A stunning open-world adventure whose platinum is a pure completionist's dream — no difficulty requirement, no online, just a beautiful map begging to be 100 percent cleared. If you enjoy checking boxes in a gorgeous world, this one is a joy. The full trophy list runs to 59 trophies — 50 bronze, 7 silver, 1 gold and the Horizon Forbidden West Platinum — and this guide walks you through exactly how to earn every one.
Below you'll find a difficulty and time breakdown, a visual trophy chart, the smartest way to approach the run, a full step-by-step roadmap, the trickiest trophies, common mistakes to avoid, faster-platinum tips and an FAQ.
Horizon Forbidden West Platinum — At a Glance
| Difficulty | 3 / 10 — very achievable |
| Time to platinum | 60–90 hours |
| Trophies | 59 total (50 bronze, 7 silver, 1 gold, 1 platinum) |
| Playthroughs | 1 |
| Online required | No |
| Platforms | PS4/PS5 |
Trophy Breakdown
Here's how the 59 trophies in Horizon Forbidden West split across the four tiers:
The list is overwhelmingly collectible and completion trophies — finishing all main and side content, clearing every map facility, and gathering every collectible category — with a light skill sprinkle from the Melee Pits, Machine Strike, and combat challenges. There are essentially no hard missables since the world stays open after the story, making this a low-pressure, checklist-driven platinum.
How Hard Is the Horizon Forbidden West Platinum?
Forbidden West is one of the more relaxed AAA platinums because there's no minimum difficulty and you can freely lower it, so nothing on the list is a genuine skill wall. The challenge is sheer breadth: you must fully complete the enormous map — every Tallneck, Cauldron, Relic Ruin, Rebel Camp, Salvage Contract, Hunting Ground, and collectible — which turns the platinum into a long but steady checklist.
Where players lose momentum is the side activities that require a bit of finesse rather than raw combat. The Melee Pits ask you to learn timing-based combo challenges, and Machine Strike (the in-world board game) plus certain Hunting Ground and Gauntlet Run objectives demand more than button-mashing. None are brutal, but they break the otherwise smooth flow and catch people who assumed everything could be brute-forced by lowering the difficulty.
How It Compares to Similar Platinums
On our difficulty scale the Horizon Forbidden West platinum sits at 3/10 (very achievable) and takes roughly 60–90 hours, so it helps to see where it lands next to similar games. It sits below tougher grinds like Ghost of Tsushima and Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which makes it a solid stepping stone before you take those on.
| Game | Difficulty | Time | Trophies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Forbidden West (this guide) | 3/10 (very achievable) | 60–90 hrs | 59 |
| Ghost of Tsushima | 4/10 (very achievable) | 45–60 hrs | 52 |
| God of War Ragnarök | 5/10 (moderate) | 40–55 hrs | 36 |
| Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | 4/10 (very achievable) | 25–35 hrs | 42 |
The Smartest Way to Approach It
Play the main story on Story or Easy difficulty from the start — there's no reward for a harder run — so combat never slows you down, and focus on unlocking fast travel points and Tallnecks early to reveal the map. Do side quests and errands as you naturally pass through regions to keep travel efficient.
Save the big cleanup for after the story, when you have the best gear, mounts, and skills to sweep collectibles and combat facilities quickly. Knock out the Melee Pit challenges in focused sessions since they build on each other, learn Machine Strike's basics against easy opponents before tackling the harder matches, and use your Focus scanner constantly to sweep Vista Points, Black Boxes, and other collectibles so nothing is left behind.
Horizon Forbidden West Trophy Roadmap
Start on Story or Easy difficulty since there's no difficulty trophy, and prioritize the main quest enough to unlock fast travel, mounts, and map-revealing Tallnecks early.
As you explore each region, complete side quests, errands, and world activities in passing to minimize backtracking and steadily raise your level and gear.
Finish the main story to unlock your strongest skills and equipment, which makes the remaining combat facilities and cleanup far faster.
Sweep the map for full completion: every Cauldron, Relic Ruin, Rebel Camp, Salvage Contract, Signal Tower, Hunting Ground, and Gauntlet Run, plus all collectible categories.
Finish the skill-flavored activities — the Melee Pit challenges and Machine Strike — upgrade gear as required, then mop up any remaining miscellaneous trophies for the platinum.
