Horizon Forbidden West is designed as a single-player game, but its Co-pilot system allows two people to provide input through separate PlayStation controllers. Both controllers receive mirrored access to the same character and the same set of gameplay actions.
This is not conventional cooperative multiplayer. It does not add a second playable character, divide the screen, create a second inventory, or give each person a separate role defined by the game. Instead, two controllers contribute to one single-player experience.
Shared control can allow another person to assist with a particular action, take over briefly during an inaccessible sequence, or divide control responsibilities through an arrangement created by the players themselves. It may support some players with motor, visual, cognitive, fatigue-related, or episodic access needs, although the usefulness of the system depends heavily on communication and the specific barrier being addressed.
Co-pilot does not automatically simplify the controls or determine which person should perform each action. Both controllers remain mirrored, so the players must decide how assistance will work.
How the Co-pilot System Works
When Co-pilot is enabled, a second controller can provide input to the same game session. Guerrilla describes the second controller as having mirrored access to the game’s controls.
On PlayStation 5, the documented setup requires an additional DualSense controller. On PlayStation 4, it requires an additional DualShock 4 controller. A second user profile is also required.
Because the controls are mirrored, either controller can produce the same types of actions. Both people can potentially move the character, control the camera, navigate menus, aim, attack, dodge, interact, or use other mapped functions.
The game does not assign one controller exclusively to movement and the other exclusively to combat. Any such division is an informal agreement between the players rather than a separate control layout generated by Co-pilot.
For example, one person might manage exploration while the other assists during combat. Another pair might have one person control general movement while the second intervenes only when precise aiming is required. A player experiencing fluctuating fatigue might play independently until assistance is needed, then allow the second person to provide more input without handing over the physical controller.
Shared Control Is Different from Passing One Controller
Without a dedicated shared-control feature, two people can take turns by physically passing a controller. That can work for sequences with clear stopping points, but it is less practical during time-sensitive play.
Passing a controller takes time. It can interrupt the player’s grip or physical positioning, and it requires the receiving person to take over the entire control surface. If the player uses a carefully supported posture, moving the controller may create discomfort or make it difficult to return to the previous position.
Co-pilot keeps both controllers active. The assisting person can respond without waiting for the primary player to release their controller. The primary player can also remain involved instead of surrendering the entire interaction.
This distinction can be important when assistance is needed for only one input. A second person might help with camera movement while the primary player continues moving the character, or activate a difficult button while the primary player maintains directional control.
However, mirrored access does not create technically isolated responsibilities. If both people attempt to control the same action at the same time, their inputs may not reflect the arrangement they intended. Successful shared play can therefore require clear expectations about when the assisting person should intervene.
Co-pilot Is Not Two-Player Co-op
Ordinary cooperative multiplayer gives each participant a separate character or independently controlled game entity. Each person usually has their own position, actions, resources, or viewpoint.
Co-pilot provides none of those separations. Both controllers affect Aloy. The game remains a single-player experience with one camera, one inventory, one combat state, and one progression path.
This means a second person cannot explore another location, attack a separate enemy independently, or continue playing elsewhere while the first player uses a menu. Both participants share the consequences of the same character’s actions.
Calling the feature “co-op” without qualification can therefore create the wrong expectation. Co-pilot is cooperative control of one player character, not a multiplayer campaign.
The distinction also affects access. A conventional co-op companion can perform an inaccessible action elsewhere in the environment, but may leave the primary player waiting. Mirrored control lets both people remain involved in the same action, though it provides less independence between them.
Assistance Without Automatic Completion
Co-pilot does not enable an artificial-intelligence assistant. The second controller must be operated by another person. The game does not observe the primary player’s input and automatically correct missed attacks, navigation errors, or timing.
It also does not automatically complete platforming, puzzles, combat, crafting, or menu navigation. Any assistance comes from the second person’s understanding of the game and ability to provide the necessary input.
