Differences Between Horizon Forbidden West On PS4 And PS5 Detailed

Thanks to a couple of recent interviews, the differences between Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 and PS5 have been detailed.

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In a recent interview by Game Informer with Guerrilla Games director Mathijs de Jonge, we learned more about the two versions of the Horizon Zero Dawn sequel. Largely, the games will be identical in terms of story and content, but there will of course be some enhancements on the PS5.

A lot of the development has taken place on the PlayStation 4, and a lot of playtesting has been done on PlayStation 4,” de Jonge told Game Informer.

So we are ensuring that owners of that console have a great experience and the game will look fantastic on that console.

For the PlayStation 5 we can go much further, of course,” added de Jonge. “Visually we can add a lot more detail. Graphically, the rendering technique for the underwater scenes is special for the PlayStation 5, it has extra details and extra systems, like the wave technique is better on that system.

One of the biggest differences that the PS5 version will bring is with the new element of Aloy now being able to swim underwater. Aloy will be able to swim in both versions of the game, however, the PS5 will have advanced lighting techniques.

The lighting on Aloy on PlayStation 5 has much more definition,” said de Jonge. “We use a special cinematic lighting rig, that on the PlayStation 4 is only used in cutscenes, because the game is not running and we have more processing power in those scenes.

But with the PlayStation 5 we have plenty of processing power, so we can have that lighting rig always available, so she always looks great with that lighting setup travelling with her anywhere.

Additionally, as highlighted by Nibel during an interview with French YouTuber Julien Chièze it was also revealed that the PS5 version of Horizon Forbidden West will support a Performance Mode with 60 frames per second. Though this is likely to be at the expense of a lower resolution, which is often the case.

As with most first-party PlayStation games, Horizon Forbidden West will also take advantage of 3D audio, as well as being compatible with the DualSense controllers’ haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

So, here’s a quick recap of the differences between the PS4 and PS5 versions of Horizon Forbidden West:

  • The PS5 version will feature a Performance Mode.
  • The PS5 version will use a special rendering technique when exploring underwater.
  • PS5 will utilise 3D audio, as well as the DualSense controllers’ haptic feedback & adaptive triggers.
  • PS4 and PS5 versions will be pretty much identical other than visual and performance enhancements.

In my opinion, even when playing Horizon Forbidden West on PS4, I have no doubts that it will look gorgeous and play great. I’ve recently been playing the Horizon Zero Dawn expansion, The Frozen Wilds, and it still looks amazing.

Credit: Sony/Guerrilla Games

Will you be picking up Horizon Forbidden West on PS4 or PS5? Let us know across our social media channels.

In case you missed the awesome gameplay reveal, here’s everything you may have missed from the Horizon Forbidden West State of Play event.

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Featured Image Credit: Sony/Guerrilla Games