Three years on, I’m still exploring Horizon Forbidden West’s open world, which remains one of the best on PS5

Reinstalling Horizon Forbidden West was a mistake. Suddenly several hours have passed by and, depending on your perspective, I have done nothing – if you measure your productivity or enjoyment by vertical progression, that is. No, nothing was 'ticked off' a list, but I did soar across the sea to the ruins of San Francisco on a Sunwing, hunt down a Slitherfang, and was content to simply exist, explore, and rediscover the Forbidden West's stunning vistas.

I can't get enough of games that fuel the insatiable beast of curiosity living rent free in my mind – even if that means accidentally staying up until three o'clock in the morning (I'm looking at you, Baldur's Gate 3). While I do enjoy an Uncharted-esque cinematic sense of adventure, crafted like a thrilling theme park experience with fast-paced action and jaw dropping set pieces – I often crave more. I want to get lost in a world with depth that bestows a level of autonomy as you uncover its secrets – allowing you to form the meat around the narrative backbone and letting you loose in the environment.

Maintaining a compelling level of interest without generating fatigue is a delicate balance to strike and three years on, Horizon Forbidden West continues to spark curiosity whichever way you turn.

Relic raider

Aloy is a hunter, so the gameplay naturally encourages you to make use of the environment around you and assess your surroundings, be it setting traps or reaching a vantage point – which is where I'd go wildly off-piste in the opposite direction to whatever I was supposed to do. One time that was literal, as I attempted to see if I could 'ski' down a mountain.

There's always a new perspective to be found in the Forbidden West, be it through your playstyle, traversal, or its fantastic photo mode. The map isn't bloated or full of unnecessary space (or the same tired copy and pasted moss covered cave) and there's clear intent – a history woven into the earth to immerse yourself in, if you wish to stop and smell the roses.

I'm constantly wondering what's beyond the serpentine machinery embedded in the ground, creating a stark contrast between the 'old' technological world and the new sprouting alongside it. In this backdrop of possibilities, what will I find? Friends, foes, relics, data logs? Count me in.

Relic Ruins are a particular favorite, as you engage in Lara Croft style puzzles within unique environments that contain remnants of the old world, just waiting to be discovered. Another day, another distraction, as I raise a Tallneck from the depths of the sea.

Day cycles into night and darkness washes over like a chilling embrace – machines whirr and searchlights of Watchers poke through blades of grass. You become more vulnerable in the snow capped mountains or in the desert, but it's exhilarating. The world feels dynamic and alive. As it happens, in the desert under the cover of night is where I found the game's brightest spark, the ruins of Las Vegas – and I still think about it to this day. Referred to as Hidden Ember, what remains of this once lively hub of entertainment and revelry juts out of the desert casting jagged shadows of the past. The main quest brings you here, combining action, adventure, and spectacle amidst an environment that begs to be explored and revisited.

To retrieve POSEIDON, a part of GAIA (a programme that's key to saving the world), you dive into the flooded casino beneath the sands. Masterful misdirection has you swimming through Dunehollow, which appears to be a captivating, holographic Atlantis with a 'Loch Ness' Tideripper to defeat. Once the area is drained of water the tranquil waterworld illusion lifts, revealing the underground dome to be the Las Vegas strip. The lights now illuminating the former landscape of Las Vegas below and above ground had my jaw on the floor. Holographic projections shape and overlay where a long-forgotten city once stood. Familiar sights such as the Eiffel Tower and The Strat are sketched in neon back into existence, and a dragon settles on top of the Tower of Tears.

You could move on from here, but why would you want to so soon? There's much more to explore. See the sights from the air in an experimental hot air balloon and delve back into Dunehollow to uncover orbs which power seasonal lights – I remember going back to see each one in real-time (there are nine!), though you can set it to be Christmas every day if you really want to.

It's moments like these that showcase everything Horizon Forbidden West has to offer beneath the surface. Its environmental storytelling and side content far surpasses its overarching narrative – which is not necessarily a bad thing, when there's so much more to uncover.

That invisible string which tugs you back to a game's world so hard that it gives you a twitch, is a rare occurrence. Horizon Forbidden West's open world manages to combine exhilarating spectacle with a burgeoning desire to see what's beyond the horizon – it's in the name, after all – creating a PlayStation 5 classic that's still well worth your time.

Check out our best PS5 games ranking for what to play next!