If you missed the first Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest and have been waiting for another shot, Guerrilla Games has confirmed the second round runs from May 22 to May 25 on PS5 and PC. The bad news: the developer is still keeping numbers tight, so your odds of getting in remain slim. The good news: what's actually in this playtest is starting to look genuinely compelling, especially if you have any affection for the Monster Hunter formula.
Two new hunters with very different energy
The headline additions are two new playable Hunter characters. Ensa is described as "a charismatic Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past," which sounds like the kind of scrappy, unpredictable fighter that tends to be the most fun to play. The second is Shadow, a Carja covert operative who commands a Stalker machine in combat. If the Stalker companion mechanic works anything like it sounds, Shadow could easily become the breakout character of the playtest.
For anyone familiar with Horizon Forbidden West and its machine-filled world, the idea of a Hunter who weaponizes one of the game's most agile and dangerous machine types is a natural fit. It also signals that Guerrilla is thinking carefully about how to translate the Horizon universe's machine variety into distinct playstyles.
The Monster Hunter DNA is showing more clearly now
Here's the thing: the addition of Hunter NPCs during Episodes and Machine Incursion modes is the detail that should catch the attention of anyone who has put time into Monster Hunter Rise or Wilds. NPC hunters as mission support is a staple of that series, and Guerrilla appears to be leaning into that comparison rather than running from it.
The Machine Incursion mode itself draws clear parallels to Rise's Rampage missions, where waves of monsters converge on a location and players have to hold the line. Whether Hunters Gathering executes that concept with the same frantic energy remains to be seen, but the structural ambition is there.
Guerrilla has noted that player feedback from the first playtest is being incorporated, with specifics to be revealed closer to the May 22 start date.
What else is new in the playtest
Beyond the new Hunters and NPC support, the second playtest expands the game in a few meaningful ways:
- A new narrative Episode adds to the campaign content
- New difficulty modes for both Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent missions
- A training mode to help players prepare for the harder content
- A brand new area called Breakers' Bounty, described as dense jungles and ravaged ruins sitting next to a scorching desert packed with dangerous machines
Breakers' Bounty in particular sounds like the kind of biome variety that a game built around hunting different machine types genuinely needs. Distinct environments with distinct machine populations is exactly how Monster Hunter keeps its loop feeling fresh across dozens of hours.
Breakers' Bounty new region
Small numbers, big ambitions
Guerrilla is being transparent about the limited scope of this playtest. The studio confirmed it is "choosing to playtest early and with small numbers to focus on the core experience," with plans to open to larger groups later. That's a sensible approach for a game that is still in active development, and it suggests the studio is not rushing toward a live-service launch before the fundamentals are solid.
The broader context here matters. When Hunters Gathering was announced, a Horizon lead confirmed that Guerrilla still plans to make single-player games. Reports have since suggested that most of the studio is currently focused on Hunters Gathering, which likely pushes a hypothetical Horizon 3 well into the future. That is a significant bet on a genre that remains underserved outside of Capcom's own output.
For players who want to stay across everything happening in the Horizon universe and beyond, our latest gaming news has you covered as the May 22 playtest window approaches.