This makes Co-pilot different from aim assist, automatic healing, auto-sprint, extended concentration, or Mount Follows Road. Those options alter the game’s response or automate a defined component. Co-pilot creates another human input route without independently changing the mechanic.
The distinction may preserve more player agency. The primary player can decide when help is wanted, communicate what kind of assistance is appropriate, and continue contributing through their own controller.
It also creates a dependency that automated settings do not. Co-pilot requires another available person, a second compatible controller, an additional profile, and enough communication for the arrangement to work.
Potential Motor-Accessibility Uses
Modern action games frequently require simultaneous use of both analog sticks, shoulder buttons, triggers, face buttons, and directional controls. Some actions combine aiming, camera movement, character movement, and weapon inputs within a short period.
A player who can comfortably operate only part of the controller may use Co-pilot to share the remaining inputs. One person could operate a stick while the other handles buttons, although this division is not enforced by the software.
The system may also help when an action requires a reach, grip change, sustained input, or rapid transition that is difficult for the primary player. The assisting person can perform that action from the second controller without physically repositioning the player’s hands.
For players with variable pain, weakness, tremor, coordination changes, or fatigue, the amount of assistance can change during the session. Shared control does not require the same division of labour throughout the game.
These possible arrangements should not be treated as universal solutions for particular disabilities. Mirrored standard controllers do not remove the force, range-of-motion, precision, or timing requirements from the controls themselves. They distribute those requirements between two people.
Potential Support for Blind and Low-Vision Players
Guerrilla states that Co-pilot was implemented with feedback and support from a sightless accessibility consultant. A second player may be able to assist with visual interpretation, route finding, aiming, or locating interface elements while the primary player continues to participate.
This is different from comprehensive nonvisual access. Co-pilot does not narrate the environment, describe cinematics, provide menu screen-reader output, or independently identify objects and enemies. It relies on another person to perceive and communicate information that the game does not make available through the player’s preferred sensory channel.
A sighted assistant might provide verbal guidance while allowing the primary player to control movement. If immediate correction is needed, the assistant can use the second controller instead of taking the original controller away.
The arrangement may support collaborative participation, but it should not be described as equivalent to independent blind play. Access depends on the availability, skill, communication style, and judgement of the assisting person.
Cognitive Assistance and Task Sharing
Horizon Forbidden West combines exploration, combat, resource management, weapon selection, crafting, traversal, and environmental interpretation. During combat, the player may need to monitor several systems while responding quickly to moving enemies.
Co-pilot may allow two people to informally divide those demands. One person could focus on navigation while the other assists with camera positioning. During a complex encounter, one could watch health and activate healing while the other focuses on movement.
This is not formal role assignment. Both players continue to see the same screen and have access to the same commands. They must remember their chosen responsibilities and avoid producing contradictory inputs.
Shared control can reduce the number of tasks one person handles, but communication adds another cognitive demand. Instructions must be understood quickly, especially during combat. An arrangement that helps one player may become distracting or overwhelming for another.
Combining Co-pilot with Remapping
Horizon Forbidden West provides fully remappable gameplay controls and identifies potential conflicts. It also includes control presets, left-handed support, stick swapping, axis inversion, stick sensitivity, and dead-zone settings.
Remapping changes which physical input produces an action. Co-pilot changes how many controllers can provide that input. These are separate functions and may be useful together.
A player may first remap difficult actions to more reachable buttons, then use Co-pilot only for the functions that remain inaccessible. This can preserve more independent control than assigning every demanding action to the assisting player.
Dead-zone and sensitivity adjustments can affect how much stick movement is required before the game responds and how rapidly the camera or character moves. These settings may reduce the amount of assistance needed for aiming or navigation, but they do not replace a second controller when another person’s direct input is required.
Remapping also does not change physical controller compatibility. The built-in Co-pilot documentation specifically describes a second DualSense on PS5 or DualShock 4 on PS4. It should not be assumed that the game-level system provides unrestricted support for every third-party or adaptive controller combination.
