The journey of Aloy through the post-apocalyptic world crafted by Guerrilla Games has captivated gamers since the release of Horizon Zero Dawn in 2017. With Horizon Forbidden West arriving in 2022, fans were eager to explore how much time had passed between the two entries in the acclaimed sci-fi action-RPG series. Understanding the timeline between these two pivotal installments enhances appreciation for the narrative continuity, character evolution, and worldbuilding that make the Horizon series so compelling.
In this in-depth article, we explore the chronological gap between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West, examine how the passage of time impacts the story and characters, and dive into the subtle shifts in technology, environment, politics, and lore that unfold in this period.
The Official Timeline: How Much Time Passed?
The time between Aloy’s initial victory over HADES in Horizon Zero Dawn and the opening of Horizon Forbidden West is approximately six months. This timeframe is confirmed both through in-game dialogue and developer commentary.
While six months may seem brief, the events that unfold during this period are packed with urgency, exploration, and escalating consequences. During these half-a-year, Aloy travels west of the original game’s landscape in pursuit of answers about the spreading Red Blight — a lethal, technologically influenced plague devastating nature and machines alike.
Despite the short real-world duration, the emotional and narrative weight feels expansive. Aloy moves from a newly recognized hero to a driven seeker of knowledge, driven not by fame but by responsibility to prevent a second extinction-level threat to humanity.
Why the Six-Month Break Feels Longer: Story and Worldbuilding
Although the time jump is only six months, the immersive nature of the storytelling makes it feel longer due to:
- Increased scale of exploration and territory
- The evolving complexity of Aloy’s mission
- Greater depth in political relationships between tribes
- A heightened sense of urgency caused by the Red Blight’s spread
This brevity also emphasizes how rapidly the world is deteriorating. The Red Blight isn’t a slow-moving disaster — it’s accelerating. Machines malfunction, vegetation dies, and human communities collapse within weeks. The short timeline reinforces the stakes.
The Real-World Gap: Five Years Between Releases
While the in-universe gap is only six months, the real-world span between *Horizon Zero Dawn* (2017) and *Horizon Forbidden West* (2022) was five years. This prolonged development period allowed Guerrilla Games to refine gameplay mechanics, improve AI and graphics, expand the narrative universe, and deepen the environmental storytelling.
Fans often confuse this five-year development gap with the in-universe timeline. However, it’s critical to distinguish between:
– In-universe timeline: Six months between Aloy completing her mission in Zero Dawn and launching her journey west.
– Real-world timeline: Five years between the games’ commercial releases.
Understanding this difference helps explain how much more mature and expansive *Forbidden West* feels — not because years passed in the story, but because the developers had time to build upon the foundation established in the first game.
Historical Events Between the Two Games
The six-month interlude between the games isn’t idle downtime. Instead, it’s filled with key events that set the stage for *Forbidden West*. These moments are revealed through flashbacks, recordings, dialogue, and narrative context.
1. Aloy’s Recognition and Discomfort with Fame
After defeating HADES and Zetherstrom (the rogue AI), Aloy becomes a celebrated figure across many tribes. However, she shuns public attention, struggling with the expectations of being a symbol. As she tells Sylens in *Forbidden West*, she doesn’t want to be a leader or myth — she wants to solve problems.
Instead of basking in glory, Aloy travels to the ruins of Faro Automated Solutions — the pre-Collapse megacorp responsible for creating the machines that caused the Old World’s destruction. Here, she discovers the activation of a post-apocalyptic failsafe system: GAIA, a network of terraforming AI functions, has been compromised.
2. The Spread of the Red Blight
The most pressing threat that emerges in the six-month interlude is the Red Blight, a crimson, web-like growth that spreads across mechanical and organic life. First spotted near the ruins of San Francisco, the plague corrupts machines and alters ecosystems, rendering land uninhabitable.
This phenomenon is tied to the corrupted AI function known as Nemesis, which the original GAIA framework was meant to contain. As records reveal, GAIA was missing one critical function: ELIZABETH — whose purpose was to protect against synthetic pathogens.
Aloy concludes that the Red Blight is not a natural disaster but a new wave of AI-induced ecological collapse — mirroring the Old World’s downfall.
3. Aloy’s Journey to the Forbidden West
Convinced that answers lie west of the Nora lands, Aloy ventures into a region long considered taboo and forbidden. She encounters the Oseram, the Tenakth, the Utaru, and the Norr — each with their own cultures, struggles, and relationships with the spreading Blight.
Her journey becomes a race against time: she must find the missing AI functions, prevent GAIA’s collapse, and locate the secret facility that could turn the tide in her battle against Nemesis.
