15. Tekken 8

The Tekken series has always been at the cutting edge in terms of graphics, and the latest in line Tekken 8 is no different in this regard. Whether it is the high-quality character models the multitude of carefully curated stages or the cinematics, Tekken 8 flaunts some of the highest-quality UE 5 visuals of this generation – and it’s an absolute feast for the eyes. And the best part is that it achieves all that without having to compromise on fluid and responsive performance.

Horizon Forbidden West’s PC version, which was handled by first-party PC-specialist studio Nixxes Software, comes with plenty of bells and whistles, with support confirmed for DLSS 3, as well as DLAA, DirectStorage, Ultrawide displays, and more. Available on both Steam and Epic Games Store, it’s priced at $59.99.

Unsurprisingly for a game as technically demanding as Forbidden West is, its system requirements are quite steam, with even the lowest settings requiring 16 GB of RAM, 150 GB of free storage space, and an SSD. Check out the full system requirements through here.

Horizon Forbidden West is also available on PS5 and PS4. Its expansion, Burning Shores, isn’t available on the latter.

The latest timings are for those in the Eastern hemisphere, with Tokyo able to play at midnight JST on March 22nd, followed by Sydney at 2 AM AEDT and Auckland at 4 AM NZDT. Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition requires 150 GB of installation space for PC players, with a solid-state drive recommended.

It includes the base game and Burning Shores expansion with support for uncapped frame rates, Ultra-wide monitors (including triple-monitor set-ups), DirectStorage and fully customizable keyboard and mouse controls. Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD FSR and Intel XeSS are also supported, and players can customize different graphical options. Check out our feature for more details.

Horizon Forbidden West is also available for PS4 and PS5. Check out our reviews for the base game and Burning Shores.

Pre-load is now available for #HorizonForbiddenWestPC on Steam!

The game launches globally on March 21 at 8:00 AM PDT / 4:00 PM CET / 7:00 PM GST. Check out the infographic below for more time zones. pic.twitter.com/shYcoSbovm

— Nixxes Software (@NixxesSoftware) March 19, 2024

The open-world action RPG has sold over 8.4 million units as of April 2023. Here are 15 things that PC players should know before picking it up later this month.

Setting

The Forbidden West is more than just a fancy name for a dangerous region – it’s also full of new locations for players to explore. Chief among these are the ruins of San Francisco, including the Golden Gate Bridge and the scenic coasts. Of course, there are still sprawling deserts, extensive forests and valleys, with new traversal options like the Pullcaster and Shieldwing also allowing for exploring the environments in brand-new ways.

Aloy will need all the help she can get to unlock the region’s mysteries and even combat a new threat.

Combat

If you’re familiar with Zero Dawn’s combat, then Forbidden West shouldn’t be too new. Aloy still relies on bows, Tripcasters, Blastslings and more to combat foes (with overriding Machines also an option). New weapon types include the Spike Thrower, Shredder Gauntlet and Boltblaster, not to mention several new heavy weapons wielded by destroying Machine parts. Melee combat has also been revamped with new combos and finishers. There is a lot of firepower to unleash, and you’ll need it against some of the new threats.

New Machines

The Forbidden West is home to some vicious new Machines, ranging from the nimble Clamberjaw to the velociraptor-esque Clawstrider. The Shellsnapper is a tanky yet quick enemy; the Slitherfang towers above and unleashes lightning; and the Tremortusk…well, good luck with the Tremortusk. Each has different strategies for effectively taking them down, and you’ll need to use all the tools at your disposal to succeed.

Skill Trees

Horizon Forbidden West revamps the previous game’s Skills, presenting them in six distinct Skill Trees: Hunter, Infiltrator, Machine Master, Survivor, Trapper and Warrior. You can go all in on melee damage, extend the amount of time a Machine is overridden or unlock new skills, like firing three arrows at a time. It lets you lean into a particular playstyle and make it your own.

