Sony Doubles Horizon Zero Dawn Price After Remaster Announcement

Key Takeaways

• Sony has seemingly increased the price of Horizon Zero Dawn on the PlayStation Store.
• A Twitter user recently discovered that Horizon Zero Dawn’s price went up from $19.99 to $39.99 after the remaster was announced.
• This price hike has most likely been enacted to prevent new players from obtaining Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for less than its $50 standalone price.

Following the announcement of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Sony has quietly doubled the price of the base game on the PlayStation Store. Horizon Zero Dawn launched back in 2017 and has seen drastic price drops since then, but it appears Sony doesn’t want players taking advantage of these cheaper prices for the remaster.

Rumors of a native PS5 version of Horizon Zero Dawn had been circulating for a few years, with speculation pointing to either a remaster or remake. Many PlayStation fans dreaded the latter as the game isn’t even 10 years old, but the recent September 2024 State of Play thankfully confirmed that Horizon Zero Dawn will be remastered for PS5 and PC. Although some still question the need for a $50 remaster of a 2017 game, it undeniably features a lot of visual and accessibility improvements over Horizon Zero Dawn.

Moreover, much like the upgrade path for Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, PS5 and PC players who already own Horizon Zero Dawn can upgrade to the remaster for a $9.99 fee. Horizon Zero Dawn has been available for over seven years, though, and has seen several price cuts since then. Unfortunately, Twitter user GamePittReviews recently noticed that Sony has “secretly” doubled Horizon Zero Dawn‘s price on the PlayStation Store, most likely to prevent players from buying the game and upgrading to the remaster for a lower price.

Players Looking to Buy Horizon Zero Dawn Will Now Have to Pay Double the Price

GamePittReviews posted a price history chart for Horizon Zero Dawn on the PlayStation Store, which showed a consistent £15.99 ($19.99) price point for the game since April 2024. Further ahead, though, the trend line reveals that Horizon Zero Dawn‘s price suddenly spiked to £34.99 ($39.99) on September 25, right after the September 2024 State of Play aired. The nigh-on doubling in price essentially leaves no difference between buying the base game and using the $10 upgrade path versus buying Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered outright.

On a business level, it’s understandable why Sony made the change. If the base version of Horizon Zero Dawn remained at its prior price point, players would’ve been able to obtain Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered for a full $20 cheaper than its listed price. Nonetheless, the price increase is bad news for players who haven’t bought Horizon Zero Dawn yet and felt enticed by the remaster. It’s also worth noting that this price hike has only come into effect for PlayStation users, since the PC version of Horizon Zero Dawn already costs $49.99.