Horizon Forbidden West’s standard PS4 version can’t be upgraded to PS5

PlayStation has confirmed that PS4 owners who purchase the standard edition of Horizon Forbidden West will not be able to upgrade to the new-gen PS5 edition.

Instead, only those who purchase the $80 / £80 Digital Deluxe Edition, or even more expensive physical editions, will be entitled to both PS4 and PS5 versions of the sequel. The standard PS4 version costs $60 / £60 on PS4.

In addition to the Digital Deluxe Version, the $200 Collector’s Edition and $260 Regalla Edition also include both PS4 and PS5 versions of Forbidden West.

“To access both the PS4 and PS5 versions of Horizon Forbidden West, you need to purchase the Digital Deluxe, Collector’s, or Regalla Editions,” Sony said in a statement. “Dual entitlement does not apply to the Standard and Special Editions.”

It added: “There are no plans for an update offer from Standard to Digital Deluxe Edition at this time.”

Thursday’s news seems to contradict a previous statement made by Sony regarding its cross-gen plans for Horizon.

Speaking to The Washington Post last September, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said regarding Horizon Forbidden West’s PS4 announcement:

“No one should be disappointed. The PS5 versions of those games are built from the ground up to take advantage of the PS5 feature set, and we have an upgrade path for PS4 users to get the PS5 versions for free. It’s about people having choice. I’m really quite pleased about the situation.”

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Horizon Forbidden West has been delayed until February 2022

The game's delay had been predicted for a while

At launch, PS4 owners who purchased cross-gen titles Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sack Boy: A Big Adventure were able to upgrade to the PS5 version for free.

However, more recently owners of Ghost of Tsushima on PS4 had to pay $29.99 to upgrade to the new PS5 version. However, the Director’s Cut game includes a new expansion not featured in the original.

Pre-orders for Horizon Forbidden West are available now globally. Sony recently confirmed that the game has been delayed to February 2022.

“It’s no surprise that our teams were hugely impacted by the global pandemic,” developer Guerrilla said. “We have been adjusting to new workflows, protocols, and other challenges, while keeping our teams safe and prioritizing a healthy work/life balance.”