Horizon: Forbidden West is one of the biggest exclusives coming to the PS5, and it was a big surprise during Sony's reveal event. As the name implies, Forbidden West takes Aloy out of Colorado and Utah, and into a new section of the post-apocalyptic world.
Horizon: Forbidden West is set for a 2021 release date, so it's still a way's off. However, the initial reveal trailer has already given fans a look at many of the game's locations. From snowy mountains to gorgeous underwater reefs, Forbidden West is going to have a lot more variation in its locals than Zero Dawn.
Interestingly, Forbidden West's trailer is filled with real-world locations, especially for one major West Coast city. It's already clear that Forbidden West will feature some of the same locations as the last game, but there are some wildly different biomes. Here's everything we know about where Forbidden West takes place.
Forbidden West's Trailer Mostly Shows Off San Francisco
The bulk of the trailer for Forbidden West takes place in a tropical-like setting, where both wildlife and foliage have flourished. At first glance, it isn't obvious, but this entire tropical area is a post-apocalyptic San Francisco. The entire area is littered with destroyed buildings that are now overgrown, and the most easily recognizable landmark is the Golden Gate Bridge, as seen in the image above. However, there are several other prominent landmarks shown off as well. As pointed out by Reddit user Ewaan, the trailer also gives glimpses of the Ferry Building, Palace of Fine Arts, Transamerica Pyramid, and City Hall. Because of the wide range of buildings, the San Franciso area will likely be massive, and players will be able to explore a large swathe of the ruined city.
Forbidden West's Desert Area Is Likely Nevada
While San Francisco has, so far, been the area focused on, the reveal trailer has a couple of other interesting locations. One shot shows Aloy wading through a massive desert, which would most likely be the Mojave. There aren't many huge deserts in the United States, but Nevada would make the most sense. The scene has a line of cars and buses buried under the sand, which most likely is a highway now covered by the desert. It's possible that players could visit the ruins of a big city like Las Vegas, and this line of cars is the remnants of citizens trying to escape.
Forbidden West Could Move Further North Into Oregon
One of the more visually shocking scenes of Forbidden West's trailer shows a dense swampland with a new robotic animal, a massive snapping turtle, living in it. Swampland could be a few different states in the Western area of the US, but this area could very well not be in California. The Golden State is home to over 120 different wetlands and swamps, but further North in the Oregon region, swamps get even denser. California has a much larger land area than Oregon, but Oregon still has a whopping 179 swamps. Forbidden West definitely takes place over a large area of land, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the game move further North into more swampland.
Horizon: Forbidden West is scheduled to release in 2021 for PS5.