC might have at first seemed like a one-time event, Horizon Forbidden West's recent port to PC establishes a welcome trend for the franchise — one that will more than likely continue with the next installment in the series and keep Horizon on top as a shining example of graphical innovation and the need to push games like it to their limit.

Horizon 3 Aloy Location Anchored
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Horizon 3: Why Aloy May Be Anchored to a Close Location

Because of the Base that Aloy and her companions have become well established at in Forbidden West, Horizon 3 may not be able to venture too far away.

What Horizon's Release Trend Means for the Franchise

Each Horizon Game's Release Showcases Even Better Visuals Than Before

Horizon Zero Dawn was first released on PS4 on February 28, 2017, with its PC port landing on Windows on August 7, 2020. Its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, then launched on the PS5 on February 18, 2022, and was just recently ported to PC on March 21, 2024.

Horizon Zero Dawn was already praised for its beautiful landscapes and weather system, and when it launched on PC just a few years later, that beauty and immersion increased tenfold. What was once static foliage came alive as Aloy made her way through it, and players could now widen the field of view to see more of Zero Dawn's open world, which was arguably host to some of gaming's most captivating scenery at the time.

Forbidden West had taken its predecessor's best qualities and utilized the power of the PS5 to make it all the more enthralling. Then, after being ported to PC two years later, its visuals have once again received high praise for taking the PS5's graphics and enriching them with NVIDIA DLSS 3 upscaling and image-enhancing NVIDIA DLAA. Thanks to Horizon's PlayStation-to-PC release trend and each game's competitive graphics, it's likely that will continue with Horizon 3.

Horizon 3 Will Likely Be Even More Stunning, With Its Presumed PC Port Exceeding That

Although Horizon 3 has yet to be officially announced, Guerrilla Games has heavily hinted at its existence, stating that Aloy's journey isn't over yet. Considering the series' release trend, Horizon 3 is likely to be an even greater visual masterpiece than Forbidden West has proven to be on PC. Then, presumably around two years after its release, Horizon 3 will receive a PC port that should outperform the console version by a mile.

Over time, Horizon continues to solidify its position as one of the most visually captivating experiences in recent memory. If it could only learn to get its release dates right, perhaps it would stand out even more. Nevertheless, the trend the series has established of showing off increasingly stunning worlds sets a strong precedent for its future, even if it happens to go beyond a third installment.