How Long Horizon: Zero Dawn Takes To Beat
"Horizon: Zero Dawn" has been a sweeping success since it dropped in 2017, selling 2.6 million copies in its first two weeks of release, and it's only going to continue to bring in more players. In April 2021, the game's star character, Aloy, made her way into "Fortnite," showing that there's still plenty of love for the game and its world.
As fun as the game is, newcomers may want to know how many hours they'll have to put into it before they decide to dive in. Better yet, players will be able to access "Horizon: Zero Dawn" for free as part of PlayStation's current Play At Home program, running April 19, 2021 to May 15, 2021. Though nine other games are also available for free as part of that promotion, arguably none of them are more exciting than "Horizon: Zero Dawn."
So, exactly how long does it take to beat "Horizon: Zero Dawn?" As you'll soon see, the answer isn't necessarily clear-cut.
In for the long haul
The lowest estimate for how long it takes to beat "Horizon: Zero Dawn" clock in at around 25-30 hours, according to GamerTweak. For Chris Jecks of Twinfinite and Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb, the game took roughly 30 hours, though Jecks estimated exploring the full game would take closer to 50 hours. So, if you're a hardcore gamer who can tear down enemies in record time, you might just be through with "Horizon: Zero Dawn" in a little over a day (though it's not recommended that you play through the whole thing in one sitting).
Taking into account the fact that gamers can approach "Horizon" in different ways, with some doing more exploring and crafting, there are some wider timeframes that speak to the ambiguity of the estimates. Gamespew believes it takes anywhere between 30-60 hours, while Patricia Hernandez of Kotaku took 60 hours to get 80% through the game.
While you won't know for sure how long the game will take you until you complete a few early quests to gauge your speed, "Horizon: Zero Dawn" is still going to keep you busy for quite some time — at least long enough for you to get hyped for the release of "Horizon: Forbidden West."