Horizon Zero Dawn captured something rare: a post-apocalyptic open world where lush nature has reclaimed a technological civilization, and the central mystery of why drives you forward as compellingly as any combat encounter. Aloy's bow-based stealth-hunting against mechanical creatures created a unique gameplay loop — study the machine, exploit its weak points, craft from its parts, and grow stronger. The world's layered lore rewards every player who stops to scan a ruin or listen to an audio log.
When players ask for games like Horizon Zero Dawn, they're really chasing a specific combination: a third-person open world action RPG with confident storytelling, a lone protagonist uncovering a world's buried secrets, stealth-informed tactical combat, and environments that feel genuinely alive. Pure shooters or generic fantasy RPGs don't scratch that itch — the recommendations below are chosen for matching those specific qualities.
Top pick:Ghost of Tsushima is the single closest match to Horizon Zero Dawn in the candidate pool — it shares the same open world action RPG architecture, the same stealth-first approach to encounters, the same emphasis on a lone protagonist's identity journey, and the same jaw-dropping environmental beauty, making it the obvious next game for any HZD fan.
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Ghost of Tsushima shares Horizon's DNA almost beat-for-beat: a gorgeous open world, third-person stealth-action combat, a lone protagonist uncovering a world under threat, and a rich narrative driven by personal identity. Both reward exploration and tactical approach to encounters.
Key difference: Feudal Japan samurai setting; no sci-fi or machines.
Best for: Fans who loved the stealth, open world, and cinematic drama.
Skip if: You specifically want sci-fi world-building and creature hunting.
Assassin's Creed Origins shares Horizon's structure almost exactly — a third-person open world action RPG with a strong protagonist, mystery-driven narrative, weapon crafting, and enemy camps to clear. Both even feature a sprawling ancient world to unravel.
Key difference: Historical Egypt setting; no robotic enemies or sci-fi mystery.
Best for: Players who loved the open world RPG loop and lore discovery.
Skip if: You want futuristic sci-fi themes or unique machine enemy types.
Odyssey matches HZD's template most closely of any Assassin's Creed entry — a massive open world, third-person action RPG with bow-focused combat, stealth, crafting, and a mythological mystery-driven narrative. The structural resemblance is striking.
Key difference: Ancient Greece setting; more dialogue choices, less unique enemy design.
Best for: HZD fans wanting the same open world action RPG loop at massive scale.
Skip if: You dislike content-bloated worlds or grind-heavy progression.
God of War (2018) matches Horizon's tone of a character-driven action RPG set in a mythological yet grounded world, with similar third-person combat mixing ranged and melee, crafting systems, and a deeply emotional narrative.
Key difference: Linear-ish progression; no open world hunting loop.
Best for: Those who loved Horizon's cinematic storytelling and third-person combat.
Skip if: You want a true open world with emergent exploration.
The Witcher 3 is the gold standard of open world narrative RPGs — rich lore, meaningful choices, and a stunning world filled with secrets. Like HZD, it rewards curiosity about the world's history and features layered combat with preparation and sign mechanics.
Key difference: Dark fantasy setting; more dialogue-driven, less action-focused combat.
Best for: Players who loved HZD's world-building and mystery but want more RPG depth.
Skip if: You want fast-paced action combat over deliberate RPG systems.
NieR: Automata features android protagonists fighting mechanical lifeforms in a post-apocalyptic open world, sharing Horizon's core premise of humans (or their proxies) vs. machines. Its philosophical narrative rivals HZD's lore depth.
Key difference: More frantic hack-and-slash combat; multiple narrative routes required.
Best for: Fans of HZD's sci-fi mystery and emotional storytelling.
Skip if: You dislike replaying the story from new perspectives.
Monster Hunter: World centers on hunting, studying, and harvesting enormous creatures to craft gear — the mechanical heart of Horizon's gameplay loop. Learning each monster's behavior and weak points mirrors Horizon's combat philosophy exactly.
Key difference: No story-driven narrative; pure hunting-loop focus without open world exploration.
Best for: Players who loved hunting machines and crafting gear upgrades.
Skip if: You want a strong single-player narrative driving progression.
Far Cry Primal strips the series back to a prehistoric world where you hunt animals, craft every weapon, and fight with a bow — thematically and mechanically the closest Far Cry comes to HZD's nature-vs-technology survival loop.
Key difference: No machines or sci-fi; first-person; far simpler narrative.
Best for: Players who love HZD's hunting, crafting, and primal nature setting.
Skip if: You want a strong narrative or third-person perspective.
Rise of the Tomb Raider puts a young woman alone in a hostile, beautiful open environment — navigating stealth, crafting arrows and tools, hunting animals for resources, and uncovering ancient mysteries. The structural overlap with HZD is extensive.
Key difference: More linear overall; no large mechanical enemies or sci-fi worldbuilding.
