In What Order Should I Play Horizon Zero Dawn? The Complete Guide
As a passionate gamer and content creator who loves sharing the latest on epic open world adventures, I‘m often asked: "In what order should I play Horizon Zero Dawn?"
Well, let me tell you the optimal way to experience Aloy‘s journey across the Horizon universe!
The Core Horizon Zero Dawn Games
First and foremost, you need to play the main Horizon Zero Dawn game released in 2017. This title introduces you to the incredible post-apocalyptic world overrun by majestic, dangerous machines.
Horizon Zero Dawn establishes key characters like fierce protagonist Aloy, mysteriously resurrected AI GAIA, and the eclipse cult led by rogue subordinate function HADES. It also sets up the lore of the old ones, the Faro plague that caused the apocalypse, and secrets of the technologically advanced ancients.
This game has a 92 metascore on Metacritic and sold over 20 million copies worldwide, so it‘s definitely not one to miss!
Next, make sure you play Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds, the acclaimed DLC expansion that came out later in 2017. The Frozen Wilds adds a brand new area known as The Cut, featuring higher difficulty levels and special equipment.
More importantly for the franchise storyline, The Frozen Wilds provides backstory on the daemon HEPHAESTUS and introduces CYAN, an AI who gives Aloy insight into GAIA‘s desperate situation. There are also clues about what could be coming next…
So The Frozen Wilds is highly recommended before jumping into Forbidden West!
Finally, as the direct narrative sequel, Horizon Forbidden West should be the next game you play when continuing Aloy‘s saga. Released in early 2022 as a PlayStation exclusive, Forbidden West has also seen huge critical and commercial success, continuing Horizon‘s rise as a top Sony franchise.
This second game takes Aloy to a distant post-apocalyptic American west, where she fights towering apex machines and works to stabilize GAIA against a blight ravaging life. The story, combat, exploration – everything has been dialed up for a superior sequel. And fans‘ excitement for what comes next just shows how invested they are in Horizon!
| Game | Release Date | Platforms | Metascore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | Feb 28, 2017 | PS4 | 89 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds | Nov 7, 2017 | PS4 | 88 |
| Horizon Forbidden West | Feb 18, 2022 | PS4, PS5 | 88 |
So in summary, definitely play Horizon Zero Dawn followed by its Frozen Wilds DLC before jumping into Forbidden West for the full epic sci-fi adventure!
The Other Horizon Media
Aside from the core Horizon releases, there are other video games, comics books, and more media set in this universe. Here‘s a quick breakdown:
Horizon Zero Dawn: Liberation – This comic book miniseries from Dark Horse provides cool backstory on Aloy‘s allies Erend and Talanah. It shows their struggles surviving in the Sundom before joining Aloy‘s quest. Adds nice context!
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Sunhawk – A one-shot comic focusing on Talanah and the Hunter‘s Lodge of Meridian. Decent if you like the character!
Horizon Call of the Mountain – A VR spin-off game from Firesprite and Guerrilla Games launching in 2022, allowing a different perspective of machine-hunting adventure in VR.
Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game – What it says on the box! A Kickstarted tabletop game adapting the Horizon universe into a competitive miniatures experience. Fun for hardcore fans.
These extra Horizon media give you more lore and world-building, but aren‘t essential to enjoy the main saga. Feel free to check them out anytime after playing Horizon Zero Dawn if you crave more machine action! Call of the Mountain in particular provides a cool midquel VR adventure between the two main games.
And that covers the key games, media, and optimal order to experience Aloy‘s complete saga so far! Let‘s recap the ideal Horizon play order:
- Horizon Zero Dawn (2017)
- Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds (2017)
- Horizon Call of the Mountain (2022, optional)
- Horizon Forbidden West (2022)
- Horizon comics/board game (optional)
Start with the original Horizon Zero Dawn and its vital Frozen Wilds DLC before branching out from there. Have an awesome time taming the wilds and uncovering the old world‘s lost secrets!
Why This Play Order for Horizon Is Best
Now, you may be wondering – why this sequence? Why not jump straight into the later Horizon releases?
Well, playing the games in chronological order ensures:
- No major plot spoilers! – Forbidden West in particular follows directly on from past events. Starting there robs emotional impact.
- Understanding all lore and backstories seamlessly. Later games reference past characters and events continually.
- Seeing the steady open world evolution. You appreciate each new mechanic and graphical upgrade much more!
- Not missing important narrative links between titles. Revelations in past games tie directly into sequels.
- Watching the formulas improve. Gameplay loop and overall quality gets better with each new entry!
As a fellow gamer and fan experiencing Horizon from the start, I think playing Horizon Zero Dawn first is by far the best way to dive into this series for all those reasons.
The initial sense of wonder exploring ancient mysteries sparks an emotional journey we rejoin years later seeing how characters and quests have progressed. That long-term investment only comes from living Aloy‘s adventure right from the beginning! Starting strong with Zero Dawn makes Forbidden West‘s payoffs all the sweeter after reuniting with GAIA, Sylens and co.
So for new players wondering "which Horizon game do I play first?", I cannot recommend starting with the original enough before moving forward. The extra backstory enrichment and mechanical improvements build perfectly on what came before.
Hope this guide gives you the advice needed to navigate Aloy‘s vast post-apocalyptic frontier in the optimal way! Let me know if you have any other Horizon gaming questions!
