Guerrilla Games is officially expanding the Horizon universe, and this time, it’s built for teamwork. The studio has announced Horizon Hunters Gathering, a tactical co-op action game designed from the ground up for three-player squads on PlayStation 5 and PC, finally letting players hunt machines together rather than going solo.
According to Arjan Bak, the Game Director for Guriella, the idea of shared machine hunts has existed since the earliest days of the franchise.
“With the very first ideas that shaped the world of Horizon, we dreamed of players hunting machines together. We started with a small group of Guerrillas, including myself, back in the days as Design Director, and began exploring what that could look like”.
Long before Aloy became a global gaming icon, the studio was already imagining what Horizon’s world would feel like if players could take on towering machines side by side. Drawing from its multiplayer experience on Killzone and the success of Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerrilla says this project represents the natural evolution of both worlds.
A Co-Op-First Take on the Horizon Formula
At its core, Horizon Hunters Gathering is built around challenging, replayable hunts that reward coordination, adaptability, and smart positioning. Rather than simply scaling up single-player combat, Guerrilla designed encounters specifically for teamwork, where timing, role synergy, and battlefield awareness can change the outcome of a fight.
Combat remains rooted in Horizon’s tactical DNA, targeting machine parts, exploiting elemental weaknesses, and controlling space, but now expands into scenarios where teammates can set traps, flank enemies, revive fallen allies, or create openings for massive coordinated damage. Guerrilla says the goal is to preserve the feel of Horizon combat while making cooperation central to survival.
Two Game Modes at Launch
At launch, players will be able to jump into two core modes that shape the early experience. Machine Incursion is a high-intensity mode where waves of machines erupt from underground gateways, escalating toward powerful boss encounters. It’s built around pressure and improvisation, forcing teams to adapt on the fly as threats stack up and environments shift.
Cauldron Descent, on the other hand, is a longer, multi-stage challenge that sends squads through shifting rooms filled with machine ambushes, environmental hazards, and branching paths. Teams that explore carefully and work together can uncover powerful upgrades and hidden advantages, while careless runs can spiral quickly into failure. Both modes will be playable in an upcoming closed playtest via the PlayStation Beta Program on PS5 and PC.
Unique Hunters, Deep Builds, and Rogue-Lite Progression
Rather than controlling a single customizable protagonist, Horizon Hunters Gathering features a roster of distinct Hunters, each with their own weapons, abilities, and combat roles. Some Hunters focus on aggressive melee combat, others specialize in long-range precision, support tactics, or crowd control, making team composition a key part of success.
Each Hunter can be further customized using a rogue-lite perk system, allowing players to tweak builds between runs and experiment with new playstyles over time. Guerrilla says this approach is designed to encourage replayability and strategic variety, ensuring that no two hunts feel the same. The studio also emphasizes that these Hunters aren’t just gameplay templates; each one has personal motivations and struggles that feed directly into new stories within the Horizon universe.
A Canon Story That Evolves After Launch
Unlike many multiplayer spin-offs, Horizon Hunters Gathering is fully canon within the Horizon timeline. The game features a narrative campaign that introduces new characters, locations, and machine threats, all tied directly to the broader lore of the franchise. While Guerrilla is keeping specific story details under wraps, it has confirmed that the narrative will continue to evolve after launch through new content and updates.
Players will travel through diverse environments designed to feel distinct in atmosphere and challenge, reinforcing both the storytelling and cooperative gameplay. For Guerrilla, the goal is to create a shared Horizon experience that doesn’t just expand how players fight machines but also how they explore, survive, and shape the world together.
Emmanuel Umahi