Valor Surges

Each Skill Tree also has a dedicated Valor Surge, a new Ultimate-like ability to turn the tide in battle briefly. It’s activated by building up the Valor Surge bar with each knockdown, weak spot hit, stealth kill and more. Some examples include Overshield, which provides a shield for Aloy that absorbs damage and prevents knockback, even exploding at higher levels when it depletes. Then there’s Powershots, which causes your next few arrows to deal more damage and restore Concentration for techniques.

Side Quests and Open-World Activities

While opinions may be mixed on the overall side quest quality in Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West steps up things significantly. Each side quest offers incredible animation work for its NPCs and is more involved, even if the steps include hunting down Machines for parts or scaling locations. There are also Rebel Camps and Outposts to liberate, Tallnecks to unlock, Hunting Grounds to clear, The Arena and much more to partake in when you’re not searching for Black Boxes or hunting Survey Drones. It even includes Machine Strike, a tactics mini-game to play against NPCs.

Burning Shores

Burning Shores offers a new region to explore – Los Angeles – with new Machines, bosses and side quests to take on. Working with the Quen at Fleet’s End and newcomer Seyka, Aloy must hunt down a person of interest and prevent whatever they may be planning (which has something to do with the giant Horus Titan). With extensive cloudscapes to explore and new characters to interact with, it’s a strong continuation of Aloy’s journey.

Ultra-wide Monitor Support

As for the PC version of Forbidden West Complete Edition, it includes the usual support for Ultra-wide displays. You can use a 21:9 Ultra-wide or 32:9 Super Ultra-wide, but that’s not all. It even supports 48:9 resolutions for those who prefer to game on a triple-monitor setup.

Mouse and Keyboard Support

Given all the precise aiming required in the Horizon series, especially in Forbidden West, mouse and keyboard support is essential. That’s confirmed for the PC port, and you can fully customize the key bindings.

DualSense Support

Of course, if you prefer to stick with the DualSense, it’s also an option. Plug it in via USB-C, and you can take advantage of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers like on the PS5. Other controllers are supported as well, with Steam Input allowing you to configure them as necessary.

System Requirements

In terms of hardware requirements on PC, every configuration will need Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or higher) at 16 GB of RAM. You also need an SSD with 150 GB of free installation space. To play at 720p/30 FPS and Low quality, an Intel Core i3-8100 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 5500XT 4GB will be necessary.

For 1080p/60 FPS and Medium quality, a Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 with a GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 5700 is required. Finally, for 1440p/60 FPS or 4K/30 FPS on High quality, you’ll need an Intel Core i7-9700 or AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with a GeForce RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800.

4K Requirements

Now for the ultimate question – can your setup run the game at 4K resolution and 60 FPS at Very High settings? Well, yes, provided it has an Intel Core i7-11700 or an AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 or Radeon RX 7900XT and 16 GB of RAM to go with the 150 GB free space on the SSD. That’s all you need.

Upscaling Options, DirectStorage and More

For those falling just short of the best hardware, there is support for upscaling technologies like Nvidia DLSS 3, AMD Fidelity FX Super Resolution and Intel XeSS. DirectStorage is also supported for faster loading times, and for those who want even better image quality, Nvidia DLAA is available.

Graphical Options

While the full range of graphical options hasn’t been outlined, the developer has confirmed that you can adjust the level of detail, texture quality, shadows, water, terrain, and even change the field of view, motion blur and film grain with sliders. There are other effects like lens flare, bloom, vignette and radial blur to turn on or off per your preferences.

Playtime

Considering how much larger it is in scale and the amount of content compared to Horizon Zero Dawn, it’s probably no surprise that Forbidden West will take about 90 hours for completionists on average (per HowLongToBeat.com). If you’re only interested in the story, it’s about 28 hours, which goes up to 63 hours or so with the side quests. Burning Shores on its own adds another 7 hours or so of story content, and coupled with everything else, it can take 16 to 17 hours of a completionist ruin. Overall, the Complete Edition offers well over 100 hours of gameplay, especially for $59.99.

Regardless of which preset you’re choosing to play the game at, you’re going to need 16 GB of RAM, an SSD, and an eye-watering 150 GB of storage. On the lowest settings, which will run the game at 720p and 30 FPS, you’ll need either an i3-8100 or a Ryzen 3 1300X, along with either a GeForce GTX 1650 or a Radeon RX 5500XT.

