PS5 players can sample upcoming PS5 console-exclusive first-party action game for free in the coming weeks. Horizon Hunters Gathering is an intriguing co-op spin-off of the popular Guerrilla Games franchise that will release on the PS5 and PC at an unspecified date.
Action game Horizon Hunters Gathering sets next free PS5 playtest for May 2026
Sony has announced a second playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering, scheduled for May 22-25. Registration is exclusively through the PlayStation Beta Program regardless of your platform.
Here’s what’s new in the upcoming playtest, per the PS Blog:
- Two new Hunters: Aside from Rem, Sun, and Axle (who have each received improvements.), you can now get to know Ensa; a charismatic Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past. Or the mysterious Shadow, a Carja covert operative who commands a fearsome Stalker machine. We will be sharing a little more about them in the coming weeks.
- A playable Episode: Episodes play a central role in the game’s narrative campaign by introducing new mysteries, characters, and mechanics. Pick your Hunter, ready up, and head into the wilds to save Ashwater Valley from a horde of machines.
- Added difficulty: Two familiar game modes return with higher stakes than ever, as the war against the machines continues to ravage the wilds: Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent. Machine Incursion comes with new Hard and Merciless difficulty modes. Meanwhile, Cauldron Descent will offer the following:
- New Region: Travel to Breakers’ Bounty, featuring dense jungles and ravaged ruins bordering a scorching desert home to dangerous machines, in order to save the Oseram and stop the incursion. You’ll also still have access to Devil’s Thirst, and of course the Gathering: the central social space where you can meet other players, build your loadout, and customize your camp.
- Play your way: Training Modules have been added to improve general onboarding for the game and its systems. For players wanting to master the hunt in Solo Mode, Hunter NPCs will be available for this playtest during Episode or Machine Incursion modes. These NPCs (either Rem, Sun, or Axle) offer battle assists where possible or can automatically fill an empty spot on a three-player team.
Guerrilla Games has said that the second playtest will also implement previous player feedback. More details will be shared “at a later date.”
