Horizon Forbidden West’s PS5 expansion to take advantage of the console’s power

PS4 just won’t cut it

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

It looks likeHorizon Forbidden West’sBurning Shores expansion will be the game at its peak, as the game’s developer looks to leverage the power of the PS5 console.

Horizon Forbidden Westgame director, Mathijs de Jonge, took to theofficial PlayStation blogto briefly discuss what kind of experience the Burning Shores expansion will offer when it launches on April 19. And unsurprisingly, it all comes down to itsPS5exclusivity, ditching the last-gen PS4 entirely.

Set amid the ruins of Los Angeles, Burning Shores will introduce new hazards and biomes for protagonist Aloy to conquer. Among these seem to be volcanoes, fonts of lava, and all-new, extra-large machine enemies to encounter.

“On Horizon Forbidden West, everything we added or increased was something we’d need to have a plan around how to optimize forPS4as well,” de Jonge explains.

“On Burning Shores, since we can just focus on PS5, we’ve been able to charge forward and we’re really excited about what we’ve been able to pull off in creating this stunning post-post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles.”

It sounds like Burning Shores will be even more of a feast for the eyes than the base game, then. And that’s particularly exciting, considering Horizon Forbidden West isn’t only one of thebest PS5 games, but a standout visual showcase across all current-generation consoles.

Another exciting detail from de Jonge alludes to Burning Shores' combat. Thanks to PS5, it seems that players will be treated to some particularly ambitious set pieces.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

“Another notable one is a particular battle scene that requires a LOT of memory and processing power!” states de Jonge. “To achieve this grand vision both technically and creatively, we definitely were thankful for the many advantages that the PS5 hardware brings.”

Are we finally done with last-gen support?

Several first-party PS5 games have had to adopt various compromises to facilitate their respective PS4 versions. That includesGod of War: RagnarokandGran Turismo 7. It’s also not uncommon to see third-party publishers launch titles across generations, too, such as Capcom withResident Evil VillageandStreet Fighter 6.

However, there appears to be something of a sea change when it comes to cross-generation releases.Street Fighter 6,for example, isn’t launching onXbox Oneat all. Meanwhile,Marvel’s Spider-Man 2is launching exclusively on PlayStation 5, alongside other hotly anticipated games likeFinal Fantasy 16.

These are all titles launching this year, and as the PS5 supply chain has become less of a bottleneck in recent months. We’ve argued that thePS5 and Xbox Series X are being held back by last-genand appears that publishers are keener than ever to fully embrace the power that current-gen consoles provide.

That said, the PS4, nearly ten years on, is still a phenomenally popular console, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find the odd cross-gen release appear onSony’s platforms in the near future. But finally, it does appear that Sony is at least loosening its need to feature games across both PS5 and PS4.

Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.

I reviewed the PS5 Pro and recommend these 7 enhanced games to try first

Lords of the Fallen is the latest game to get confirmed PS5 Pro enhancements and support

From Dishonored to Mafia: Definitive Edition, some of my favorite games are free right now for Amazon Prime members