Meanwhile, on the highest settings, to play the game at 4K and 60 FPS, you’ll need either an i7-11700 or a Ryzen 7 5700X, along with either a GeForce RTX 4080 or a Radeon RX 7900XT. You can check out the full system requirements below. 

Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition will launch for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store on March 21. 

NOTE: All entries and rankings were decided by an internal vote held among the entire GamingBolt staff.

#12. DIABLO 4

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One | Developer: Blizzard Entertainment | Read Our Review

Not counting all the controversy surrounding Blizzard Entertainment and former director Luis Barriga, Diablo 4 had a rough start when it launched in June. Despite praise for its open world, lore and overall presentation, its build-crafting was fairly simplistic, while the end-game was decent at best and grindy at worst. The pre-Season 1 patch also did no favors with its hefty nerfs.

Nevertheless, the development team stuck with it, making several much-needed improvements to classes like the Sorcerer, reducing the XP grind and quality of life changes like porting to Nightmare Dungeons directly from sigils. The variety of viable builds has gone up, and there are even tough end-game challenges like Abattoir of Zir (which still requires some fine-tuning). If you’re burned out on Diablo 2 or 3, can’t get into Path of Exile or just want a solid action RPG looter, Diablo 4 is in a much better state and worth checking out.

#11. LORDS OF THE FALLEN

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: Hexworks | Read Our Review

Announced nine years ago, Lords of the Fallen finally launched this year. Hexworks delivered a massive world five times larger than the original, introduced a dual-realm mechanic that impacted the gameplay and combat, and stuffed it with a memorable dark fantasy aesthetic. It also didn’t hurt that combat felt meaty and responsive, with a variety of spells and weapons to dip into.

Lords of the Fallen isn’t without its issues (like some rough encounters with too many enemies), but over two dozen patches, splitting PvE and PvP balancing, new spells, stability and performance improvements, and more have made it even more appealing to Dark Souls fans, even if it’s far from the best Souls-like experience this year (which we’ll get to soon).

#10. DEAD ISLAND 2

Available on: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: Dambuster Studios | Read Our Review

If we had a dime for every title considered vaporware that miraculously released this year, we would have two dimes. Blah blah blah, you know the rest, but it still applies because Dead Island 2 is fantastic. Set in post-zombie outbreak Los Angeles, the first-person title emphasized combat and creative ways to slay over a deep story (though the lore is still interesting) or an open world.

Despite this, you can customize the six Slayers in interesting ways thanks to Skill Cards, customize weapons with different status effects, discover unique armaments and more. There’s a healthy amount of side quests, ranging from the straightforward scavenger quests to the bizarre (Body Art. Not even once). Most importantly, the combat is as strategic and visceral as you’d like while rewarding straightforward hacking and slashing.

#9. EVERSPACE 2

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: Rockfish Games | Read Our Review

It’s incredible how the Everspace series started as a rogue-lite space shooter, especially with the sequel offering in-depth action RPG mechanics and boatloads of handcrafted content. There are extensive systems to explore, allies to recruit (each providing unique perks) and tons of loot to discover, including unique ships.

While the story may not be for everyone, each system is packed with things to do, whether you jump into massive battles against capital ships or venture into endgame rifts. The incredible fidelity makes the space-hopping that much more endearing.

#8. WILD HEARTS

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: Omega Force | Read Our Review

Omega Force’s WILD HEARTS admittedly didn’t pass much muster when it was announced to be a hunting title in the vein of Monster Hunter. Thankfully, the gameplay spoke for itself, showcasing a unique approach to action RPG combat with some inventive combat. The Karakuri mechanic, which facilitated building different tools to explore and fight, added some spice to battles.

Each weapon, from the aerial brilliance of the Claw Blade to the unconventional Bladed Wagasa, is fun to use. Couple this with memorable Kemono to battle, massive regions to explore, and a sizable endgame to go with the campaign, and WILD HEARTS stands capably on its own.