Best for: Fans of HZD's survival crafting, stealth, and lone-heroine narrative.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor blends open world stealth with action in a fantasy setting, featuring a nemesis system that makes every enemy encounter feel dynamic — similar to how HZD's machines each demand a distinct tactical approach.
Key difference: Nemesis system replaces hunting loop; darker tone.
Best for: Players who loved Horizon's stealth, open world, and tactical combat.
Skip if: You want a female protagonist or sci-fi setting.
Days Gone is a third-person open world action game with stealth, resource crafting, and a post-collapse world to unravel — structurally identical to HZD, with enormous hordes replacing machines as the signature threat.
Key difference: Modern zombie apocalypse setting; motorcycle traversal as core mechanic.
Best for: HZD fans wanting the same open world stealth-action structure on PlayStation.
Skip if: You want a female protagonist or machine-hunting combat feel.
Tomb Raider (2013) is a direct structural ancestor to HZD: a young woman fights for survival in a hostile open area, using a bow as a primary weapon, crafting from scavenged materials, and uncovering a world's dark secrets through exploration.
Key difference: Much smaller scale; no RPG progression or open world size.
Best for: Players who want HZD's survival-bow-stealth feel in a tighter package.
Skip if: You want large-scale open world RPG systems.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War expands on Mordor's formula with a bigger open world, deeper RPG systems, and fortress sieges — maintaining the stealth-action enemy-study loop that makes Horizon's combat satisfying.
Key difference: Nemesis system and orc armies replace creature hunting.
Best for: Players who want more open world and RPG depth than the first Mordor.
Skip if: You want a sci-fi or post-apocalyptic setting.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a third-person action-adventure in a rich sci-fi universe, with exploration-driven progression, metroidvania-lite map design, and a story-first approach — sharing HZD's pace and tone even if combat differs.
Key difference: More Soulslike combat; no open world or hunting/crafting loop.
Best for: HZD fans who want a cinematic sci-fi adventure with exploration.
Skip if: You want an open world and ranged/stealth combat focus.
The Last of Us pairs tense stealth with resource crafting and a deeply emotional narrative in a post-collapse world — matching HZD's combination of survival tension and story investment, though through a much darker lens.
Key difference: Linear level design; horror tone and no open world exploration.
Best for: Players drawn to HZD's stealth, crafting, and emotional narrative weight.
Skip if: You want open world freedom or uplifting themes.
Far Cry 3 pioneered the open world action formula HZD refines — hunting animals for crafting upgrades, clearing outposts with stealth or aggression, and exploring a lush dangerous environment. The gameplay DNA is clearly shared.
Key difference: First-person perspective; modern setting, far weaker narrative.
Best for: Players who love the outpost-clearing and crafting-from-hunts loop.
Skip if: You want a third-person action RPG with a strong story.
Breath of the Wild delivers the same sense of awe-inspiring open world discovery as HZD, rewarding curiosity at every turn in a landscape that blends ancient and technological elements. Exploration and emergent gameplay are central to both.
Key difference: Puzzle-centric design; fantasy tone without sci-fi mystery narrative.
Best for: Players who loved HZD's open world wonder and environmental storytelling.
Skip if: You want a serious dramatic narrative or ranged combat depth.
Shadow of the Colossus distills HZD's machine-hunting fantasy to its purest form: study a massive mechanical-feeling creature, identify weak points, and execute a strategy to bring it down. The emotional weight and beautiful world add to the parallel.
Key difference: No open world activities beyond boss fights; minimalist design.
Best for: Players who love the epic boss-hunting feel of machine encounters.
Skip if: You want systemic RPG progression and side content.
Fallout 4 shares HZD's post-apocalyptic open world structure with an emphasis on exploring a fallen civilization's ruins and uncovering its history — both games hinge on the mystery of what destroyed the old world.
Key difference: First-person shooter with base-building; less action-RPG fluidity.
Best for: Players intrigued by HZD's 'what happened to the old world' mystery.
Skip if: You want fluid third-person combat and machine hunting.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a stealth-action RPG set in a sci-fi world wrestling with the relationship between humans and technology — thematically adjacent to HZD's central conflict, with deep systems for approaching each encounter.
Key difference: First-person, cyberpunk city-based; not an open world action game.
Best for: HZD fans who want deeper stealth RPG systems and sci-fi theme depth.
Skip if: You want open nature environments and creature-hunting combat.
Feudal Japan samurai setting; no sci-fi or machines.
PlayStation
Assassin's Creed Origins
89%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Historical Egypt setting; no robotic enemies or sci-fi mystery.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
88%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Ancient Greece setting; more dialogue choices, less unique enemy design.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC
God of War
87%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Linear-ish progression; no open world hunting loop.
PlayStation, PC
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
84%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Dark fantasy setting; more dialogue-driven, less action-focused combat.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo
NieR: Automata
83%
Role-playing (RPG), Action
More frantic hack-and-slash combat; multiple narrative routes required.
