Guerrilla and NCSOFT have unveiled Horizon Steel Frontiers: an online RPG featuring large-scale battles and fully customizable characters.
Horizon Steel Frontiers was announced unexpectedly at G-Star 2025 — an online RPG set in the world of Guerrilla Games’ popular Horizon franchise. The game is being developed by NCSOFT in close cooperation with the Sony-owned studio. According to the announcement, players can expect a full-scale MMORPG for PC and mobile, centered around large battles against machines and extensive player freedom. Here’s everything known so far about its setting, gameplay, character creation, and platforms.
What Is Horizon Steel Frontiers?
Horizon Steel Frontiers is a standalone online RPG set within the Horizon universe, developed specifically for PC and mobile. The game takes place in the “Deadlands,” a new region with desert landscapes reminiscent of Arizona and New Mexico. You take on the role of a “machine hunter,” exploring the world alongside thousands of other players — either cooperatively or competitively.
According to Guerrilla studio head Jan-Bart van Beek, the game aims to combine the signature Horizon feel with a fresh identity. The developers are creating an open, living world filled with machine creatures, tribal cultures, and the familiar clash between nature, technology, and humanity.
How Does the Gameplay Work?
At the core of Horizon Steel Frontiers are battles against massive machines — an element fans will recognize from Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West, and the VR spin-off Horizon Call of the Mountain. In the MMORPG, these encounters come with new mechanics:
- You can precisely destroy machine components, zipline onto exposed parts, set traps, and trigger status effects.
- Weapons that machines drop during battle can be picked up, loaded onto mounts, and used in other encounters.
- Combat emphasizes group strategy: every role in the team matters and must be used tactically.
- Large battles involving multiple player groups are, according to NCSOFT, a major part of the game.
These mechanics aim to expand the signature Horizon combat system while tapping into the full potential of MMORPGs — including dynamic group fights and long-term progression.
How Does Character Creation Work?
Character creation in Horizon Steel Frontiers is designed to be especially extensive. You can build your own machine hunter with a wide range of customization options:
- At the start, you choose from several tribes known in the Horizon universe, including Nora, Tenakth, Utaru, or Oseram.
- Alongside standard options like face, body type, hairstyles, and makeup, NCSOFT promises a high level of detail.
- Your character’s appearance can evolve over time — and even be shared with other players.
- The goal is to let each character fully express their individuality, visually and in their progression.
The developers emphasize that every player should feel like the “main character” of their own journey.
When Will Horizon Steel Frontiers Be Released?
The game will launch worldwide, but a specific release date has not yet been announced.
Which Platforms Will the Game Release On?
Horizon Steel Frontiers will launch for PC and mobile with full crossplay support via PURPLE, NCSOFT’s in-house platform. This allows you to play with friends regardless of device and carry your progress across platforms. A console release has not been announced.
Who Is Developing Horizon Steel Frontiers?
The game is a collaborative project between NCSOFT — the Korean studio behind titles like AION, Guild Wars, and Lineage — and Guerrilla Games, the Sony studio that created the Horizon series.
Guerrilla provides the creative foundation and lore, while NCSOFT handles the technical implementation and MMORPG gameplay design. According to the studios, this is the first time Guerrilla has opened the Horizon universe to an external development team.
You can visit the official Horizon Steel Frontiers website here and the YouTube channel here.
