Horizon Hunters Gathering Is Guerrilla’s Cartoon Styled Co Op Action Game for PS5 and PC With Cross Play and a Closed Playtest in February

Guerrilla Games has officially revealed Horizon Hunters Gathering, its long teased online co op action project set inside the Horizon universe. The announcement confirms the game is real, it is canon, and it is intentionally a creative pivot away from the mainline series’ signature realism in favor of a stylized, more cartoon like presentation that matches what many players recognized from the early 2023 footage leak. That visual shift is a clear brand experiment, and it creates a new question for the franchise: can Horizon’s world building and machine combat translate into a lighter, more readable co op format without losing the tone that made Zero Dawn and Forbidden West feel premium and grounded.

Guerrilla’s leadership is also managing expectations for long term franchise direction. Game Director Arjan Bak reassured fans the studio is not stepping away from single player Horizon games. Instead, Horizon Hunters Gathering is framed as an adjacent pillar, a multiplayer focused initiative designed to explore teamwork systems, repeatable encounters, and a new kind of progression loop that can live alongside the single player pipeline.

In Horizon Hunters Gathering, players form the Gathering, an elite team of hunters acting as the last line of defense against machines that are becoming more dangerous. The narrative is presented as fully canon, introducing new characters, threats, and mysteries that expand Horizon lore beyond Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and Horizon Call of the Mountain. This is a smart content strategy because canon status increases player buy in and keeps the game from feeling like a non essential spin off, especially for fans who track the franchise’s story continuity.

At launch, the roster is positioned as a variety set of hunter archetypes rather than one protagonist. Guerrilla describes hunter types such as soldiers who hold the line, infiltrators who operate from the shadows, champions who thrive in direct combat, mercenaries with complicated pasts, and veterans seeking one last mission. The first small scale closed playtest is scheduled for the end of February 2026, and sign ups are available through the PlayStation Beta Program at the official page linked here: PlayStation Beta Program. That test build includes 3 hunters named Rem, Sun, and Axel, each built around distinct combat approaches and team roles like tank, support, and tactician, with post launch updates planned to expand the roster over time.

Unlike the single player entries, this game is structured around coordinated squad play. Success depends on reading enemy movement, timing party attacks, and chaining abilities together to break through tougher machines. A notable design layer is the roguelite build system, where squads collect perks, weapon upgrades, and stat enhancements after each machine encounter. This progression approach is designed to reward experimentation, enabling players to tailor power combinations to mission goals rather than locking everyone into a single meta build. It also supports the kind of replay friendly loop co op games need to keep engagement high over months, not weeks.

Content wise, Guerrilla says players will explore 4 large environments at launch, with the Hunter’s Gathering acting as a central hub. This hub is presented as a customizable campsite where teams upgrade gear, adjust loadouts, and prep before heading into missions. For the February playtest specifically, Guerrilla is offering 2 mission types designed around challenge and mastery.

Machine Incursion focuses on repelling large scale machine assaults on tribes, pushing squads to coordinate, collect randomized power ups, and then face a relentless boss while a violent storm closes in.

Cauldron Descent is a multi stage dungeon run where hunters choose paths through machine encounters and obstacles that demand teamwork. Clearing chambers grants power ups that enable deeper descents and stronger rewards.

The full game will include a story campaign that supports both solo play with NPC companions and co op with other players, but the narrative campaign will not be available during the February playtest. Guerrilla has not provided a release date yet, but the studio confirmed Horizon Hunters Gathering is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC with cross play and cross progression, assuming you use the same PlayStation account.

Does the cartoon styled co op direction feel like the right evolution for Horizon, or would you rather Guerrilla keep every spin off closer to the main series’ realistic visual identity?