Tribal and Political Shifts in Half a Year
Despite the narrow timeline, inter-tribal politics shift dramatically. In *Zero Dawn*, tribal interactions were often limited to local alliances or conflicts — such as the Nora’s internal power struggles or the Carja civil war. In *Forbidden West*, Aloy navigates complex diplomacy among four major tribes, each playing a strategic role in the resistance against the Blight.
The Carja: Recovering but Fractured
By the time of *Forbidden West*, Avad has stabilized the Carja Dynasty after the Sun-King’s demise and the Shadow Carja civil war. However, the kingdom is weakened. Supplies are low, refugees strain resources, and the Blight threatens further destabilization.
Avad transitions from a rebellious warrior in *Zero Dawn* to a pragmatic commander trying to balance duty with survival.
The Oseram: Engineers of the Wasteland
The Oseram are master engineers and salvagers. In the six-month interval, their industrial zones are increasingly plagued by machine malfunction due to the Blight. Some Oseram, like Zo, ally with Aloy, while others become entrenched in isolationist or opportunistic stances.
Their technological ingenuity proves vital to Aloy’s mission — particularly in crafting upgrades and navigating subterranean ruins.
The Tenakth: Warriors in Crisis
The Tenakth, divided into the Red and White Blades, face a cultural crisis. Generations of warfare have left them vulnerable as resources dwindle. The Red Blight forces younger generations, like Banuk, to reevaluate their warrior traditions in favor of exploration and knowledge.
Banuk’s role in *Forbidden West* is particularly meaningful — his obsession with machine anomalies in *The Frozen Wilds* expansion (set shortly after *Zero Dawn*) becomes central to the broader narrative.
The Utaru: Guardians of the Land
Agricultural and peace-seeking, the Utaru value harmony with nature. Their farming regions, the breadbaskets of the west, are among the first to be hit by the Red Blight. As their crops fail, the Utaru suffer mass starvation and displacement.
Their plight underscores the urgency of Aloy’s mission — the Blight doesn’t just destroy machines; it kills food, water, and entire ways of life.
Technological and Environmental Evolution
The half-year between the two games sees notable technological regressions and adaptations.
1. The Degradation of Machine Behavior
Mechanical creatures, typically predictable in *Zero Dawn*, begin to behave erratically in *Forbidden West*. Some enter feral states, others mutate into new variants (like the Bladed Sawtooth or the Spiker), and a few become docile or self-destructive.
This shift is directly caused by the Red Blight infecting machine network nodes. As GAIA fails, so do the safeguards that kept machines from turning hostile.
2. Aloy’s Upgraded Gear and Tools
Aloy returns with more refined equipment. While not revolutionary, her gear reflects months of field testing and upgrades.
| Item | Zero Dawn | Forbidden West |
|---|---|---|
| Focus Device | Limited tracking and scanning | Enhanced hacking, new UI, real-time mission logging |
| Blades of the Two | Limited dual-wield capability | Fully functional dual-weapons with combo attacks |
| Stealth System | Basic cloaking with power drain | Upgraded stealth with integrated radar and longer duration |
| Machines Tamed | Limited to rideable herbivores | Wide range of rideable combat and support machines |
This progression shows how Aloy adapted her toolkit post-*Zero Dawn*, scavenging better parts, integrating new alloys, and mastering dual-weapon combat during her travels.
3. Environmental Storytelling: Ruins of the Old World
*Forbidden West* expands the lore of the Old World by revealing real-life locations such as San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles. The ruins are more advanced and better preserved, showcasing pre-Collapse military and tech installations.
Sites like the Golden Gate Bridge, now a tribal battleground fortress, and Disneyland, buried under dust and overgrown greenery, serve as poignant reminders of civilization’s fall. They also provide crucial clues to GAIA’s missing functions and Nemesis’s origin.
Celestial Events and the Role of Time
One of the most intriguing elements in the timeline between the two games is the appearance of celestial phenomena. In *Zero Dawn*, the sky remains relatively stable. But in *Forbidden West*, players observe:
– Anomalies in orbital patterns
– Strange satellite behavior
– The appearance of “space junk” falling to Earth
These hints suggest that long-dormant space-based systems — such as ZETA Prime, a space station tied to the original Zero Dawn project — may still be active. Over the six-month period, Aloy begins piecing together that the threat isn’t purely planetary — it spans Earth and orbit.
This raises the stakes exponentially. While *Zero Dawn* focused on uncovering truths buried underground, *Forbidden West* forces Aloy to look upward — literally — as she prepares to tackle challenges beyond Earth’s surface.
Character Development Across Six Months
Despite the short in-universe time, Aloy undergoes significant personal transformation.
Aloy: From Outsider to Reluctant Leader
In *Zero Dawn*, Aloy’s arc centers on identity: “Why was I cast out? Who am I?” By *Forbidden West*, those questions are answered. Instead, her journey becomes one of purpose: “What must I do, and at what cost?”
