Free PS5 playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering adds two Hunters

Sony will run a free PS5 playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering from May 22 to 25. Registration is available exclusively through the PlayStation Beta Program. Guerrilla Games developed the title, which is planned for release on PS5 and PC with no firm date.

The test introduces two new Hunters. Ensa is described as an Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past. Shadow is a Carja covert operative who commands a Stalker machine. Existing Hunters Rem, Sun and Axle have received gameplay improvements based on prior feedback.

Players will be able to play a full Episode that advances the game’s narrative by sending teams into the wilds to protect Ashwater Valley from a machine incursion. Machine Incursion returns with new Hard and Merciless difficulty settings. Cauldron Descent will include additional content for the test.

A new region, Breakers’ Bounty, is part of the playtest. The area features dense jungle, ravaged ruins and a desert zone inhabited by dangerous machines. Players will also have access to Devil’s Thirst and to the Gathering, the game’s central social hub for meeting other players, configuring loadouts and customizing camps.

Guerrilla added Training Modules to help new players learn the game’s core systems and mechanics. For players who prefer solo play, Hunter NPCs-Rem, Sun or Axle-can assist during Episodes or Machine Incursion by fighting alongside players or filling an empty slot on a three-player team.

Guerrilla plans to implement feedback collected from earlier sessions during this second playtest and will share further details at a later time.