PlayStation, PC
Monster Hunter: World
82%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
No story-driven narrative; pure hunting-loop focus without open world exploration.
PlayStation, PC, Xbox
Far Cry: Primal
82%
Shooter, Adventure
No machines or sci-fi; first-person; far simpler narrative.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC
Rise of the Tomb Raider
81%
Shooter, Adventure
More linear overall; no large mechanical enemies or sci-fi worldbuilding.
PlayStation, PC, Xbox
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
80%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Nemesis system replaces hunting loop; darker tone.
PlayStation, PC, Xbox
Days Gone
80%
Shooter, Adventure
Modern zombie apocalypse setting; motorcycle traversal as core mechanic.
PlayStation, PC
Tomb Raider
78%
Shooter, Adventure
Much smaller scale; no RPG progression or open world size.
PlayStation, PC, Mobile, Xbox
Middle-earth: Shadow of War
77%
Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Nemesis system and orc armies replace creature hunting.
PlayStation, PC, Xbox
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
76%
Adventure, Action
More Soulslike combat; no open world or hunting/crafting loop.
Xbox, PlayStation, PC
The Last of Us
75%
Shooter, Adventure
Linear level design; horror tone and no open world exploration.
PlayStation
What makes a game feel like Horizon Zero Dawn?
Three pillars define the HZD experience: a third-person open world with genuine exploration reward, tactical combat that punishes button-mashing and rewards preparation (weak points, elemental damage, stealth approaches), and a narrative mystery that makes lore discovery feel urgent. Games that match all three — like Ghost of Tsushima and Assassin's Creed Origins — feel the most alike, while games that only share the open world tag (Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft) feel nothing like it.
The hunting-and-crafting loop is also underrated as an HZD DNA marker. Monster Hunter: World and Rise of the Tomb Raider both center on studying enemy behavior and harvesting materials to unlock gear, which creates the same sense of earned progression that makes Horizon's machine fights so satisfying.
If you loved Horizon's sci-fi mystery and machine enemies
NieR: Automata is the must-play for players hooked on HZD's central question of what happens when machines develop consciousness — it explores that theme with more philosophical depth than almost any other game, set in a similarly ruined post-human world. Fallout 4 delivers the 'exploring the bones of a dead civilization' feeling, with audio logs and environmental storytelling revealing what the old world looked like before collapse.
For a more action-focused take on humans vs. machines in an open world, the missing pick is Far Cry Primal — often overlooked, it trades sci-fi for prehistoric but keeps the bow-and-hunt loop that defines HZD's combat identity. Deus Ex: Human Revolution goes deeper on the technology-vs-humanity theme with a stealth RPG framework, though it trades the open nature world for a cyberpunk cityscape.
Best picks for the cinematic action RPG feel
God of War (2018) and its sequel God of War Ragnarök are the clearest peers to HZD in terms of production quality, emotional storytelling, and third-person combat depth — they represent the same PlayStation first-party ambition applied to Norse mythology. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the benchmark for open world RPG narrative, matching HZD's commitment to a world that feels like it existed before you arrived, with quests that have real moral weight.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor round out the list for players who want the exploration-and-combat rhythm of HZD but in a sci-fi or fantasy universe respectively — both reward patient, tactical play over brute force in ways that will feel immediately familiar.
Ghost of Tsushima is the closest structural match — it's a third-person open world action RPG with stealth, crafting, a strong narrative about a protagonist finding their identity, and stunning natural environments. Assassin's Creed Odyssey and God of War (2018) are equally strong alternatives if you want RPG depth or cinematic storytelling respectively.
Are there games like Horizon Zero Dawn but with more RPG depth?
Yes — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt offers far deeper role-playing systems, meaningful story choices, and richer world-building while keeping the open world action structure. Assassin's Creed Odyssey also adds dialogue trees and deeper leveling compared to HZD's more streamlined RPG elements.
Is there a game with a hunting loop similar to Horizon Zero Dawn?
Monster Hunter: World is the purest match for HZD's hunt-study-craft loop: you track large creatures, learn their behavioral patterns and weak points, and harvest materials to upgrade your gear. Rise of the Tomb Raider also features animal hunting for crafting upgrades using a bow as the primary weapon.
What should I play after finishing Horizon Zero Dawn?
Play Horizon Forbidden West first if you want to continue Aloy's story directly. For something different but equally satisfying, Ghost of Tsushima delivers the same open world stealth-action RPG feel, while God of War (2018) matches HZD's cinematic storytelling ambition. NieR: Automata is essential if the machine-civilization mystery was your favorite part.
Are there games like Horizon Zero Dawn on PC?
Yes — The Witcher 3, NieR: Automata, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Assassin's Creed Origins and Odyssey, and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor are all available on PC and share significant DNA with HZD. Horizon Zero Dawn itself is also available on PC via Steam, as is Horizon Forbidden West.
91%
