Horizon Forbidden West is a pretty long game, which is to be expected. After all, its predecessor could take +50 hours depending on how much of the side content you completed. But how long does it take to finish Guerrilla Games’ latest? Spoilers follow so be warned.
According to HowLongToBeat, you’ll need 27.5 hours to complete the story. If you’re rushing through, then it may even take 20 to 21 hours. A more leisurely pace could result in completing it by the 35 hour mark. Regardless, if you’re expecting a large sprawling journey, then Aloy’s foray into the Forbidden West won’t disappoint.
If you’re playing through the story and completing side content, then it should take about 40 hours on average. Again, rushing through it all (like skipping dialogue scenes and the like) may result in finishing all of this within 29 hours while a more leisurely pace can result in 42 hours or so of playtime.
As for completionists, strap in for the long haul because it can take roughly 86.5 hours to do everything. This seems to be the one metric that’s fairly uniform across all play-styles so try and take it easy while you play. Keep in mind that a completionist playthrough likely involves finding all of the collectibles, collecting and upgrading all of the armor, completing every side quest and much more in addition to finishing the main story. So don’t get too hung up on missing something (unless it’s for a Trophy, of course).
How to Fast Travel
Fast travel in Horizon Forbidden West has seen some changes over its predecessor. Fast Travel Packs are still a thing and can either be purchased from different vendors for 25 Metal Shards or crafted with 10 Ridge-Wood and 3 Wild Meat. The Golden Fast Travel Pack is no more (RIP) but it’s now possible to fast travel between unlocked campfires in shelters and settlements for free.
To unlock a campfire, all you have to do is interact with it (usually quick saving is enough to light it). You’ll now be able to fast travel to this location whenever you please. So what do the Fast Travel Packs do now? They can be used to travel from any location. If you’re a long ways away from a campfire (or even underwater), then using a Fast Travel Pack is ideal.
There is another method for traveling to any unlocked campfire without consuming any Fast Travel Packs. At some point in the story, you’ll unlock a base of operations. You can fast travel to the campfire here from anywhere for free. So it’s possible to fast travel to the base, and then use that campfire to travel anywhere. Keep in mind that you can’t fast travel to any locations without a campfire (or to one that hasn’t been unlocked).
Horizon Forbidden West is currently available for PS4 and PS5. You can check out our official review here and more tips and tricks here.