#7. HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST: BURNING SHORES

Available on: PS5 | Developer: Guerrilla Games | Read Our Review

A year after Horizon Forbidden West blew our expectations away with its gorgeous visuals, deep skill system, customization and combat, Burning Shores came along to remind us of its quality. Set in a separate region where lava streams and water meet, the expansion adds lots of new content, memorable new characters and quests, and one of the most epic final bosses yet.

Whether you’re venturing underwater or soaring through the skies, combing through new frankenclouds while avoiding lighting, Burning Shores further builds on the base game’s brilliance and offers some great development for Aloy’s character.

#6. LIES OF P

Available on: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: Neowiz Games, Round8 Studio | Read Our Review

It’s 2023, and no Bloodborne remaster or remake. Not even a hint that it’s ever happening. Enter NEOWIZ’s Lies of P, a Belle Epoque-era action RPG based on the tale of Pinocchio. This time, however, you venture through the ruined city of Krat, battling killer puppets to find Geppetto and hopefully set things right.

The mood is already on point – it’s the combat and pacing where Lies of P shows its hand. Special attacks and Legion Arms, customizable and unique weapons, memorable encounters against challenging enemies – it had everything a Souls-like fan could want.

#5. CYBERPUNK 2077: PHANTOM LIBERTY

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: CD Projekt RED | Read Our Review

With how extensive update 2.0 turned out, Cyberpunk 2077 alone is a noteworthy RPG experience. However, Phantom Liberty does more than add new content, including courier missions to steal vehicles or Airdrops to claim loot before rival gangs can. It told a compelling story – a spy fantasy rife with intrigue and betrayal, where the good guys were never what they seemed, and your decisions profoundly impacted the characters.

Of course, for combat junkies, there are Relic abilities, from emergency cloaking to sending enemies flying with Gorilla Arms. If that weren’t enough, Phantom Liberty added over 100 new items, from weapons and vehicles to new Cyberware, and even offered a new ending to the main story. Altogether, it’s a fitting finale in Cyberpunk 2077’s redemption arc.

#4. FINAL FANTASY 16

Available on: PS5 | Developer: Square Enix Creative Business Unit 3 | Read Our Review

Final Fantasy means many different things to different people. Final Fantasy 16 may not have catered to every fan’s wish, especially those craving turn-based or ATB combat, but it certainly excelled with its story, characters and setting. The world of Valisthea and darker presentation fit the more mature tones well, even as Clive Rosfield’s journey morphed from revenge to redemption.

The combat is also incredibly on point, especially when you gain more abilities to diversify combos. Stunning environments and an incredible soundtrack round out the package, and while it could have used more extensive side quests, deeper role-playing mechanics and more complex dungeons, Final Fantasy 16 is still a fun and enthralling action RPG from start to finish.

#3. HOGWARTS LEGACY

Available on: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch | Developer: Avalanche Software | Read Our Review

Despite the controversy, Hogwarts Legacy offered something most Potterheads have desired for years – a proper triple-A title to fulfill that wizarding fantasy. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is captured in immaculate detail, coupled with memorable characters (with a select few offering some great side quests).

Shuffling between spells during combat, especially Avada Kedavra-ing someone into dust, felt great, but it was all the little things – from raising creatures in the Vivarium to riding a broom through the highlands – which really cemented the fantasy. All that’s needed is actual classes to attend, and Quidditch, and Hogwarts Legacy will be perfect.

#2. BALDURS GATE 3

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5 | Developer: Larian Studios | Read Our Review (PC | PS5)

Six years in development, with a lengthy period in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a reminder of Larian Studios’ status as one of the best RPG developers in history. The range of customization, from the numerous classes and subclasses to the spells and actions, caters to the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy of letting you roleplay as who you want.

It’s bolstered by a strong story, decisions with far-reaching consequences, and incredible characterization that stays with you, even over a hundred hours in. There’s plenty to criticize, like Act 3’s performance, but Larian has been working hard to address other complaints, adding a hefty Epilogue to provide a more well-rounded conclusion based on your choices. Whether you started at launch or are jumping in today, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterpiece.

