NCSOFT, the renowned Korean developer and publisher known for titles like Guild Wars and Lineage, unveiled Horizon Steel Frontiers at G-Star 2025 on November 13, 2025, marking a surprise collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Studios, and Guerrilla Games, the creators of the Horizon series. This marks the first MMORPG set in the acclaimed Horizon universe, licensed from Sony and developed under Guerrilla’s guidance to expand the franchise’s post-apocalyptic world into a massively multiplayer format. The announcement featured a 10-minute gameplay and developer commentary video, where NC CEO and Chief Creative Officer Taekjin Kim, Executive Producer Sunggu Lee, and Guerrilla Studio Head Jan-Bart van Beek shared insights into the project’s inspiration and vision, emphasizing a blend of Horizon’s signature elements with innovative MMORPG systems.
Horizon Steel Frontiers is designed as a cross-platform experience optimized for mobile devices but fully playable on PC, launching on iOS, Android, and NCSOFT’s proprietary PURPLE platform, with seamless cross-play and progression across versions—no console release, including PS5, has been confirmed, distinguishing it from Guerrilla’s separate multiplayer Horizon project. The game is positioned as a free-to-play global title, inviting players to immerse themselves in a vast open world as customizable machine hunters, where the core thrill revolves around large-scale hunts against colossal mechanical beasts in a shared frontier teeming with thousands of others. Set in the uncharted Deadlands—a rugged, awe-inspiring region inspired by the arid landscapes of Arizona and New Mexico—this new corner of the Horizon universe features lush, decrepit post-apocalyptic environments filled with towering metal ruins, natural wonders, and herds of robotic creatures, allowing players to live out stories of survival, alliance, and rivalry among tribes.
Gameplay builds on Horizon’s familiar hunting-action roots while introducing advanced MMORPG mechanics for deeper player freedom and social depth, including deeply customizable combat systems where hunters target weak points on massive machines, deploy traps, and inflict status effects during intense raids. Players can craft highly personalized characters—from facial features and body types to intricate hairstyles and makeup—with shareable designs that foster community inspiration and individuality in this machine-hunter society. Traversal emphasizes mobility and strategy, with tools like the Pullcaster grappling hook for swinging across posts or leaping onto flying beasts, grounded and aerial mounts for rapid exploration, and the ability to climb damaged machines mid-battle to exploit vulnerabilities. Innovative features include scavenging dropped weapons from defeated foes, mounting them for reuse in future encounters, and engaging in cooperative or competitive scenarios such as teaming with friends for epic takedowns, vying with rival groups over scarce resources, or scaling iconic structures like Tallnecks. As Executive Producer Sunggu Lee highlighted, “The core concept of Horizon Steel Frontiers can be summed up in one phrase: the thrill of taking down colossal machines,” with new mechanics tailored for MMORPG scale, like quick climbs to set traps on exposed parts or carrying beast loot on mounts for sustained battles.
While no release date has been announced, further details including story expansions, additional media, and progression systems will roll out gradually via the official Horizon Steel Frontiers website and YouTube channel.
