Games like Horizon Zero Dawn

If you loved stalking machine herds and exploiting their mechanical vulnerabilities in combat, Forbidden West doubles down on this core loop with expanded tools and environments. The strategic dance of identifying weaknesses, positioning yourself, and executing a takedown remains the heartbeat of both games—it's what makes each encounter feel earned rather than button-mashed.

The third-person exploration and atmospheric world-building that drew you into Zero Dawn carry forward here with tangible upgrades: underwater diving and gliding mechanics transform how you move through the post-apocalyptic landscape. These aren't cosmetic additions; they fundamentally change how you approach reconnaissance and engagement, keeping the familiar feel fresh.

Where Forbidden West diverges is in its story delivery. Rather than the emotional character arcs of its predecessor, this sequel prioritizes spectacle and environmental storytelling—a meaningful tradeoff that some players find less resonant. If you valued Zero Dawn's narrative depth above all else, expect a shift in pacing emphasis.

Critically, Forbidden West addresses the tedious grinding that plagued the original through a more streamlined progression system, making progression feel less like repetitive busywork. Best for hunters who crave refined combat systems and visual spectacle over narrative intimacy.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Horizon Forbidden West.

Hunting for weak points, then turning a tense encounter into a clean, tactical takedown? Rise of the Tomb Raider scratches that same itch with bow shots, stealth kills, and careful resource use, so every fight feels like preparation paying off rather than raw shooting.

It also matches Horizon Zero Dawn in the mix of exploration and discovery: you climb, scan environments, and push into hidden spaces for upgrades and secrets. That loop works for the same reason—curiosity is constantly rewarded, and the world keeps feeding you new tools that change how you approach the next area.

The big tradeoff is tone: Lara’s journey leans more into rugged survival and puzzle-driven tomb raiding than machine-hunting sci-fi. That makes it a fresh angle rather than a copy, while still addressing one Horizon complaint by offering a more focused pace with less repetitive side content.

Best for players who want methodical combat, strong traversal, and a female-led adventure with real momentum.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Rise of the Tomb Raider.

Both titles demand that you treat the environment as a tactical playground where scouting enemy patrols is vital to surviving the wasteland. In Days Gone, you will track massive Freaker hordes with the same calculated precision used to stalk a Thunderjaw. This strategic preparation anchors the experience because your success relies on studying movement patterns and crafting specific tools to exploit environmental hazards.

Where Horizon Zero Dawn occasionally struggles with thin supporting character arcs, this journey provides a more consistently personal narrative that grounds its world-building through meaningful character relationships. You will trade the high-tech Focus for a mechanical survival layer centered on your upgradeable motorbike. This shift transforms travel into a high-stakes resource management puzzle where fuel and repair parts dictate your exploration limits.

Best for players who crave grounded stakes and methodical world exploration.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Days Gone.

Both games demand you study enemy behavior before striking, turning each fight into a calculated puzzle. Observation is the ritual: in Horizon that means dissecting a machine’s components; in Shadow you locate weak spots on enemies and environmental traps.

Strategic weak‑point hunting drives combat, rewarding patience with explosive payoffs. Open‑world traversal pairs with environmental puzzles that unlock upgrades and lore, mirroring Horizon’s use of discovery as narrative fuel.

A lone female protagonist and an orchestral score give each adventure an intimate, epic feel. Shadow shifts the tone from futuristic survival to historical mystery, but keeps the focus on personal growth; if Horizon’s uneven pacing frustrated you, Shadow’s tighter mission flow cuts filler.

The biggest trade‑off is the setting: robot dinosaurs give way to ancient tombs, swapping sci‑fi hunting for archaeological intrigue. Players who love strategic combat, deep exploration, and a story‑rich female lead will find a fresh yet familiar adventure.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

That pull to crouch in tall grass, line up a shot, and watch an enemy patrol unravel before they ever knew you were there — Assassin's Creed Origins delivers that same deliberate, predatory satisfaction that Horizon Zero Dawn built its best moments around. Both games reward players who observe before they act, turning stealth and positioning into a kind of quiet power fantasy.

