NCSOFT pulled back the curtain at G-Star 2025, confirming the long-rumored Horizon Steel Frontiers, a new MMORPG set in the Horizon universe and developed in collaboration with franchise holder Guerrilla Games. Built for both PC and mobile, the game aims to blend cooperative machine hunting with fierce competition over resources and clashes between rival tribes.
Horizon Steel Frontiers is set in the Deadlands, a region inspired by Arizona and New Mexico. The debut gameplay highlights a shift toward deeper, more tactile combat. Players can latch onto damaged machine parts with the Pullcaster to set traps and inflict status effects, scoop up weapons dropped mid-fight, stash them on a mount, and deploy them later. The biggest change is the introduction of greatswords, bringing full-on melee combat with parries and counterattacks—an aggressive alternative to the series’ traditional emphasis on bows and spears.
While neither the announcement video nor the press materials shared a release date, NCSOFT executives recently indicated during the company’s Q3 2025 earnings call that development is far along. They expressed confidence in a 2026 or early 2027 launch window and noted strong internal feedback from hands-on demonstrations. Given the growing complexity of large-scale online games, 2027 remains a realistic expectation, but the optimism around progress suggests pre-release testing or beta events could arrive in 2026.
For fans of the Horizon world, the promise of cooperative hunts, territorial competition, and a revamped combat system—complete with Pullcaster tactics and greatsword duels—makes Horizon Steel Frontiers one of the most-watched MMORPGs on the horizon. Keep an eye out for updates on testing phases, gameplay deep dives, and the final release window as development continues.
