Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition: Everything You Need to Know Before You Play

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is Guerrilla Games’ definitive package for one of PlayStation’s most ambitious open-world titles. If you’ve been eyeing this game but weren’t sure whether to jump in, or if you’re debating between versions, this guide breaks down exactly what you’re getting. The Complete Edition bundles the base game with the Burning Shores DLC expansion and various performance enhancements, making it the most content-packed way to experience Aloy’s story. Whether you’re planning to pick it up on PS5 or considering the PC version, we’ll cover the specifics so you can make an well-informed choice.

What Is Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition?

The Complete Edition bundles Horizon Forbidden West’s base game with the Burning Shores expansion pack, plus all previously released cosmetic DLC. It’s the streamlined way to own the full experience without hunting for separate purchases. This package was released to consolidate the franchise’s post-launch content into a single, unified offering.

The base game itself is an open-world action RPG that picks up Aloy’s journey from Zero Dawn and takes her west across a post-apocalyptic American frontier filled with robotic creatures and human factions. You explore lush, hand-crafted environments from San Francisco to Colorado, uncovering mysteries about the world’s collapse while engaging in deep real-time combat. The Burning Shores DLC, released in April 2023, adds a significant new region, fresh machines to hunt, and a substantial story campaign that expands the narrative in meaningful ways. Together, they create a package that appeals both to newcomers and veterans looking for the ultimate edition.

Key Differences From The Standard Edition

Included DLC And Expansions

The standard edition shipped with the base game alone. The Complete Edition adds the Burning Shores DLC, which includes roughly 15–20 hours of additional campaign content set in a new region with its own storyline, machines, and challenges. You also get all cosmetic packs released post-launch, including weapon skins, armor reskins, and utility items. These cosmetics are purely aesthetic and don’t impact balance, but they round out the package nicely for players who want visual variety.

Graphics And Performance Upgrades

Both versions support the same graphical options available on current-gen hardware, but if you’re purchasing fresh, you’re getting the latest patches and optimization work. Guerrilla has released performance updates since launch that smooth out frame rates and improve loading times. The Complete Edition ships with all of these optimizations already baked in, whereas early adopters had to wait for patches. On PS5, you can choose between Fidelity Mode (4K, 30 FPS) or Performance Mode (1440p, 60 FPS). On PC, settings scale dramatically based on your rig, and the game supports ray tracing, ultrawide monitors, and higher frame rates depending on your hardware.

Platform Availability And Compatibility

PC Versus Console Performance

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition launched on PS5 first and later expanded to PC via Steam. If you own a mid-to-high-end PC, the Steam version offers superior performance potential: higher frame rates, better visual settings, and mod support (once tools become available). The PS5 version is locked to the hardware’s capabilities but delivers consistent, optimized performance. For PlayStation exclusivity, this was the first time the franchise ventured beyond Sony’s ecosystem.

PC players report excellent performance on systems with RTX 40-series GPUs or newer, though the game is demanding. Frame rates scale nicely from 30 FPS at maximum settings on high-end rigs to 60+ FPS at medium settings. On the PS5, you’re getting a polished, frame-paced experience that rarely dips below its target, which matters for combat precision.

System Requirements For Optimal Gameplay

On PC, Guerrilla lists these as the recommended specs:

• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 or AMD RX 6700 XT
• CPU: Intel i7-10700K or Ryzen 7 3700X
• RAM: 16GB (32GB recommended for ultra settings)
• Storage: 130GB SSD (NVMe strongly preferred)
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit or Windows 11

Minimum specs drop to RTX 2070 / RX 5700, though framerates at minimum are underwhelming, think 30 FPS at low settings. PlayStation 5 has no flexibility: the game is optimized for the PS5’s custom SSD and CPU, so performance is consistent across all units. The Complete Edition runs natively on PS5 and is backward compatible with PS4 (though PS4 performance is notably lower and not recommended for optimal experience).

