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| Team up with your squad to take down aggressive machines when the second Horizon Hunters Gathering closed playtest kicks off. |
By Jon Scarr
Guerrilla Games is opening the gates for the second closed playtest of Horizon Hunters Gathering from May 22 to May 25, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam. If you want a chance to jump into this upcoming co-op action game, you need to register right now through the PlayStation Beta Program portal.
Invites will drop right before the test weekend kicks off, so getting your name on the list early is your best bet to secure a spot. This upcoming test builds directly on what went down during the first test phase earlier this year, but it packs a bunch of brand-new content you haven't seen yet.
Game Director Arjan Bak and the team are tossing in two new characters, a massive new region, an unlocked story chapter, and automated support bots that let you hunt if your squad is offline. It's a significant step forward for the project, and you can coordinate with other hunters ahead of time by jumping straight into the official Hunters Gathering Discord channel.
Horizon Hunters Gathering expands the roster with Ensa and Shadow
Let's talk about who you're taking into battle. The original test group of Rem, Sun, and Axle is back, but now you've got two completely new options to try out. First up is Ensa, an Oseram smuggler with a heavy mercenary background who brings a completely different combat flavour to the squad.
If you prefer sneaking around and striking from concealment, Shadow steps in as a Carja covert operative. Shadow doesn't just fight on his own either; he commands a companion Stalker machine that stalks targets alongside you.
Taking these two out into the wilds changes how a three-hunter squad operates. You can mix and match these characters to find a playstyle that works best before you venture out past the safety of the campfire.
Multistage cauldrons and wave defense modes push tactical coordination
The test includes a few distinct ways to play, starting with Machine Incursion mode. This is a high-intensity wave-defense gauntlet where you protect objectives from machine hordes pouring out of underground gateways. You'll face scaling threats that lead directly into massive boss fights against heavy hitters like the Thunderjaw, and you can tweak the adjustable difficulty options to match your squad's gear level.
If you want something more structured, Cauldron Descent mode locks you into multi-stage trials inside underground machine bunkers. This mode requires absolute co-op coordination to push through brutal machine encounters and unlock hidden loot doors. There's also a playable story Episode that rolls out the opening plot blocks of the campaign, alongside short training modules to help you map out your controls.
Automated companion bots fill empty squad slots during individual play
You don't have to wait around in matchmaking queues if your friends are offline. Guerrilla Games added NPC companion support to Episode and Machine Incursion modes, which automatically fills empty slots in your three-hunter squad. You can select from Rem, Sun, or Axle to watch your back, and these bots provide active battle assists to keep your hunts moving forward.
When you aren't out tracking down a rogue Ravager, you'll drop into a central social hub called The Gathering. This area acts as your main staging ground where you customize your personal campsite, meet up with other hunters, and assemble your gear loadouts before stepping out into regions like Devil's Thirst or the brand-new Breakers' Bounty map.
Guerrilla Games shapes cooperative hunting updates using community feedback
Guerrilla Games isn't just treating this upcoming weekend as a quick server stress test. This second look at the game is a real opportunity to see how the action cycle shifts when you throw high-tier threats like the Thunderjaw against the unlocked squad capabilities introduced by Ensa and Shadow. If you want to log some early hours in Breakers' Bounty before Horizon Hunters Gathering officially launches, securing your spot on the registration list right now is non-negotiable.
The studio needs raw data from these three-hunter squads to fine-tune weapon balancing and gateway spawn rates before launch. Head directly over to the PlayStation Beta Program portal to link your account, drop into the official Discord to find a dedicated group, and keep a close eye on your inbox for an active download key as the weekend approaches.
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