The Action RPG loop will feel immediately familiar: gear progression, skill trees, and enemy weak points that make combat feel like a puzzle rather than a brawl. Exploration carries the same weight too — both worlds are dense with discoverable content that makes wandering feel purposeful rather than padded.

Where Origins diverges is tone: swap post-apocalyptic wilderness for ancient Egypt rendered in stunning historical detail, which gives the open world a grounded, lived-in texture that Horizon's world occasionally lacks in its supporting cast and side content.

If repetitive side quests dulled Horizon's shine for you, Origins offers more narrative variety across its missions, with stronger supporting characters that give its world more human weight.

Best for players who love a richly atmospheric open world and want their exploration and stealth to feel intentional rather than incidental.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Assassin's Creed Origins.

Both games excel at world-building through environmental storytelling, tasking you with deciphering the remnants of a collapsed civilization. This shared post-apocalyptic DNA matters because it turns simple exploration into a compelling archaeological investigation.

The primary shift is perspective and tone; you trade Horizon’s acrobatic third-person archery for the claustrophobic, high-stakes gunplay of a first-person survival shooter. While Horizon focuses on majestic spectacle, Metro Exodus demands constant resource management and tactical caution.

Pick this up if you want the same sense of discovery found in Aloy’s journey, but can live without the agile combat and lush, vibrant landscapes.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Metro Exodus.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey shares Horizon Zero Dawn’s core strength in delivering a story-rich single-player experience centered on a deep, choice-driven narrative with a female protagonist. Both games emphasize open-world exploration, making the journey as vital as the action, which greatly enhances player agency and world immersion.

The key tradeoff is Odyssey’s historical setting and RPG elements lean heavily on grinding and repetitive tasks, alongside aggressive monetization not present in Horizon’s more focused sci-fi arc. This can dilute the pacing and tension that Horizon builds through its streamlined combat and machine hunting.

Pick Odyssey if you want expansive player choice and rich mythology but can tolerate more grind and microtransactions, whereas Horizon suits players seeking a tighter narrative loop and strategic combat against robotic foes.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Both games weaponize strategic enemy weak-point targeting as their core combat loop—machine herds in Horizon, mythological beasts in God of War demand you read patterns and strike methodically, not button-mash.

The emotional narrative weight hits similarly hard; both writers use parent-child dynamics as the story's emotional backbone, delivering moments that resonate long after the controller drops.

God of War trades Horizon's sweeping open world for tightly scripted, corridor-style progression—less exploration freedom, but ruthlessly focused pacing that never wastes your time.

Grab this if you want Horizon's combat satisfaction and story depth but can live without the open-world hunting.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to God of War.

Both games anchor themselves in third-person combat that rewards pattern recognition and exploit-hunting. You'll learn enemy tells, plan your approach, and execute a satisfying tactical loop—just with axes instead of arrows.

The emotional storytelling hits similarly hard, because both games marry character arcs to mythology-driven worlds. This matters: you're not just fighting; you're understanding why.

The critical difference is pacing. God of War tightens its narrative into a compact, linear journey, while Horizon sprawls into open-world repetition that dilutes momentum.

Pick this up if you want stronger narrative focus than Horizon offers, but expect less freedom in how you explore the world.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to God of War.

Both games excel at environmental storytelling, forcing you to piece together the tragic history of a ruined facility by meticulously scanning your surroundings. This discovery-driven loop rewards curiosity, providing the same intellectual satisfaction found in uncovering Zero Dawn’s ancient secrets.

While Horizon focuses on high-speed tactical combat against mechanical beasts, Prey demands methodical stealth and creative resource management within a claustrophobic space station. You trade the open wilderness for a complex, interconnected labyrinth where every tool serves a dual purpose.

Pick this up if you crave dense, sci-fi mystery and non-linear problem solving, but be prepared to trade Horizon’s fluid third-person archery for a tense, first-person psychological survival experience.

If you enjoyed this game, see our list of games similar to Prey.