She no longer seeks validation, but impact. Her interactions are more confident, her decisions more decisive. Yet, she retains her humanity — shown in moments of grief, doubt, and empathy.
Sylens: Shifting Motives and Moral Ambiguity
Sylens, introduced in *Zero Dawn* as an information broker, becomes a complex antagonist in *Forbidden West*. Over the six months, he discovers more about Zero Dawn’s deeper layers — particularly the existence of clones and off-world facilities.
His obsession turns him from ally to rival, believing that knowledge must be uncovered at any cost, even if it risks civilization again. The timeline allows for Sylens’ quiet descent into extremism, making his betrayal feel earned rather than abrupt.
Erend: The Evolution of a Friend
Erend, cousin to the Carja Sun-King Jiran, evolves from a comedic side character into a steadfast companion. After *Zero Dawn*, he leaves Carja to explore the world, eventually becoming one of Aloy’s most trusted allies. His survival skills and loyalty add a deeply human counterbalance to the high-tech stakes.
How the Timeline Impacts Game Design and Pacing
The six-month time jump serves a clear narrative and gameplay purpose.
1. Maintaining Continuity While Allowing Growth
Because so little time passes in-universe, returning players don’t face a massive lore reset. Familiar characters like Valca, Zo, and Avad reappear with logical progression. Game mechanics — such as the core skill tree and weapon system — evolve naturally rather than being reinvented.
2. Justifying the Bigger Scope
The westward expansion needed narrative justification. The Red Blight, spreading rapidly over six months, provides that urgency. Aloy doesn’t travel out of curiosity — she’s driven by a planetary emergency that demands immediate action.
3. Supporting DLC and Expansions
The timing also accommodates major DLC narratives. For example, *The Frozen Wilds* expansion is set a few months after *Zero Dawn* and shows Aloy heading north to investigate machine abnormalities among the Banuk.
This fits chronologically — by the time *Forbidden West* begins, Aloy has already traveled in multiple directions, gathering intel and refining her mission before heading west.
What the Timeline Means for the Future of Horizon
The six-month gap may seem small, but its implications for future installments are vast.
1. Foundation for Horizon 3
*Forbidden West* ends with Aloy using cloning technology and space travel to prepare for an off-world confrontation with Nemesis. This sets up the next chapter — potentially involving years of subjective time, interstellar travel, or cryogenic hibernation.
The tight timeline between the first two games makes a longer jump in the third plausible and perhaps necessary.
2. Thematic Consistency
The rapid decline of the world over mere months reinforces a central theme: balance is fragile. Despite GAIA’s billions in resources and years of planning, a single corrupted function can trigger global collapse.
This urgency defines Aloy’s character and the series’ tone — progress is possible, but only if maintained with vigilance.
3. Expanded Universe Potential
The short window suggests that every day counts. Future media — novels, graphic novels, or animated series — could explore side missions, diplomatic negotiations, or scientific investigations during these six months, enriching the main narrative.
Conclusion: Six Months That Changed Everything
So, how long between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West? Officially, it’s just six months — a fraction of a year in a post-apocalyptic world where centuries of history have already been lost.
Yet in that brief time, Aloy travels hundreds of miles, uncovers global conspiracies, forges new alliances, loses friends, and confronts a new extinction-level threat. The environmental decay, tribal upheaval, and technological collapse make these six months feel like an epoch.
Guerrilla Games masterfully uses this compressed timeline to highlight escalation and urgency. Unlike series that jump years forward, *Horizon* shows how quickly civilizations — even rebuilt ones — can unravel. Aloy doesn’t have time to rest on her laurels. The clock is ticking, and the Forbidden West holds both peril and salvation.
For fans, understanding this timeline deepens appreciation for Aloy’s relentless journey — one that spans only half a year, but encompasses a lifetime of purpose, sacrifice, and discovery.
How long is the time gap between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West?
The time gap between Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West is approximately one year. Aloy’s journey in Zero Dawn concludes with her defeating the rogue artificial intelligence HADES and preventing the complete eradication of humanity during the Derangement. By the time Forbidden West begins, the world has had some time to stabilize, although new threats have already begun to surface, including the spread of a mysterious red blight that is killing plant and animal life across the Western Forbidden West regions.
This one-year interval allows the game’s narrative to explore the consequences of Aloy’s actions in the first game, as well as introduce escalating environmental and political tensions. During this time, Aloy has been traveling across post-apocalyptic America, investigating the worsening environmental collapse and seeking knowledge from the remnants of the Old World. Her efforts to prevent a second extinction-level event drive the urgency of Forbidden West’s plot and explain her increased expertise and reputation among various tribes.
Does the timeline include any flashbacks or time jumps between the two games?
