Horizon (video game series)

Horizon is a science fiction franchise set in a 31st-century post-apocalyptic version of the United States. It primarily consists of action role-playing games. The franchise consists of two main games, Horizon Zero Dawn (2017) and Horizon Forbidden West (2022). The series also includes two spin-offs; Horizon Call of the Mountain (2023), a virtual reality game, and Lego Horizon Adventures (2024), a family-friendly retelling of Zero Dawn. The franchise also includes adaptations into comic books, Lego sets and tabletop games. Upcoming entries in the series include Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMORPG, and Horizon Hunters Gathering, a cooperative multiplayer game, alongside a feature film adaptation of Zero Dawn currently in development. The narrative follows Aloy, a young Nora tribe huntress and a clone of 21st-century scientist Elisabet Sobeck. She attempts to uncover the secrets of the ancient past and stop recurring extinction-level threats.

The gameplay revolves around exploring an open world where nature has reclaimed the ruins of human civilisation, which is now overrun by animal-like machines. The player hunts and battles these machines using stealth and tribal weaponry, aided by an augmented reality device called a Focus. They must also navigate conflicts between human tribal societies. The series originated from a concept by art director Jan-Bart van Beek. It is predominately developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Horizon was originally developed as an exclusive for PlayStation consoles, but the franchise has since expanded to include releases on Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch, and soon on mobile platforms.

The franchise has received mostly positive critical and commercial reception, and won numerous industry awards, particularly for its tactical combat, worldbuilding, and visual fidelity. Scholars have also analysed the games' environmental ethics and focus on the symbiosis between humanity and nature. As of November 2025, the franchise has sold over 40 million units worldwide, making it one of Sony's best-selling first-party properties.