Plenty of tabletop games have been adapted into video games. Many are digital versions of the physical experience, such asAsmodee Digital’s adaptation of Isaac Childres’Gloomhaven. Titles have also spawned video games based on their lore; be itDungeons & Dragons,Warhammer 40,000, orCyberpunk. However, there is also an increasing trend of video game-based tabletop adaptations, andHorizon Forbidden Westopens a clear avenue for one more.
Developer Guerrilla Games struck gold with 2017’sHorizon Zero Dawn, an open-world action-RPG in a post-apocalyptic setting, with predatory machines based on real animals. It sold more than 20 million copies as of November 2021, leading to a sequel that released for PlayStation 4 and 5 this month. One offshoot of its success was a Kickstarter forHorizon Zero Dawn: The Board Gamein 2018, that raised nearly $2 million USD. The Steamforged Games product is an adaptation of the original title’s gameplay loop, butHorizon Forbidden Westintroduces players to an in-universe game called Machine Strike, with just as much potential.
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How Horizon Forbidden West’s Machine Strike Works
Aloy first encounters Machine Strike inThe Daunt, a location on the border of the Forbidden West. A tutorial for the board game can be found in a tavern at the town of Chainscrape, when players meet with returning character Petra Forgewoman. Machine Strike is visually reminiscent of chess, but with some key differences.
Each Strike board is unique, designed by whichever NPC is hosting the game. The playable grid is made from interchangeable tiles that represent different terrain types; lower terrains like marshland lower a piece’s attack power, and higher terrains like mountains raise it.
Another key difference from chess is that players do not begin with a set number or placement of pieces.Every Machine Strike pieceis based on a machine found in the world ofHorizon, split into six archetypes like the ranged Gunner Type, and boasts different attack power, defense, and weak points in at least one cardinal direction. Aloy can collect pieces by purchasing new ones or defeating other Strike players, and creates sets to bring into each match. Some pieces have unique attributes like higher power levels on certain terrain, making them better on given boards.
Theultimate goal in Machine Strikeis to either wipe out an opponent’s entire armada or be the first to receive seven victory points (rewarded upon defeating a machine). Only two pieces can be moved during a turn, but players have the choice to move a piece beyond its range at the cost of its attack, or even attack twice at the cost of HP. Given the different way each piece moves and attacks, there’s a lot of strategic possibilities to consider each turn.
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Machine Strike Would Fit a Trend of Video Game Tabletop Adaptations
The idea that Machine Strike could be turned into a real board game has been seeded by Guerrilla Games.Horizon Forbidden West’s Regalla Edition box setincluded replica Sunwing and Clawstrider Machine Strike pieces to display alongside a Tremortusk statue. It’s easy to imagine Guerrilla — or a partner like Steamforged Games — designing the rest of the Machine Strike pieces and sets of tiles that can be arranged into a myriad of board designs. Expansions could even be released based on new machines.
Machine Strike would be comparatively easy to develop next toHorizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game, and it wouldn’t be the first time an in-universe experience became a playable title in the real world.Borderlands’Bunkers & BadassesRPG has been adapted into a real tabletop game by Gearbox, andThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s card gameGwentis available to play in a digital format.
Real-world board games based on video games are also becoming common.Crowdfunding campaigns for board games based on Monster Hunter World,Rainbow Six Siege, multipleResident Eviltitles, and more have debuted in recent years, with indie games such asDeep Rock Galacticalso getting in on the miniature craze via a Kickstarter that launched on June 16, 2025. As tabletop fans have demonstrated their willingness to learn games far more complicated than old-school experiences likeChutes and Ladders, Machine Strike would fit a fun niche.
Horizon Forbidden Westis available now on PS4 and PS5.