Combining Co-pilot with Automated Assists
The game includes several settings that reduce repeated or precisely timed inputs. Auto Sprint can remove the need to activate sprint manually. Auto Heal can use healing when health falls below a threshold in supported difficulty configurations. Auto Shieldwing can deploy the unlocked glider during long falls.
Concentration slows time while aiming, and its duration can be extended. Auto Concentration can activate it automatically when available. Aim Assist can reduce part of the precision demand associated with ranged combat.
Using these options may allow the primary player to retain control over more of the game while requiring less intervention from the second person. Alternatively, Co-pilot can address situations that the automated options do not cover.
Some automatic settings work only in Story, Easy, or Custom difficulty modes. Co-pilot is not itself described as changing combat difficulty, damage values, or enemy behaviour.
This is another important distinction: shared input provides assistance through another person, while automatic settings modify how the game interprets or completes certain actions.
Combining Co-pilot with Toggle and Hold Options
The game allows several applicable actions to be changed between toggle and hold behaviour. A hold requires continuous pressure, while a toggle generally lets the player press once to activate and once again to deactivate.
Changing a hold to a toggle may reduce sustained muscular effort or make it easier to reposition a hand after activating an action. If this resolves the barrier, the player may not need another person to maintain that input.
Co-pilot can still assist with actions that remain difficult because of timing, reach, simultaneous input, or precision. The two features solve different problems: toggle settings change the duration of an input, while Co-pilot allows a second person to produce it.
Using the most direct setting for a barrier can reduce unnecessary dependence. Shared control is valuable, but it should not be treated as a replacement for remapping, toggles, automation, or compatible hardware when those provide more independent access.
Communication and Control Conflicts
Because both controllers have mirrored access, Co-pilot relies on coordination. The game does not assign one participant a protected set of commands or identify one controller as responsible for each action.
If the assisting player unexpectedly moves the camera, the primary player may lose their visual or spatial reference. If both people make directional decisions at once, the character may not move as either intended. Sudden intervention can also reduce the primary player’s sense of control.
A workable arrangement may involve agreed signals, clearly divided tasks, or intervention only when requested. Some players may want continuous assistance, while others may prefer the second controller to remain inactive until a particular barrier appears.
Consent remains important even when the purpose is accessibility. The existence of a second active controller should not mean that the assisting person takes over whenever they believe the primary player is making a mistake.
Hardware, Profile, and Availability Limits
The documented Co-pilot system is available in the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions of Horizon Forbidden West. The PS5 version requires two DualSense controllers, while the PS4 version requires two DualShock 4 controllers. Guerrilla also specifies that a second user profile is needed.
This creates a hardware cost beyond owning the game and one controller. A household with only one compatible controller cannot use the feature without obtaining another.
The PlayStation documentation does not describe the game-level Co-pilot feature as part of the later PC release. The existence of a PC version should not be taken as confirmation that the same two-controller setup is available there.
Co-pilot also requires another person to be physically available for the session. It is not documented as an online assistance system, remote-control service, or matchmaking feature that finds a helper.
Practical Limits of Mirrored Shared Control
Guerrilla’s official accessibility overview for Horizon Forbidden West defines Co-pilot as a system that gives a second PlayStation controller mirrored access to the game. This concise description establishes both its flexibility and its limits.
The feature can distribute actions between two people, but it does not divide them automatically. It can allow intervention without passing a controller, but it does not provide independent characters. It may support visual guidance, but it does not create nonvisual game access. It can reduce the number of actions one person must perform, but it does not change the physical requirements of the two standard controllers being used.
Access needs and preferred levels of assistance vary. Co-pilot may make participation possible or more sustainable for some players, but it depends on compatible hardware, another person, effective communication, and a shared-control arrangement that preserves the primary player’s agency.