GAMINGBOLT’S BEST RPG GAME OF 2023 – STARFIELD

Available on: PC, Xbox Series X/S | Developer: Bethesda Game Studios | Read Our Review

Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield is our role-playing game of 2023, narrowly beating out some stiff competition. Don’t get us wrong – several areas could be improved, from the user interface and variety of weapons to point of interest generation. Mods also needed to be added yesterday. However, for those who get into it, Starfield has a quiet appeal as you wander the desolate planets, create an outpost to either settle down or mine resources, and soak in the atmosphere.

The sheer range of stuff to do, from surveying and space battles to smuggling and bounty-hunting, is pretty solid and backed by some responsive shooter. Where it goes next is anyone’s guess, but Starfield is currently an intriguing sci-fi adventure with tons of content. It’s certainly not for everyone, but those who love it will swear by it.

THE CREW MOTORFEST

The change in scenery in The Crew Motorfest from mainland United States to the island of Oahu was easily one of its biggest strengths. The open world clearly takes a lot of cues from the Forza Horizon series, and honestly, it’s better for it. With plenty of environmental variety, gorgeous locales, and a festive vibe throughout the map, The Crew Motofest’s open world is a fun one to simply exist in.

SONS OF THE FOREST

We’re pivoting here and going from a festive location to an oppressively dire one, but Sons of the Forest absolutely deserves its flowers. Even in early access forms, it’s one of the most memorable experiences of the year. Struggling to survive in its hostile and horrific world, which is so densely laden with atmosphere, remains an enthralling experience no matter how much time you put into the game.

DIABLO 4

Diablo joined the ever-growing list of franchises making the switch to an open world format, and it did so in mostly successful fashion. Though Diablo 4 loses the trademark claustrophobia that the series has always been known for in going for an open world setting, it balances the scales with a large, desolate, gorgeously designed map, which it crams full of addictive, repeatable content.

LIKE A DRAGON: ISHIN!

The Yakuza franchise, now known as Like a Dragon, has always excelled at crafting small but dense semi-open world maps, and Like a Dragon: Ishin! benefits from those strengths as well. In addition to boasting a smattering of engaging side content – something the franchise has always been known for – Ishin also boasts the unique strengths of its wonderfully atmospheric period setting, which it brings to life expertly.

LORDS OF THE FALLEN

Lords of the Fallen’s semi-open world approach is very much focused on tighter and linearly designed interconnected areas in the fashion of the Dark Souls series, and it boasts a lot of the strengths that those games do as well. Slowly unlocking the world and consistently making it slightly less hostile to navigate always remains a rewarding experience, made all the more compelling by the game’s dual realm system.

DEAD ISLAND 2

Dambuster Studios’ decision to develop Dead Island 2 as a semi-open world experience with a lot of open and explorable maps, rather than as a full-fledged open world title, proved to be quite a smart one. The zombie slasher-basher is able to exhibit an impressive level of variety in locations throughout its runtime, and each of them not only does a great job of capturing the vibe and personality of an LA setting, but is also rendered in visually spectacular manner.

EVERSPACE 2

Everspace 2 took a big swing with its switch to an open world format, and it’s safe to say at this point that the risk paid off. Exploring the vast expanses of space is always an alluring prospect in a gaming experience, and that’s basically what the entirety of Everspace 2 is built around. Thanks to a strong environmental design and flying and combat mechanics that never lose their sharpness, exploring the game’s map always remains enjoyable.

LIES OF P

There was a lot to love about Lies of P, as is evidenced by the widespread acclaim it has enjoyed, and its atmospheric gothic horror Belle Epoque setting had a big role to play in that. It brings the city of Krat to live in excellent fashion, and exploring its ominous and dilapidated remains is a consistently engaging experience, not least because of the incredible design and art style the game exhibits across its entire world.

WILD HEARTS

Map design and traversal are probably among Wild Hearts’ biggest strengths. Each of its unique open world maps are not only sufficiently large, they’re also gorgeous, vibrant, and brimming with a ton of environmental detail and diversity. On top of that, exploration and traversal is always a blast, thanks in large part to Karakuri devices and the emphasis placed on on-the-fly crafting.

HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST: BURNING SHORES

The Horizon franchise has always excelled at putting players in incredibly well-realized post-post-apocalyptic renditions of real-world locations, and that’s very much the case in Forbidden West’s expansion, Burning Shores as well. It looks gorgeous, as is expected of the franchise, and the imaginative and visually striking way in which it portrays its version of a half-destroyed, half-sunken, volcanic Los Angeles is hard not to be impressed by.

CYBERPUNK 2077: PHANTOM LIBERTY

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty (in conjunction with Update 2.0) uplifts so much of the game in so many ways, including its open world. For starters, the new district of Dogtown is easily among the best areas in the entire map, and somehow manages to boast an impressive level of density and variety in spite of its smaller size. Beyond that, the underlying systems also see significant improvements, which breathes new life into all of Night City, even beyond the walls of Dogtown.

SEASON: A LETTER TO THE FUTURE

Given how dense and eventful 2023 has been for gaming, SEASON: A Letter to the Future has slipped under the radar for money, but those who’ve played it will gladly tell you how good it was. Exploration in the game is deliberately slow-paced and encourages you to take in its gorgeously rendered environments, memorializing them in anticipation of an upcoming catastrophe. With its stunning visuals to the melancholic vibe, SEASON leaves a lasting impression.

FINAL FANTASY 16

Final Fantasy 16’s decision to not have an open world setting may have proved controversial, but the game still placed plenty of focus on exploration. Traveling throughout Valisthea, Clive and his companions explore a variety of different locations, from forests and cities to deserts and wastelands, and though the level of freedom they offer can vary, overall, the game rewards exploration just enough to ensure that it remains an important part of the experience.

STAR WARS JEDI: SURVIVOR

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor obviously excels at being a Metroidvania game, build as it does on the solid foundations of its predecessors, but on top of that, it also expands significantly with semi-open world elements sprinkled in as well. The planet of Koboh in particular is particularly expansive, offering a massive amount of play space in which to navigate excellently crafted areas and discover all manner of optional content, secrets, and more.

HOGWARTS LEGACY

An open world Hogwarts game has been something many people have dreamed of for years, but Hogwarts Legacy proves equal to those lofty expectations. Iconic, memorable locations from in and around Hogwarts are brought to life with incredible authenticity and detail, and the game does an excellent job of thoroughly immersing you in its world. Meanwhile, exploring the vast areas around the castle itself – whether you’re flying through the air or remaining grounded – also never loses its charm.

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TEARS OF THE KINGDOM

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s open world perhaps doesn’t make the same kind of impact that its predecessor did, owing simply to its familiarity, but make no mistake about it- it’s a far, far better version of it. On top of retaining the incredible design and traversal mechanics of Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom also makes a number of smart and significant changes to the otherwise familiar Hyrule, while also adding in a staggering amount of new real estate in the form of the Sky Islands and, much more significantly, the unsettling Depths, which is an entirely new, mind-bogglingly massive underground map that you can spend dozens upon dozens of hours in.

BALDUR’S GATE 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 might not have a traditional, seamless open world structure, but you’ll struggle to find many games that place as little limits on players as Larian’s RPG does. There’s no shortage of large, open, freely explorable locations throughout the game, and each of them is brimming with engaging, incredibly designed, and expertly written quests that emphasize player agency and choice-and-consequence mechanics above all else. What’s even more impressive is just how organic exploration in Baldur’s Gate 3, how seamlessly and easily all the content available in the game seems to flow into each other, and how, no matter what you’re doing, you always feel like you’re headed in the right direction and making progress.

ALAN WAKE 2

Remedy Entertainment has always been associated with tight, linear design, and while Alan Wake 2 obviously still does exhibit those strengths, it blends them with a more open-ended structure. Across Saga and Alan’s stories, there are four large semi-open world hubs to explore, each bringing with it its own unique and incredibly crafted areas, with plenty of optional content and hidden rewards tucked away. That structure fits particularly well with the game’s more deliberate pacing as a survival horror experience.

