PSA: Horizon Forbidden West lets you automatically see items without spamming the focus button

Horizon Forbidden West power armor
(Image credit: PlayStation)

Horizon Forbidden West has a very handy but subtle feature that makes sure you never miss an item as you're exploring its expansive, richly detailed world.

Guerrilla Games' acclaimed sequel throws you into a beautiful world, to the point where it can be a distraction. For that reason, it can be easy to miss chests and plants hiding in amongst all the tall grass and machine wreckage. However, it's crucial, especially in the beginning of the game, to pick up everything you can and use it to craft ammo, traps, and upgrades. Pressing R3 sends out a focus pulse that reveals items for the taking in the surrounding area, but if you're much of a collector at all, your right thumb is probably going to get tired pretty quickly.

Thankfully, as pointed out by AbusedBanana1 on Reddit, there's a built-in feature tucked away in Horizon Forbidden West's settings that automatically scans the area and reveals any items and collectibles you might've otherwise missed.

psa_for_hfw_to_automatically_see_plant_and_chest from r/horizon

All you need to do to activate the feature is head to settings > general > HUD visibility  > custom HUD settings > player misc and toggling interaction markers to be "always on." While that'll undoubtedly clutter up your HUD a little, your right joystick and thumb will thank you for it. Plus, you can always turn it off later in the game when collecting stuff isn't quite so important, or toggle it on and off depending on how desperate you are for resources.

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Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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