15 Best PS5 Horseback Riding Games

It’s often said that man’s best friend is the trusty canine, but when it comes to the world of video games, many true adventurers know that their real bestie is often of the equine variety. You don’t even need to be a horse lover to understand the value of a trusty steed in games, from speeding up travel times to helping you carry items in your inventory. These are some of our favorite games featuring a trusty steed.

#15 Far Cry 6

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
Release Date: October 2021

Far Cry 6 is the most recent installment in the Far Cry franchise and sees players exploring the landscape of the fictional but Cuban-inspired island of Yara. The game allows players to recruit a range of animals to assist them during their adventures, each with their own unique skills and abilities to help with exploration and combat. Horses do feature as one of these animals, and players are able to ride them for exploration as well as shoot at enemies from atop horseback. Having said that, there’s not much else players can do on horseback besides this, so Far Cry 6 is perhaps more of a notable mention when it comes to horseriding games.

#14 Darksiders

Publisher: THQ, THQ Nordic
Developer: Vigil Games
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: January 2010

Players can gallop their way through this hack-and-slash action-adventure title on the back of Ruin, a fiery steed that players can use to explore the lands of the Armageddon. In Darksiders, players see themselves taking on the role of War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who must reunite with his horse Ruin and set off on his main quest. Ruin looks like a heavily built Clydesdale (albeit surrounded by smoke and fire) and has some interesting skills at his disposal, such as phasing through objects and boosting players’ jumping capabilities. This horse also has its own attacking maneuvers, making him a useful assistant in combat as well as being the primary means of exploration.

#13 Black Desert Online

Publisher: Pearl Abyss
Developer: Pearl Abyss
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: December 2014

Black Desert Online is a huge high-fantasy-based MMORPG that, despite being a large-scale open-world game, doesn’t have the greatest fast travel system in place. For this reason, horse riding is pretty much an essential part of your Black Desert experience. Fortunately, players can tame a horse with a Capturing Rope and some Lumps of Raw Sugar, which can be obtained from a Stable Keeper. Players will need to capture their chosen horse and then guide it through a couple of mini-games, but after that, your horse is tamed and ready to assist you across the game world. You can even go on and learn how to breed mounts to create a unique style of horse, if you’re into that kind of thing.

#12 Darksiders 2

Publisher: THQ
Developer: Vigil Games
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia
Release Date: August 2012

In Darksiders 2, players once again revisit the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but this time they see themselves taking on the role of Death. His trusted horse is Despair, a skeletal steed that glows with a sickly, luminous green hue. The developers made it much easier to get onto horseback earlier in the game by making Despair available to players right from the start. As the primary mode of transport, this horse is crucial to the game, and also brings his own combat abilities to the fray.

#11 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: November 2011

Perhaps considered a classic when it comes to horseback riding in games now, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has a couple of ways for players to enjoy world exploration with their mount. Horses can be bought, borrowed, obtained via special quests, or even stolen. As buggy as they may be, horses are a vital part of traversing the rugged terrain of Tamriel’s most northern province. You can fight on horseback in Skyrim too, though once your horse is attacked it can be killed, so be careful not to get them into anything they can’t handle.

#10 Ghost Of Tsushima Director’s Cut

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Sucker Punch Productions
Platform: PS5, PS4
Release Date: July 2020

Horseback riding is a core component of this gorgeous open-world adventure. Players will have the choice between one of three horses at the game’s opening, and this trusty companion will carry you across breathtaking landscapes as you embark on a quest to fight off the Mongol invasion of your homeland. The director’s cut of Ghost of Tsushima adds further content and features to the base game, including an additional storyline for players to explore as samurai warrior Jin. Your horse is actually more than a reliable means of transport in this game as you can employ mounted combat as part of your attack style. You can also upskill your horse to deliver a mounted attack of its own as well.

#9 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Kojima Productions
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: September 2015

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an unusual entry in that it’s a stealth game in a large open-world setting. The title makes use of a range of transportation methods with horseback riding being a fan favorite. As the game’s protagonist, a mercenary leader venturing into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, a special horse named D-Horse can be called upon to assist players in their adventures. D-Horse is unique in that he’s capable of wearing armor and can travel great distances at high speed. Players can customize D-Horse’s appearance with various types of armor and tack during the game, and while he’s being ridden, a level of bonding increases between him and the player. Interestingly, you can also make him defecate on command, which comes in handy if you’re trying to make vehicles chasing you slip.