Gameplay Mechanics And Combat System

Weapon Types And Crafting Systems

Combat in Horizon Forbidden West revolves around exploiting machine weaknesses. You’ll wield multiple weapon types: bows, slingshots, spear, rifle, bomb launchers, and resonator devices. Each serves a role, bows are reliable for precision, slingshots deliver area damage, and specialized weapons target specific machine components. The crafting system ties directly into exploration: you gather materials from plants, machine drops, and salvage caches, then craft ammunition, potions, and upgrades on the fly.

Weapon rarity tiers affect base stats and mod slots. Purple-tier gear typically offers three mod slots, letting you stack perks like increased reload speed or elemental damage. Crafting consumables is frequent and integral, you’ll make healing potions before tougher fights and craft specific ammo types to exploit machine weaknesses. Unlike some action games, you can’t brute-force combat without strategy: machine encounters demand you understand what each enemy is weak to.

Machine Encounters And Battle Strategies

Machines are the game’s core challenge. Early encounters with Grazers and Watchers teach you the basics, but you’ll face complexity quickly. Mid-tier machines like Stalkers and Snapjaws require multi-step strategies: override them for bonuses, use elemental ammo to soften specific parts, or target weak components like blaze canisters to trigger explosions.

End-game machines like Slaughterspines and Fireclaw demand mastery of the entire toolkit. Understanding the stun lock system is critical, landing critical hits builds a stun meter that locks machines in place, giving you windows for massive damage. Using elemental status effects (burn, frozen, wet) significantly increases damage output against specific machines. For difficult encounters, consider over-leveling, upgrading your armor, and stocking the best ammo for the machine type. The Burning Shores expansion introduces new machines that reward experimentation and punish careless play.

Story, Campaign Length, And Replayability

Single-Player Experience And Mission Structure

The narrative follows Aloy as she journeys west to learn about an ancient threat and uncover GAIA’s secrets. Main story quests drive the plot forward and introduce memorable characters and political conflicts between human factions. Side quests are optional but numerous, some flesh out lore, others reward gear or skill points. Machine hunting contracts offer repeatable combat challenges for players who love the fighting systems.

The Burning Shores campaign is a separate story thread that complements the main narrative without being mandatory. It introduces new characters, expands the world’s factions, and raises the mechanical difficulty bar. The story is cinematic and voice-acted throughout, featuring strong performances from Ashly Burch (Aloy) and supporting cast members. If you’re looking for narrative depth alongside exploration, Forbidden West delivers, the story avoids filler and keeps momentum across its runtime.

Estimated Playtime And Content Hours

The base game clocks in at 45–60 hours for a completionist run (all side quests, all machine hunts, all collectibles). Burning Shores adds 15–20 hours depending on playstyle, bringing the total to 60–80 hours for the Complete Edition. A story-focused playthrough skipping side content runs 25–30 hours. Many factors affect pace: difficulty setting, exploration habits, and whether you engage with optional content. Harder difficulties extend combat encounters, so Challenge Mode players see longer totals. The game’s replayability stems from combat systems and exploration, players often restart on higher difficulties or pursue speedruns. Unlike narrative-focused games, Forbidden West’s combat depth encourages multiple playthroughs with different strategies.

Tips, Tricks, And Optimization Guide

Essential Beginner Tips For New Players

Start on Normal difficulty unless you’re experienced with action games: the difficulty curve is reasonable and lets you learn systems without frustration. Spend time in the opening hours experimenting with different weapon types to find your preferred loadout, you’ll carry this preference throughout the game. Prioritize the Focus skill tree early: scanning machines reveals weak points critical to efficient combat. Farming machine parts and plant materials during peaceful moments saves stress during intense hunts, stockpile healing potions and ammo before progressing main story quests.

