PS5 ad gives release window for Horizon: Forbidden West, Gran Turismo 7, more

By Giovanni Colantonio November 9, 2020

A new PlayStation 5 ad confirms the current release window for Sony’s upcoming slate of exclusive games. The video details when highly anticipated games like Horizon: Forbidden West and Gran Turismo 7 are coming in 2021.

The one-minute video features a reel of game footage, which includes both launch games and subsequent titles. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice some fine-print part way through the video: “Gran Turismo 7, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Returnal: Anticipated first half of 2021. Horizon: Forbidden West: Anticipated second half of 2021.”

While still somewhat vague, those time frames do bring Sony’s 2021 plans more into focus. Sony previously said that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart would release in the console’s “launch window,” making it one of the console’s biggest exclusives following launch day. Details on Gran Turismo 7 have been comparatively sparse, though the release window lines up with one that appeared on a Canadian advertisement last week.

Returnal’s appearance is intriguing here, as Sony has barely shown the game since its initial reveal in June. The ad puts it front and center, positioning the shooter as a bigger PlayStation 5 release than anticipated.

With Horizon: Forbidden West slated for the second half of 2021, there’s a good chance it could be Sony’s big holiday game next year.

The use of “anticipated” in the fine print does put a major asterisk on all these release dates. Developers are still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced unexpected game delays throughout 2020. With the health crisis still ongoing, Sony’s release schedule could easily change as the situation develops.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

Gaming

The best PS5 exclusives of 2022: standouts from the console’s strong second year

Aloy stands in front of text that says The Best 2022 PS5 Exclusives of 2022.

The PlayStation 5 got off to a strong start with games like Demon's Souls in 2020, and kept that momentum going throughout 2021 with titles such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. It showed no signs of slowing down in 2022. Many great exclusives dropped this year, many of which we've known about since before the system even launched. The lineup is full of high-quality titles, many of which emphasize their gorgeous visuals and compelling narratives. From sequels to critically acclaimed titles to ambitious new franchises, these seven games stand as the best PS5 (and PS4) console exclusive games of 2022.
God of War Ragnarok

Not much needs to be said about God of War Ragnarok. It's a massive follow-up to the series' critically acclaimed 2018 soft reboot, and it goes bigger in almost every way. There are more gods to fight, realms to be explored, and weapons to take on hordes of foes with. God of War Ragnarok is a satisfying action game that tells a large-scale story, but it still takes time to focus on its characters and the journey of Kratos and Atreus as they learn to communicate better. Anyone who owns a PS5 or PS4 owes it to themselves to pick up God of War Ragnarok.
Gran Turismo 7

Gaming

The PlayStation Backbone is a great mobile gaming controller, but a bad PS5 companion

The Backbone is my favorite mobile controller. It’s a solid pick for anyone looking to game on the go, but it always skewed heavily in a Microsoft direction due to its matching Xbox face buttons and heavy Game Pass marketing. Sot was exciting when PlayStation announced that it would be officially partnering with Backbone to make a PlayStation-centric version of the mobile controller I’ve come to love.

Now that I have it in my hands, however, I’m left asking myself, “Is this really what I wanted?” In marketing the controller, both Backbone and PlayStation made it clear that it’s not meant to be a mobile DualSense, but I still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. It’s a Backbone colored like a DualSense that features PlayStation face buttons, but that’s it. The description on the product listing on the Backbone website says that the controller is “inspired by the look and feel of the PS DualSense,” but it only makes good in the looks department of that statement.

Gaming

Horizon Forbidden West is PS5’s first pack-in game

Horizon: Forbidden West

Sony has quietly released its first official PlayStation 5 bundle, which comes packing a voucher for this year's first-party hit Horizon Forbidden West.

The bundle has already been released in the U.K. under two SKUs -- one for the standard console with a disc drive and one for the all-digital version hardware -- but it has been spotted on the PlayStation Direct store in the U.S., so it should be available for purchase in the near future.