Sony launched the pre-order program for the highly anticipated Horizon Forbidden West yesterday. The game launches with a range of awesome editions including the Special Edition, Collector’s Edition and super-awesome-looking Regalla Edition. However, if you didn’t notice yet, Sony has locked the game version of Horizon Forbidden West into the purchase you make. This means that most users won’t be able to upgrade the PS4 version to the PS5 version unless they buy a more expensive edition.
Keep in mind that the pricier versions of Horizon Forbidden West are extremely rare and limited in stock so this makes it a challenge for users who want to invest in a better version. Players who want to own both the PS4 and PS5 versions of Horizon Forbidden West (in case they are playing on PS4 and plan on getting a PS5) need to buy the Digital Deluxe Edition (R1,539), the Collector’s Edition (R3,999) or the Regalla Edition (R4,999).
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If you purchase the Standard Edition of Horizon Forbidden West, you cannot upgrade it and are locked into the game version you buy. This goes for both the digital version and physical disc copies.
If you purchase the PS4 version of the game, you can still play it on PS5 but it will be through backwards compatibility and not the actual PS5 enhanced version. Even the Special Edition disc version (R1,399) comes in either PS4 or PS5 and you can’t download and install the PS5 files if you insert the PS4 disc into your console. You know like every other game does.
To access both the PS4 and PS5 versions of Horizon Forbidden West, you need to purchase the Digital Deluxe, Collector’s, or Regalla Editions. Dual entitlement does not apply to the Standard and Special Editions.
Gamers aren’t pleased by this route at all especially given that Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan promised to keep PS4 disc versions upgradable. He stated back in 2020 that PS5 games were built from the ground up for the hardware and Sony would have free upgrades for PS4 owners.
“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.”
This is not the first time Sony has blocked PS4 owners from experiencing the PS5 version of their already-owned game. Last month, the company did the same thing with Ghost of Tsushima. If gamers wanted to play the PS5 version, they had to pay to upgrade their 2020 game. The upgrade purchase offer was separate from the Director’s Cut content too.
It seems that whatever we do, Sony is sticking to their guns and won’t budge on the price of PS5 games. Users can’t benefit from free upgrades and will have to pay extra for the same game even if it is releasing on PS4.
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