Sony is taking Horizon far beyond its console roots. Horizon Steel Frontiers, is an MMORPG built by NCSoft in collaboration with Guerrilla Games and it’s headed to mobile and PC only, at least for now. The project was unveiled at South Korea’s G-Star 2025 conference, marking one of Sony’s most aggressive pushes yet into cross-platform, live-service territory.
A Mobile-First MMO Set in the Deadlands
Horizon Steel Frontiers plants players in the Deadlands, a post-apocalyptic New Mexico/Arizona. According to the site, thousands of players will share a giant map alongside machine threats, tribal settlements and contested resources. You won’t play as Aloy either. You create your own character from a tribe of your choosing and venture out into large-scale raids, world events and what the devs have bragged about being “deeply customizable combat.”
And of course, the rest of the core gameplay seems to be intact. Players can grapple onto towering machines, chip off parts, wield improvised weapons dropped by enemies and even strap those weapons to mounts for later encounters. From the looks of it, it’ll be a mix of new and returning creatures, with many of them being rideable too.
Sony Hands the Wheel to MMO Specialists
NCSoft, known for Guild Wars, Lineage, and Throne and Liberty, is leading development on the title. Guerrilla Games is involved in a supporting role, contributing to worldbuilding and franchise consistency. Pairing one of PlayStation’s marquee franchises with an MMO heavyweight suggests a recalibrated strategy.
A Horizon Game Without PlayStation
Maybe this is proof that the console wars are over, but Steel Frontiers has no PS5 version announced. Sony named only iOS, Android and PC via NCSoft’s PURPLE platform. Interestingly, this seems to be a repositioning in line with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s recent words about consoles being in competition less with each other, than every other entertainment screen and service (like Tiktok).
Forgoing console exclusivity seems to be the next step in Sony’s new level of experimentation. Whether a PS5 version arrives later remains an open question.
Release Date Still Under Wraps
Sony and NCSoft have not provided a release window. Monetization details are also unclear, though the project is widely expected to adopt a free-to-play model common to NCSoft’s catalog.
What’s clear is that Horizon Steel Frontiers represents a significant evolution for the franchise: more social, more systems-driven, and more platform-agnostic than ever. The gameplay reveal shows a slick, Monster Hunter-leaning loop that could breathe new life into the series—or test how far fans are willing to follow it off-console.