Horizon Forbidden West is the highly-anticipated sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, which continues the story of Aloy as she journeys outside of her native homeland. However, since the game doesn’t take place immediately after the events of Horizon Zero Dawn, fans are curious as to how much time has passed. More specifically, there are questions surrounding the year Horizon Forbidden West takes place.
The year in which the game takes place is actually important for the story as there was a large emphasis placed on the time period of Horizon Zero Dawn. As players began to learn about what happened in the years leading up to Aloy’s story, the timeline became more and more interesting.
The year of Horizon Forbidden West
As confirmed by Guerrilla Games, the sequel takes place around six months to one year after the events of the first game. This means Aloy will still be the same person and age, albeit with some more advanced gadgets.
Horizon Zero Dawn took place in the year 3040, which means Forbidden West is set in that year or in 3041. This is roughly 1,000 years after the Faro Plague set into motion the events that caused the apocalypse and the rise of machines. Now, in Forbidden West, players are living through a post-post-apocalypse world.
The story focuses on Aloy venturing further west than she did in the original game. Here, she encounters more dangerous enemies, both human and machine, and learns more about the world she’s living in.
Horizon Forbidden West releases on Feb. 18 for PlayStation 4 and 5. Guerrilla Games is releasing hands-on gameplay trailers in the weeks leading up to release if players want to scratch their Horizon itch for the time being.
