Here's exactly when you can play Horizon Forbidden West

After a lengthy development cycle, Horizon Forbidden West is upon us, sending players back to a wonderful world packed with mechanical dinosaurs and plenty of open-world activities to do. If you’re wondering exactly when you can dive into Aloy’s latest adventure, we’ve got you covered. Here, we’ll cover the game’s release time, file size, and details about its platforms so you can be prepared ahead of launch.

When is the Horizon Forbidden West release time?

The digital versions of Horizon Forbidden West will become available to play on February 18 at 12 a.m at midnight local time. This means the game will be available at different times across the world, and in some regions may already be playable (such as New Zealand).

You can begin pre-loading the game on PS4 and PS5 right now, which will allow you to start playing as soon as the game unlocks in your region. It’s best to start that process ASAP, especially for slower internet speeds. Given how large this game is, it will likely take a while to download.

However, you cannot pre-load if you plan on upgrading from PS4 to PS5. Customers can buy the less expensive PS4 version for $60 and can upgrade to the PS5 version at no additional cost, rather than buying the PS5 edition for $70. But you can only upgrade from PS4 to PS5 after the game has officially released in your region, so keep this in mind if you plan on using this method.

What is the Horizon Forbidden West file size?

Horizon Forbidden West clocks in at a hefty file size of around 90 GB on PS5, with variations depending on the region. In The United States, the PS5 edition is around 87 GB with the day one patch installed. In the EU, it’s around 98 GB, while in Japan, it’s 83 GB. The PS4 version is slightly smaller across various regions but not by much.

Is Horizon Forbidden West on Xbox?

Horizon Forbidden West comes from first-party Sony developer Guerrilla Games, making it a PlayStation exclusive. While it’s not unheard of for a first-party studio to release a game for a competitor's platform (like Minecraft or MLB The Show), it’s unlikely Horizon will come to Xbox, at least anytime soon. This is one of Sony’s flagship PlayStation exclusives, so we expect the company to keep it that way going forward.

It is possible Horizon Forbidden West will come to PC, just as many other first-party PlayStation games have in the past, such as God of War and Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, but there are no public plans for that at this time. For now, you’ll need a PS4 or PS5 to play Horizon Forbidden West.

Horizon Forbidden West launches for PS4 and PS5 on February 18, 2022.