After its announcement back in February and a small first closed playtest at the end of that month, Horizon Hunters Gathering is heading back for round two. Guerrilla Games has confirmed the second closed playtest will run May 22 to 25 on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, with registration handled through the PlayStation Beta Program for both platforms.
The bigger story is the new content rolling in. Two new Hunters join the existing trio of Rem, Sun, and Axle: Ensa, an Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past, and Shadow, a Carja covert operative who commands a Stalker machine. The first playable Episode is also being added, giving players a taste of the game’s narrative campaign as they head into Ashwater Valley to fight off a machine horde. There’s a new region too, called Breakers’ Bounty, featuring dense jungle and ravaged ruins bordering a scorching desert, on top of the returning Devil’s Thirst from the first playtest.
Both returning game modes are getting tougher. Machine Incursion, the wave-based mission where players fight off machines pouring out of underground gateways, now has Hard and Merciless difficulty modes, with Guerrilla daring Hunters to try and beat a Thunderjaw and a Ravager at the same time. Cauldron Descent, the longer multi-stage trial, has new challenging rooms to explore. For solo players, Hunter NPCs (either Rem, Sun, or Axle) will be available during Episode and Machine Incursion modes to fill out three-player teams or provide battle assists.
It’s a sizable update for the second closed playtest, and the added solo support and difficulty options suggest Guerrilla has been taking feedback seriously since the first round. The studio also says it’ll be sharing more details on implemented player feedback ahead of the playtest. If you want a chance to play, sign up through the PlayStation Beta Program, where indicating interest will flag you for an invite.