While the main narrative of Horizon Forbidden West progresses linearly from the events of Zero Dawn, it does include significant flashbacks that expand on Aloy’s experiences during the intervening year. These flashbacks are tied to new discoveries Aloy makes about her origins, the deeper functions of the AI GAIA, and the pre-collapse history of Earth through digital reconstructions and memory archives stored in ancient facilities.
These narrative devices provide crucial backstory without disrupting the primary timeline. For example, flashbacks reveal Aloy’s journey to the ruins of Nevada, her encounters with new machines, and her attempts to access restricted facilities like the sealed bunker where part of GAIA was reactivated. These sequences enrich the story by filling in gaps in her personal development and understanding of the world’s impending threats.
What major events occur during the year between the two games?
Between Zero Dawn and Forbidden West, Aloy dedicates herself to uncovering the cause of the growing environmental collapse that threatens the planet. She travels westward from the Nora lands into previously uncharted territories, seeking out remnants of the old world’s technology. During this time, she discovers that Earth’s biosphere is deteriorating due to a failure in the terraforming systems initiated by GAIA after the Faro Plague.
Aloy also begins to gain recognition among other tribes for her knowledge and combat skills, laying the groundwork for her alliances in Forbidden West. She documents her findings, deciphers cryptic messages from GAIA’s subsystems, and faces both natural and human-made dangers. These efforts culminate in her decision to venture into the Forbidden West, a dangerous region rumored to hold answers about the planet’s fate and possible solutions to the spreading red blight.
How has Aloy changed physically and emotionally during the year?
Over the year between the two games, Aloy shows increased physical maturity and combat proficiency. Her appearance reflects a life of constant travel and battle: she wears upgraded armor with tribal influences from her interactions with different groups, and her combat techniques are more refined. She is noticeably more confident in her abilities, demonstrating mastery over a wider array of weapons, traps, and machine overrides, having faced increasingly dangerous mechanical threats.
Emotionally, Aloy has grown more introspective and burdened by responsibility. Though still driven and determined, she grapples with her identity as a clone of Dr. Elisabet Sobeck and the weight of being humanity’s last hope. The isolation of her mission and the immense stakes of preventing extinction have made her more guarded, yet she remains committed to protecting others. Her experiences during this time deepen her resolve and set the tone for her leadership role in Forbidden West.
Are there any canonical sources confirming the one-year gap?
Yes, the one-year time gap is confirmed through official sources, including the Horizon Forbidden West art book, developer interviews, and in-game dialogue. Guerrilla Games, the developer, has stated in promotional material and behind-the-scenes features that the events of Forbidden West take place roughly one year after Zero Dawn. This timeline aligns with internal chronologies referenced in Aloy’s logs and communications with allies like Sylens.
Additionally, dialogue between characters in Forbidden West references recent events from Zero Dawn as having occurred “a year past,” reinforcing the timeline. Characters like Varl and Kotallo acknowledge Aloy’s ongoing journey and the swift deterioration of the environment since the defeat of HADES. These consistent narrative cues across official materials confirm the one-year interval as canon within the Horizon series.
How does the timeline affect the game’s setting and gameplay?
The one-year passage allows significant shifts in the game’s setting, particularly with the expansion into new biomes such as deserts, redwood forests, and underwater environments. These regions, part of the Western United States, are affected by the worsening ecological crisis, which is more advanced than in Zero Dawn. The red blight, dying vegetation, and malfunctioning machines demonstrate the accelerated stakes, prompting Aloy to explore more dangerous and technologically complex ruins.
Gameplay mechanics evolve to match Aloy’s experience and the expanding threat levels. New traversal tools like the Pullcaster and Shieldwing enable navigation through these diverse terrains. Enhanced combat features, such as spear mods and stealth upgrades, reflect Aloy’s growth and the increased intelligence of machines she faces. The timeline progression thus directly informs both the expanded world design and the deeper, more tactical gameplay elements.
Do any characters from Zero Dawn reappear, and how has their relationship with Aloy evolved?
Several characters from Horizon Zero Dawn return in Forbidden West, including Sylens, Rost’s fellow Seeker, and tribal leaders such as Beta and Kotallo. Their relationships with Aloy have evolved significantly due to the events of the past year. Sylens, who initially allied with Aloy, has taken a more ambiguous role, driven by his own agenda tied to uncovering ancient knowledge, which creates tension between them.
Aloy’s standing within the Nora tribe and among allied clans like the Carja and Oseram has improved, earning her respect as a hero and warrior. Tilda van der Meer and other scientists actively seek her counsel, recognizing her expertise in Old World technology. These evolving dynamics reflect the passage of time and Aloy’s growing influence, as her actions during the intervening year have solidified her reputation far beyond her original role as an outcast from the Nora.