Back in late February 2026, Guerrilla Games had officially announced a new co-op action game called Horizon Hunters Gathering, along with its first Closed Playtest that involved a small group of selected players. During this initial testing phase, players were able to try out the first three Hunters – Rem, Sun, and Axle – within a three-day testing window. The first playtest had also offered early access to the Machine Incursion and Cauldron Descent game modes. Moving forward, the company has now officially announced the second Closed Playtest of the game as well.
Read more about this latest update below.
Horizon Hunters Gathering – Second Closed Playtest Officially Announced
As per the newly-shared details, the second Closed Playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering is scheduled to take place between the 22nd of May 2026 and the 25th of May 2026. Similar to the previous playtest, this upcoming testing phase will also be made available on both PlayStation consoles and PC platforms via Steam. Registration for the playtest is currently live exclusively through the PlayStation Beta Program.
Speaking more about the newly-added content, this latest playtest will introduce several new additions and gameplay improvements. This includes two new playable characters named Ensa and Shadow. Ensa is described as an Oseram smuggler with a mercenary past, while Shadow is revealed to be a mysterious Carja covert operative who commands a fearsome Stalker machine.
Additionally, the second Closed Playtest will also feature a new playable narrative episode centered around defending Ashwater Valley, along with the newly-added Breakers’ Bounty region that expands the map beyond Devil’s Thirst and the central Gathering hub. Two new difficulty options for the Machine Incursion mode, namely “Hard” and “Merciless”, have also now been introduced. Apart from these, Training Modules and automated NPC teammates for solo players are also part of the newly-added features.
At the moment, Horizon Hunters Gathering still remains in its testing phase, and Guerrilla Games has also stated that the company prefers conducting early playtests with smaller groups of players in order to focus on the core gameplay experience and implement player feedback before opening the game to a larger audience.
Stay tuned for more updates!
