Horizon Zero Dawn was an absolutely gigantic game, both in terms of literal size the amount of stuff to do in it. It’s only right, then, that its sequel amp up the scale. Of course, with an even bigger world and even more stuff to do, it’ll probably take you a little bit longer to work your way through it. So, how long does it take to beat Horizon Forbidden West?
According to initial reports and polls coming into Howlongtobeat.com, the overall playtime of Horizon Forbidden West is rather variable. Roughly speaking, though, if you were to focus primarily on the main story while taking a few deviations and detours here and there, you’d probably beat the game in about 31 hours and change. If you were to completely forgo side content and focus exclusively on the story, you could probably cut that down to around 25 hours.
How Long to Beat Horizon Forbidden West
So, how about going the long way around? Well, since Horizon Forbidden West is an open-world sandbox game, and a sizable one at that, there’s no shortage of stuff to while the hours away on. To be more specific, besides the main story, there are multiple categories of sidequests, challenges, and collectibles to indulge in, and going for absolutely all of them would raise your playtime exponentially.
- Side Quests: Self-explanatory, quests that don’t advance the story.
- Errands: Quick, bite-sized tasks. Like side quests, but even shorter.
- Salvage: Requests for particular kinds of salvaged crafting materials.
- Hunting Grounds/Melee Pits: Combat challenges found in settlements.
- Cauldrons: Large, enclosed dungeons full of puzzles and enemies.
- Tallnecks: Climbable towers that reveal portions of the map.
- Rebel Camps: Big groups of hostile humans to clear out.
- Machine Strike: A tabletop game you can play with NPCs.
- Gauntlet Runs: Mounted race tracks.
- Vista Points: Environmental puzzles that reward you with bits of lore.
- Relic Ruins: A separate kind of environmental puzzle that provides more tangible rewards.
If you were to go out of your way to 100% complete every last side objective in the game, you’re looking at a playtime of roughly 85 hours, and that’s at the absolute minimum. So, suffice to say, if you pick up Horizon Forbidden West, you won’t be short of things to do any time soon.
