Skip to main content

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

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

Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
The PlayStation Backbone is a great mobile gaming controller, but a bad PS5 companion
The DualSense Backbone resting on a window sill displaying the PS5 logo on its screen.

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.

Read more
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.

Read more
Please Gran Turismo 7, let me spend my credits on Hondas
gran turismo 7 honda economy

My friends and I have a running joke that revolves around a specific brand of car: Honda. Don’t ask me why, but it’s an elaborate gag that’s been happening for years. So when I bought Gran Turismo 7, the ultimate driving simulator, I decided that I was going to take that bit to the next level by buying every single Honda model in the game. I refused to spend my credits on anything but Hondas.

Gran Turismo 7 had other plans, though. While there’s nothing actively stopping me from buying any car I want, it’s clear that the game does not want me to spend my entire budget on Hondas. Frankly, that’s responsible, but it wasn’t going to stop me from trying anyway.

Read more