Trickiest Trophies in Horizon Forbidden West
Melee Pit challenges — These timing-and-combo based fights are the closest thing to a skill check and trip up players expecting pure combat.
Machine Strike — The optional board game has real rules to learn, and some opponents require actual strategy rather than luck.
Full map completion — The sheer number of facilities and collectibles across a huge map makes tracking everything the main time sink.
Gauntlet Runs / Hunting Grounds — Timed and objective-based combat challenges reward efficient builds and can require a retry or two to ace.
Gear and upgrade requirements — Certain trophies need fully upgraded weapons or outfits, which means farming specific machine parts and resources.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Playing on a high difficulty wastes time since there's no reward for it — lower it and move faster.
Ignoring Tallnecks and fast travel early makes later map cleanup far more tedious.
Underestimating the Melee Pit timing challenges leads to frustration if you leave them all for the end untrained.
Skipping resource and part farming can leave you short of materials needed for the required gear upgrades.
Tips to Platinum Horizon Forbidden West Faster
Lower the difficulty to Story mode — there's no difficulty trophy, so speed beats challenge.
Unlock every Tallneck and fast travel point early to make map cleanup efficient.
Do side content in each region as you pass through rather than saving it all for the end.
Practice Melee Pit combos and Machine Strike in short focused sessions instead of one exhausting block.
Use Focus scanning constantly and consult a collectibles map so no Vista Point or Black Box is missed.
Horizon Forbidden West Platinum FAQ
How long does it take to platinum Horizon Forbidden West?
Most players need around 60–90 hours to platinum Horizon Forbidden West on PS4/PS5. Plan for 1 — and following a trophy roadmap keeps you on the efficient path.
Is the Horizon Forbidden West platinum hard?
It rates about 3/10 (very achievable). The main hurdle is melee Pit challenges — These timing-and-combo based fights are the closest thing to a skill check and trip up players expecting pure combat.
Do you need to play online for the Horizon Forbidden West platinum?
No — every trophy can be earned entirely offline in single-player; you don't need PlayStation Plus.
Can you get the Horizon Forbidden West platinum on PS4 and PS5?
Yes. Horizon Forbidden West shares one trophy list across PS4 and PS5, and progress carries over between them via cross-save where supported.
How many trophies does Horizon Forbidden West have?
59 in total — 50 bronze, 7 silver, 1 gold and the Horizon Forbidden West Platinum.
What's the fastest way to get the Horizon Forbidden West platinum?
Follow a step-by-step roadmap and tackle objectives in the right order so you never backtrack. The biggest time-savers are preparing your build and gear before the hardest fights, and clearing missable or collectible trophies as you go rather than saving them all for the end.
Is it worth buying a Horizon Forbidden West trophy service?
Very worth it for open-world and completionist fans — it's a low-stress, visually spectacular platinum with no difficulty or online barriers, though the sheer amount of cleanup can feel long. If you'd rather skip the grind, our Horizon Forbidden West Platinum Trophy Service unlocks all 59 trophies safely on your account from just $15.
Is there a difficulty requirement for the platinum?
No — you can play on the easiest setting the entire time, which makes this one of the more accessible AAA platinums.
Is anything missable?
Practically nothing — the world stays open after the story, so you can return and finish any collectible or activity you skipped.
What's the hardest part of the platinum?
The Melee Pits and Machine Strike are the only real skill checks; everything else is time-consuming completion work rather than difficult.
Prefer to Skip the Grind?
If you'd rather not chase every trophy yourself, our Horizon Forbidden West Platinum Trophy Service unlocks all 59 trophies legitimately on your own account from $15, with your choice of instant or realistic time-stamps. You can also browse everything we offer for the game on the Horizon Forbidden West services page, or see the full catalogue of PlayStation Trophy Services.
Related PlayStation Platinum Guides
Ghost of Tsushima Platinum Trophy Guide (PS4/PS5) — very achievable (4/10)
God of War Ragnarök Platinum Trophy Guide (PS4/PS5) — moderate (5/10)
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Platinum Trophy Guide (PS5) — very achievable (4/10)
Final Thoughts
A relaxing, beautiful completionist platinum with no difficulty or online walls — set aside the hours, enjoy the world, and the trophy is a certainty. Very worth it for open-world and completionist fans — it's a low-stress, visually spectacular platinum with no difficulty or online barriers, though the sheer amount of cleanup can feel long.