#8 Elden Ring

Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Developer: FromSoftware
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: February 2022

Since its release earlier this year, Elden Ring has taken the gaming world by storm. One of the most important additions to the experience has been the implementation of the player’s mount Torrent, which provides the player with a means of world traversal. Although he’s not exactly the fastest mount, it’s fair to say that the sheer scope of the game’s world would be pretty impossible to explore without him. Aside from general travel help, the horse provides players with the ability to ascend vertically by using a system of air-based platforms to propel himself into the air.

#7 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Quebec
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, Stadia
Release Date: October 2018

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is another great example of how horseback riding can be used as a core component of exploration across a huge open-world environment. Making your way across the landscape of ancient Greece is no easy feat, so it’s crucial to have a loyal steed at your disposal. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, this comes in the form of Phobos, the horse you’ll be adventuring across the world with and whose appearance you can change via different horse skins at the Blacksmith. Phobos can be summoned at any time from anywhere on the map, and he can also be injured in battle, after which he won’t be able to be summoned until he’s recovered. He’s a vital companion in your gameplay and gives players a great way to experience the beauty of Odyssey more freely.

#6 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Publisher: CD Projekt Red
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: May 2015

No list of horseback riding games could be complete without mentioning The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Geralt’s loyal steed Roach. A fan-favorite horse that originally had a funny habit of spawning on rooftops (or anywhere else) from time to time, Roach is now much more reliable when summoned, acting as Geralt’s much-needed main mode of transport. In addition to this, Roach can be equipped with saddlebags to improve players’ inventory allowances, as well as a number of different monster trophies that grant different bonuses in combat and additional XP gain, for example. Roach can also be equipped with horse blinders to stop him from getting too scared and bolting, which he will do if his fear level creeps up too high when entering into mounted combat or being chased by monsters.

#5 Shadow of the Colossus Remake

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Bluepoint Games
Platform: PS4
Release Date: February 2018

Shadow of the Colossus Remake is a reworked and improved version of the original Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 2. In it, players can explore the game’s landscape on Agro, the protagonist’s loyal and dependable steed. It’s fair to say that horseback riding is a crucial component of this game’s strategy, as Agro allows the player to fight whilst riding him. In some cases, this is a key skill that can help the player defeat some of the game’s greatest enemies. Agro isn’t just a means of transportation in this game and players who love horseback riding in their exploits will really enjoy including him as part of their combat routine.

#4 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
Release Date: November 2020

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla makes great use of its mount system, particularly in the variety of mounts available for players to choose from. As with most Assassin’s Creed games, the open-world scope of the game’s maps is huge, so finding a means of travel is essential. Fortunately, players can make use of horseback (or even wolf or lion) riding to traverse the landscapes of Anglo-Saxon-era England and beyond. Players can call their loyal steed from anywhere whilst exploring and can make use of the stable’s training options to improve their horse’s ground speed and swimming capabilities. You can also unlock mounted combat skills as you progress through the game.

#3 Mount & Blade: Warband

Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: March 2010

In Mount & Blade: Warband, horse-based combat forms a crucial part of your gameplay. There
are also a wide range of horse types in this game, from Chargers, Coursers, Desert Horses, and War Horses to Steppe Horses and Sumpter Horses. Players will need to consider their choice of horse for different gameplay scenarios as they come with different modifiers as well as different weights and sizes. This is a great game for those interested in making horseback riding a key part of their combat strategy. For many, it’s considered to be one of the best games for realistic riding controls.

#2 Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Publisher: Warhorse Studios
Developer: Warhorse Studios
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: February 2018

An action RPG that’s set in a medieval conflict in the Kingdom of Bohemia of 1403, Kingdom Come: Deliverance makes great use of horses for different purposes in its environmental storytelling as well as in player exploration and combat. As an immersive, open-world experience, this game gives players a much deeper working relationship with the horses featured, who were designed to have their own AI while being ridden by the player and can facilitate mounted combat as well. Horses can be customized with armor and attachments and each horse you come across has its own individual skills and characteristics, so players will really need to find the one that suits their purposes.

#1 Red Dead Redemption 2/Red Dead Online

Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar Games
Platform: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 2018

Considered by many as the pinnacle of horse riding games, Red Dead Redemption 2 and its online counterpart Red Dead Online provide players with incredibly realistic horseback riding. Set in the American Wild West at a time when horse riding was a crucial part of world exploration, the authenticity of the horseback riding that players get to do as part of these games was something the development team took seriously. As well as being your primary mode of transport, horses are incredibly useful in Red Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online in terms of escaping, racing other players, trying to complete missions, and even entering into combat. You can groom, upgrade, style, and kit out your horse with different gear at the stables to deepen your bond with your loyal companion.