Use the override ability frequently. Overriding machines turns them into temporary allies or reduces their effectiveness, dramatically shifting fight difficulty in your favor. Learn which machines are overrideable (hint: many early enemies are, but boss-type machines resist it). Don’t ignore side quests, they reward skill points and rare gear you’d otherwise miss. Upgrade armor consistently: defense scaling matters more than weapon damage for survival.

Advanced Strategies For Experienced Gamers

Veteran players should engage with Hard or Ultra Hard difficulty to unlock challenge-appropriate rewards. Master status effect stacking: freeze a machine, then apply burn damage for boosted damage multipliers, this combo is core to speedrunning and high-damage plays. Build elemental loadouts tailored to specific machine types rather than one generic setup. The Resonator staff is underutilized but devastates enemies weak to sonic damage when paired with perks.

For competitive scoring on machine hunts, optimize your mod configuration. Weapons with three mod slots allow stacking reload-speed or damage-increasing perks that multiply over a hunt. Learn machine patrol patterns and spawn mechanics, you can trigger specific spawn types by entering regions at the right time, letting you farm rarer enemies. If you’re pursuing the platinum trophy on PS5, Horizon Forbidden West quests guide optimal progression through side content. Consider using the suspension bomb for crowd control in multi-machine encounters: it’s rarely the “highest DPS” tool but enables complex strategies unavailable otherwise. The Burning Shores content introduces tougher machines that reward these advanced tactics significantly.

Is Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition Worth It?

Pricing, Value Proposition, And Recommended Purchase Options

The Complete Edition typically retails for $59.99 USD, compared to $39.99 for the standard edition (if still available) or base-game-plus-DLC separately totaling $70+. From a pure value standpoint, bundling the Burning Shores DLC saves money and eliminates the friction of purchasing separately. For new players, the Complete Edition is the obvious choice, you get everything without hunting for the expansion later.

If you already own the base game and DLC, purchasing the Complete Edition is redundant. PS Store and Steam occasionally discount both separately, so watch for sales if budget is tight. PC players who prefer Steam over PlayStation ecosystem should note that Horizon Forbidden West Steam provides mod-friendly long-term support that console versions lack.

Recommendations break down by player type:

• New Players: Buy the Complete Edition on your preferred platform. On PS5 for exclusive performance, or PC if you have the hardware for ultra settings and higher frame rates.
• PS5 Owners Wanting Maximum Value: The Complete Edition justifies itself if you’re committed to spending 50+ hours in the world. If you’re hesitant, the discounted base game during sales is cheaper, though you’ll eventually want the DLC.
• PC Players: Horizon Forbidden West on PC is the best-performing version if your rig supports it. The Complete Edition is worth it for new players: existing players can skip it.
• Borderline Cases: Watch for sales during seasonal events. The Complete Edition frequently drops to $44.99–$49.99, making the value proposition even stronger.

The game’s critical reception is strong, Metacritic scores hover around 88, reflecting solid design across story, visuals, and gameplay. Whether it’s “worth it” eventually depends on whether open-world action-RPGs appeal to you. If Witcher 3 or Ghost of Tsushima grabbed you, Forbidden West delivers a similar experience with franchise-specific twists.

Conclusion

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition is the definitive way to experience Guerrilla’s post-apocalyptic world. It consolidates the base game, Burning Shores expansion, and all cosmetics into a single, optimized package available on PS5 and PC. For newcomers, it’s the no-brainer entry point. For returning players, the decision hinges on whether you already own the DLC and how much you value having everything in one place.

The game justifies its 60–80 hour runtime through deep combat systems, compelling exploration, and a narrative that respects your time. Whether you’re a hardcore player optimizing damage calculations or a casual adventurer soaking in the scenery, Forbidden West accommodates both styles. If you’re on the fence about pulling the trigger, trial it on PS5 if you have access, or grab the PC version and experiment with performance settings. The Complete Edition represents years of post-launch refinement and content bundled into one cohesive experience, it’s a solid investment for anyone serious about open-world action games.