Claim it. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is easily one of the best things in April’s PS Plus Extra lineup, and if you somehow missed Aloy’s first game the first time around, this is the version to play. It joined the PS Plus Game Catalog on April 21, which means Extra and Premium subscribers can download a game that normally sells for $49.99 on PS5. That’s a real freebie, not filler.
The short version: if you like open-world action games, robot dinosaur fights, stealth archery, or the idea of shooting machine parts off a giant metal T-Rex with a shock arrow, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is worth your time. If you already finished the 2017 original and bounced off Ubisoft-style map cleanup years ago, this probably won’t change your life. But for first-timers, this is a no-brainer PS Plus claim.
What you actually get with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered on PS Plus
This isn’t just the old PS4 version tossed into the catalog. The remaster includes The Frozen Wilds expansion, visual upgrades built for PS5, faster load times, DualSense haptics, and better facial animation in conversations. PlayStation also lists 4K and HDR support, plus cloud streaming for Premium members.
That matters because the original Horizon Zero Dawn was already a strong game. The remaster mostly fixes the parts that aged the worst. Faces look less stiff, the world has more detail, and the overall presentation feels closer to Horizon Forbidden West than a cleaned-up PS4 port.
There is one catch. If you already own the original, Sony has long offered a $10 upgrade path, so the remaster itself was never outrageously priced for returning players. PS Plus just makes that decision easier for everyone else. You don’t need to think about the upgrade math. You just download it.
Is Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered still worth playing in 2026?
Yes, mostly because the core hook still works. Fighting machines in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered feels different from fighting anything in most other open-world games. You’re not just mashing light attack and rolling away. You’re scanning weak points, setting traps, tying enemies down with the Ropecaster, stripping armor with Tear arrows, and turning fights into little tactical puzzles.
That machine combat is still the game’s best trick. The first time you knock components off a Thunderjaw and survive by planning instead of panic-dodging, the whole thing clicks. I still think that’s the reason to play this game, not the crafting, not the bandit camps, not the collectible sweep.
The story also holds up better than some people remember. Aloy’s personal arc starts slow, but the bigger mystery, why the world looks tribal when it used to be high-tech, lands hard once the game starts giving real answers. Honestly, that reveal still hits harder than a lot of newer AAA open-world writing.
Time-wise, this is not a tiny weekend freebie. HowLongToBeat puts the Complete Edition at about 29 hours for the main story, and that’s before you start wandering into side quests, cauldrons, hunting grounds, and the expansion. If you’re trying to squeeze maximum value out of a subscription, this is exactly the kind of game you want.
What still feels dated
This is where the honest verdict matters. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered looks better than the original, but it doesn’t magically remove every 2017 design habit. Some side content still feels like checklist work. A few conversations drag. Looting plants and machine scraps one piece at a time is still a little annoying, especially after modern games sped up that whole loop.
The user response reflects that split. Metacritic has the remaster at an 85 critic score and a 7.1 user score, which sounds about right. Critics mostly agree the game is still great. Players are more mixed, usually because they either never wanted this remaster to exist or because the open-world formula feels old now.
That’s fair. If your tolerance for map icons is low, you’ll feel some friction here. If you hated the original’s weapon wheel or found Aloy’s movement a little stiff, the remaster doesn’t rewrite the game’s bones. This is the best version of Zero Dawn, not a totally different game.
Who should download it from PS Plus right now
Download it immediately if:
- you never played the first game
- you liked Horizon Forbidden West but skipped Aloy’s origin story
- you want a big single-player game that justifies your PS Plus Extra subscription
- you prefer combat with actual weak-point strategy over spongey enemies
Maybe skip it for now if:
- you already beat it once and don’t care about prettier visuals
- you only want short games you can finish in a weekend
- open-world cleanup makes you tired on sight
For most subscribers, though, this is an easy yes. I’d rank it ahead of a lot of recent catalog additions, and if you liked big PS Plus additions like The Crew Motorfest or Blue Prince, this is another strong reason to keep Extra around. It also fits nicely with the site’s earlier PS Plus coverage, including Tomb Raider I-III Remastered and Lords of the Fallen.
Final verdict
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered on PS Plus is worth downloading, full stop. At $49.99, I’d tell you to wait for a sale unless you were brand-new to the series. At $0 with Extra or Premium, there isn’t much to argue about. You get one of Sony’s best first-party action games, the full expansion, and a remaster that makes the whole thing easier to recommend in 2026.
If you’re subscribed, claim it. If you only play one big story game from this month’s PS Plus Game Catalog, make it this one.
