Horizon Forbidden West Will Offer Free PS4-to-PS5 Upgrades After All

Sony recently opened up pre-orders for Horizon Forbidden West, but not for the first time in recent weeks, was met with backlash for its pricing of the game. Not only was it confirmed that the game would not offer free next-gen upgrades, but people wouldn’t even have the option of paying to upgrade to a costlier cross-gen bundle. And it didn’t help in the slightest that Sony itself had previously said that there would be a free upgrade option in the game. It seems, however, that they’ve listened to the feedback, and have responded pretty quickly.

In an update to the PlayStation Blog post that announced pre-orders for the game, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has acknowledged that Sony was “off the mark” with its pricing for Horizon Forbidden West. They’ve now reversed that decision though, confirming that those who get the game on PS4 will be able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free.

“Last year we made a commitment to deliver free upgrades for our cross-gen launch titles, which included Horizon Forbidden West,” Ryan wrote. “While the pandemic’s profound impact pushed Forbidden West out of the launch window we initially envisioned, we will stand by our offer.”

Meanwhile, Ryan also confirms that all future cross-gen PlayStation games will offer a $10 PS4-to-PS5 upgrade option, including Gran Turismo 7 and the next God of War. He wrote: “I also want to confirm today that moving forward, PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles (newly releasing on PS4 & PS5)–both digital and physical*–will offer a $10 USD digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5. This will apply to the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7, and any other exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.”

Credit to Sony for reversing the decision and listening to feedback and responding pretty promptly. It is still a shame, though, that free upgrades won’t be offered on future first party cross-gen releases.

Horizon Forbidden West launches on February 18, 2024 for PS5 and PS4. Sony has announced a 40 minute-long PlayStation Showcase for September 9, so it’s likely that we’ll see more of the game soon.