PIKMIN 4

Pikmin has always placed a great deal of emphasis on exploration, but never has that been truer than in Pikmin 4. With the almost complete removal of time limits, the game allows players to explore all of its maps at their own pace, and boy is it a rewarding experience. With secret collectibles, hidden dungeons, optional battles, shortcuts to unlock, and more, each of its large and intricately designed maps remains a constant joy to explore, not least because of how the game contextualizes the scale and size of each of these locations.

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN 2

You’d think that having a third successive game set in the same open world New York map would be a bit boring, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 circumvents any potential issues in a number of key ways. For starers, the map is a significantly larger one, thanks to the addition of Queens and Brooklyn, while it also feels much more lived in, dense, and dynamic. More crucially though, making your way through the map is also more enjoyable than it has ever been, thanks to a combination of significant improvements made to the already excellent traversal mechanics.

STARFIELD

Bethesda Game Studios has always had an incredible knack for crafting immersive open worlds, and though Starfield’s open world structure is quite different from the studio’s past games, here at GamingBolt, we found it to be just as magical, and just as easy to get lost in. From the typically strong and captivating lore to the vast, endless amounts of content on offer, from the variety it exhibits across its four main locations to the absolute freedom the game affords to players, from being able to plant your flag on desolate planets and build massive outposts there to creating your own ship and flying it through space, Starfield’s open world had a grip on us in a way very few open worlds have managed in recent memory.

Horizon Forbidden West – Burning Shores

Guerrilla Games set several bars for excellent visuals with Horizon and its Decima Engine. Burning Shores offered the same stellar graphics but built on it with innovations in cloud generation, delivering massive frankenclouds that appeared like their own landscapes. Such was the fidelity and scale on display – especially during one encounter – that the expansion was only possible on PS5.

Resident Evil 4

There were some stellar remakes this year, but Capcom still proved it was the king with Resident Evil 4. The differences between the remake and the original are incredible in terms of lighting and color grading, not to mention the environments, which pack significantly more details. You also have the usual upgrades to character models, textures, effects and more. It’s expected from the developer, but it still never ceases to amaze even after all these years.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

Cyberpunk 2077 was already a gorgeous-looking game at launch, specifically on PC. CD Projekt RED would make improvements over the years, implementing proper Xbox Series X/S and PS5 support, and it all led to Phantom Liberty. The expansion is a tour de force of incredible lighting, atmospheric environments, realistic animations and a stellar level of detail. That’s not even delving into the facial animations, which are still incredibly well done.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

In a year of incredible technical marvels, no game featured ray tracing across the board like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Regardless of the graphical mode chosen, it remained on and looked phenomenal, bringing the city to life even more realistically than in previous games. The significantly improved texture work and facial animations, not to mention the increased scale and seamless loading times, also didn’t hurt.

Dead Space

Motive Studio’s remake of Dead Space offered more than higher-resolution textures and sharper-looking environments (which were still pivotal in delivering a gorgeous experience). It also significantly enhanced the Ishimura’s mood thanks to new atmospherics and effects. Then there’s the new Peeling system, where Necromorph bodies had layers of skin and bones to destroy, providing more visual feedback on the use of certain weapons.

Hogwarts Legacy

Avalanche Software and Portkey Games went the extra mile to deliver an authentic experience in Hogwarts Legacy, and it shows. From the iconic castle and its classrooms to the surrounding landscape and locations like Hogsmeade, it’s all packed with details for fans. As a whole, the experience is visually rich, especially during combat with all the spells going off, and it’s a joy to wander the world, taking it all in.

Atomic Heart

There’s plenty to say about its writing, characters and gameplay, but no one can deny how incredible Atomic Heart looks. From all the subtleties, like the Polymer Glove’s wiring, to the scenes packed with details and atmospherics, Mundfish delivered visual fidelity while nailing the aesthetic. Doing all this while still offering excellent performance out of the gate is also noteworthy.

Dead Island 2

Over eight years after its initial announcement, Dead Island 2 finally released and honed in on a single aspect – the detailed and absolute destruction of the undead. A new system, FLESH, was implemented, allowing players to realistically break zombie bones, melt their skin and much more in over-the-top ways. Of course, doing so with so many zombies on screen, while offering excellent texture work in the models, environments and more is also worthy of note, especially during the more chaotic moments.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Respawn Entertainment’s long-awaited sequel got flak – and rightfully so – for its launch performance. It’s improved since then (unless you’re on PC, in which case results may vary,) but the fidelity and sheer attention to detail have never been in doubt. Whether you’re admiring the hustle and bustle of Coruscant, the extensive reaches of Koboh, the incredible facial animations or tense fights, Jedi: Survivor is a visual treat.

