Horizon: Forbidden West for PS5 is currently $10/£10 cheaper when purchased via a web browser.
With little over a week until the Guerrilla sequel’s February 18 release, many PlayStation 5 users will have pre-ordered the game via the console’s built-in store. However, it’s not the cheapest place to buy the game.
Players who purchase the PS4 version of Forbidden West will get access to the PS5 version for free.
However, when viewed on a PlayStation 5 console, users are only given the option to purchase the PS5 version of the game for £69.99 / $69.99 or the Digital Deluxe Edition for £79.99 / $79.99.
But those who access the game via a browser are given the option to purchase the PS4 version for £59.99 / $59.99, which includes a PS5 upgrade for free.
While this is potentially confusing for customers, it isn’t entirely unexpected. Last year, Sony U-turned on its decision to not provide a free upgrade to the PS5 version of Horizon: Forbidden West.
Days after announcing that the game would initially incur a $10/£10 upgrade charge, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan issued a statement backtracking on the change.
“Last year we made a commitment to deliver free upgrades for our cross-gen launch titles, which included Horizon Forbidden West. While the pandemic’s profound impact pushed Forbidden West out of the launch window we initially envisioned, we will stand by our offer: Players who purchase Horizon Forbidden West on PlayStation 4 will be able to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version for free.”
The exec added: “I also want to confirm today that moving forward, PlayStation first-party exclusive cross-gen titles (newly releasing on PS4 & PS5)–both digital and physical*–will offer a $10 USD digital upgrade option from PS4 to PS5. This will apply to the next God of War and Gran Turismo 7, and any other exclusive cross-gen PS4 & PS5 title published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.”
It’s currently unclear whether the PS5 version of the game will have its price changed in the lead up to launch, but considering the game launches next week, it’s very likely that customers have purchased the £69.99 version without realising they could be saving £10.
The upgrade issue rose from Ryan’s comments in 2020, during which he stated that cross-gen titles would feature an upgrade path for players, for free.
Speaking to MCV last September, Ryan said: “The PS5 versions of those games are built from the ground up to take advantage of the PS5 feature set, and we have an upgrade path for PS4 users to get the PS5 versions for free. It’s about people having choice. I’m really quite pleased about the situation.”
