Horizon Zero Dawn gets stunning free photorealistic graphics overhaul

If you ask me, Horizon is one of the strongest modern gaming franchises out there. It boasts incredible graphics, an exquisitely detailed and well designed open world, an engaging story, and fluid combat.

Any creases found in the original game, namely those soulless NPCs, were ironed out in the 2022 sequel Horizon Forbidden West.

In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that Horizon Forbidden West is on the opposite end of the spectrum, offering up some of the most well-realised NPCs we’ve seen in gaming to date.

Last year’s Burning Shores perfectly set up a third and final instalment, treating us to an epic boss fight and, of course, introducing us to new love interest Sekya.

I can’t wait to see what’s next for the franchise. In fact, I recently spoke to Guerrilla studio head Jan-Beck Van Beek about that very topic, who also shared his excitement for Aloy’s next adventure including a number of other mysterious projects - possibly including a multiplayer.

Whilst we patiently wait for Guerrilla to unveil their plans though, I have a lovely treat to share with those of you who sampled Horizon Zero Dawn on PC - namely a fantastic free mod that totally overhauls the game’s graphics.

Sorry to those of you who, like me, enjoyed the game on PlayStation. We’re just going to have to sit on the sidelines and admire this one.

Enjoy a scenic walk through Horizon Forbidden West’s open world below.

The ‘Photorealistic Reshade’ mod is the work of NexusMods user haskeer212.

Essentially, the mod overhauls Horizon Zero Dawn’s colours, shadows, and tone mapping in addition to removing any blur.

As the creator writes, “No overkill preset, just enhancing the already great graphics.”

That’s all you really need. Horizon Zero Dawn is already a fantastic looking game on PC. This simply gives it a nice little boost.

You can take a look at the mod in action below courtesy of YouTuber Digital Dreams who took it for a spin.

“Dude that looks like a movie,” one viewer commented.

The end result is quite stylised and may appear too sharp for your tastes. If that’s the case, you can simply enjoy the original but if you’re looking to dynamise a replay, this might be just the mod for you.

You can download the mod for free now from NexusMods.