Horizon Hunters Gathering returns later this month with another closed playtest for PS5 and Steam, as Guerrilla Games gives players another chance to explore the co-op action spin-off. Here’s what to expect from the upcoming beta.
Horizon Hunters Gathering Shares New Playtest Details
Runs From May 22 to 25
Horizon Hunters Gathering’s next closed playtest will introduce new Hunters, a narrative Episode, and the Breakers’ Bounty region, PlayStation and Guerrilla Games announced on the PlayStation Blog on May 5, 2026. The test will run from May 22 to 25 on PS5 and Steam. However, the exact start and end times have yet to be determined.
Registration for the upcoming test will once again be available through the PlayStation Beta Program. Guerrilla Games confirmed that it will include improvements based on the feedback gathered during the first test in February, though the studio said more details on those changes will be shared later. The developer added that it is choosing to "playtest early and with small numbers to focus on the core experience and implement player feedback before opening to bigger groups of players."
Ensa and Shadow Join the Hunt Alongside a New Episode
The second playtest will introduce two new playable Hunters alongside returning characters Rem, Sun, and Axle, who have also received updates since the previous test. Newcomer Ensa is described as an Oseram smuggler from the Horizon universe’s industrial tribe with a mercenary background, while Shadow is a covert Carja operative from the powerful Carja kingdom capable of commanding a Stalker machine in combat.
A new playable Episode will also be coming to the playtest. According to Guerrilla Games, "Episodes play a central role in the game’s narrative campaign by introducing new mysteries, characters, and mechanics." Here, players will travel to Ashwater Valley to defend the region against a horde of machines.
Harder Hunts and New Regions Await
The second playtest will add new difficulty modes to the returning missions featured in the previous test: Machine Incursion—a mode where players battle waves of machines before facing a boss encounter—will receive Hard and Merciless difficulty settings, including encounters against two machine enemies (Thunderjaw and Ravager) at the same time. Meanwhile, Cauldron Descent, a longer multi-stage trial featuring brutal machine encounters and hidden reward paths, will also feature more difficult rooms.
In order to save Oseram from an ongoing incursion, players will have to travel to Breakers’ Bounty, a new region introducing "dense jungles and ravaged ruins bordering a scorching desert home to dangerous machines."
The playtest will also continue to include Devil’s Thirst, a ruin site from the Horizon universe, alongside the Gathering, the game’s central social hub where players can meet others, prepare loadouts, and customize their camp before missions.
Training Modules will also be added to help onboard players and teach the game’s systems. Players tackling hunts in Solo Mode will be able to receive support from Hunter NPCs during Episodes and Machine Incursion missions. These NPC companions (Rem, Sun, or Axle) will assist in combat or automatically fill empty slots in three-player parties.
Expanding the Horizon Universe
Horizon Hunters Gathering has players take on the role of Hunters tasked with tracking and battling deadly machine creatures across the wilds. It was first announced in February 2026 as a three-player co-op action game set in the Horizon universe. Shortly after its reveal, Guerrilla Games held the game’s first closed playtest in late February, giving a limited number of players their first hands-on look at the upcoming multiplayer title.
Horizon Hunters Gathering is currently in development for PS5 and Steam. To stay up-to-date on the game, check out our article below.
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Horizon Hunters Gathering: Second Playtest, new Hunters, Episode, region revealed