Mortal Kombat 1

Forget about the Nintendo Switch version for a second (WB Games certainly did at launch) and take some time to appreciate Mortal Kombat 1’s visuals. It’s a strong step up from Mortal Kombat 11, which is already an excellent-looking game, with its environments, character animations, effects and rock-solid performance on current-gen platforms. As much as NetherRealm has eroded goodwill with its monetization practices, Mortal Kombat 1 is still one of the best-looking fighters on the market.

Final Fantasy 16

There’s something to be said about Final Fantasy 16 and its aesthetics. While it can come across as dark and moody, the focus on a more grounded medieval fantasy, interspersed with incredibly detailed environments and cities, works well. It also doesn’t hurt that the animation and cinematics are top-notch, while the Eikon battles are another level in terms of fidelity. Performance could still use some improvements, but the series’ latest is still a sight to behold.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

Following the performance issues of Elden Ring at launch, it was nice to jump into FromSoftware’s Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon and enjoy some fast and fluid gameplay without any hangups. Though the scale is nowhere near the same, Rubicon 3’s environments are still brimming with details and gorgeously rendered. Of course, the real stars are the Armored Cores, from their animations to the over-the-top weapon effects, which popped incredibly without overwhelming the experience (most times).

Lies of P

Neowiz’s Lies of P is one of the bigger surprises of the year, not just in terms of how fun it is but also in how well it performs. The Souls-like offers a gorgeous Belle Epoque art style with excellent environmental lighting and detailed animations for its bosses and characters (even down to all the weapon animations). Its effects and texture work are also on point, and it achieves all of this while still scaling well across all platforms, not to mention multiple configurations on PC.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

One of the dark horses of the year in visuals, mainly due to launching at the tail end of everything else, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is simply a delight to observe. The Western Frontier is teeming with unknown flora and fauna, not to mention Na’vi roaming the world and going about their business. Incredible draw distances, stunning skyboxes, detailed foliage – the Snowdrop Engine does it all, and optimization across all platforms is pretty good. It may not get as much recognition as the other titles, but graphically, Frontiers of Pandora is stunning.

Alan Wake 2

It’s almost impossible for Remedy Entertainment to deliver anything less than a stellar visual experience, but it truly upped the ante with Alan Wake 2. The interplay between light and shadows, the meshing of in-game scenes and live action, the art direction and cinematography – it all comes together seamlessly, and that’s before getting into the excellent texture work and animation.

As a follow-up to Horizon Zero Dawn from 2017, Forbidden West sees Aloy venturing to save the world. It expands on the open world with new activities, Machines, and weapons, while improving the visuals, motion capture, and more. Burning Shores introduces a new region and threat, as Aloy works with newcomer Seyka to confront it.

Horizon Forbidden West has sold over 8.4 million units since launch. Check out our review for it and Burning Shores here and here. As for the future, Guerrilla Games is working on an online title, though there will be more single-player-focused adventures for Aloy.

An image of the back of the re-release’s physical PS5 box was recently shared on Twitter by @DoesItPlay1, and it reveals some interesting information. Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition will seemingly require a whopping 121 GB of free storage space, which means it will be shipping on two Blu-Ray discs.

This may not come as a massive surprise, given the fact that the Complete Edition re-release includes both the Horizon Forbidden West base game and its sizeable expansion, Burning Shores.

Interestingly enough, this will make it the first PS5 game to ship on two discs, though of course, it will be joined soon by Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which will also ship on two discs when it launches in February.

Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition launches for PS5 on October 6, and for PC sometime in early 2024.

When you see it…#HorizonForbiddenWest https://t.co/ktGlqX6Nyb pic.twitter.com/3jKwJMMLtb

— Does it play? (@DoesItPlay1) October 4, 2023