Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Updated 2/15/22 at 8:53 a.m.: Sony will now provide free updates to the Standard Edition of Horizon Forbidden West on PS5 for those that purchase it on PS4. This is now reflected on the game's official PlayStation Store page.
When it comes to high-profile games available between generations of systems, moving from the previous-gen to next-gen version of a game has been sketchy lately, especially on the PlayStation platform. It appears that’s going to be the case when it comes to Horizon Forbidden West. Sony has revealed how the upgrade will work for Guerrilla Games' upcoming open-world offering, and it's disappointing to say the least. Standard editions of Horizon Forbidden West won't have a free upgrade from PS4 to PS5.
This was revealed over on PlayStation’s Tech Support website regarding Horizon Forbidden West, as spotted by video game news and leak Twitter source Nibel. According to the game's pre-order support page, Standard and Special Edition versions of Horizon Forbidden West won’t feature an upgrade from PS4 to PS5 if you switch consoles later. It’s only if you get the more expensive Digital Deluxe ($79.99 USD), Collector's Edition ($199.99), or Regalla Edition($259.99) that an upgrade path is included.
That means that to access PS4 and PS5 editions of the game, you’re going to have to fork up at least $80, purchase the Standard or Special Edition on PS5, or buy it on PS4 and pay for an upgrade later. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a complicated arrangement for upgrades. Control also had an unnecessarily complicated path for next-gen upgrades that 505 Games floundered on as PS4 versions were accidentally upgraded and then revoked.
It’s also worth noting that Xbox has dodged much of this with the implementation of the Smart Delivery system, which promises that approved games, physical or digital, will only ever have to be purchased once. After that, the game should be available for play no matter if you bought it on Xbox One and upgrade to Xbox Series X/S later or whatever.
Making next-gen upgrades a "premium" feature is a move that’s sure to sour a lot of players. PlayStation’s lack of a standard system for upgrade paths continues to be a confusing and frustrating aspect of the system, forcing publishers to come up with their own way of going about it. With Horizon Forbidden West launching in early 2022, stay tuned as we continue to follow this story and the game for further updates.