These are two of PlayStation's signature open worlds, and this comparison is unusual for us because it is not close on value. Horizon Zero Dawn is several times longer and typically costs less than half as much. That does not make it the right answer for everyone — Spider-Man: Miles Morales does something Horizon cannot — but the arithmetic deserves to be said out loud before anything else.
Below is the honest head-to-head on length, feel, price and who each one is for. Both are PS4 releases that play on PS5, and both appear across our PlayStation lists — see best PlayStation games under $30 and cheap PlayStation games.
The head-to-head
Length and price: the uncomfortable part
Miles Morales is a deliberately compact game — roughly eight to ten hours for the main story, fifteen to twenty if you clear the city. Horizon Zero Dawn's Complete Edition runs around thirty hours on the main path and comfortably fifty with its included expansion. Check the live prices on the cards above, but Horizon has consistently sat at a lower price point than Miles Morales despite being several times the size.
On value-per-dollar, which is the measure this site is built on, that is not a close contest. If your question is "which gives me more game for my money", the answer is Horizon and you can stop reading here.
What Miles Morales does that nothing else does
Traversal. Swinging through Manhattan is one of the best-feeling movement systems ever put in a game, and the whole design exists to let you enjoy it. The game is short because it is dense: almost no padding, a well-paced story, and a snowbound city that looks superb. Ten hours of that leaves most people wanting more rather than feeling short-changed.
It is also the far better pick for someone with limited playing time. A game you finish is worth more than a game you abandon at hour twelve, and plenty of people never reach the end of a fifty-hour open world.
What Horizon does that Miles Morales does not
Combat with genuine depth. Machine hunting rewards scouting, traps, elemental weaknesses and improvisation, and it stays interesting for dozens of hours. The world is far larger and more varied, the story is more substantial, and the Complete Edition means there is nothing further to buy. If you want somewhere to live for a month, this is the one.
The trade-off is that it is a conventional open world with markers and collectibles, and its conversation scenes are noticeably stiffer than the rest of it. Our Horizon Zero Dawn review covers both sides in full.
Which is the better first PlayStation game?
Miles Morales, for most people. It is easier to get into, it never demands a systems tutorial, and it is a very hard game to dislike. Horizon asks more of you up front and pays it back later.
The verdict: which should you buy?
Buy Horizon Zero Dawnif value is the deciding factor, if you want a big world and combat with real depth, or if you have the time for a long game. On this site's terms it is the stronger purchase by a clear margin.
Buy Spider-Man: Miles Morales if you have limited time, if you want the single most joyful movement system on the platform, or if a shorter game you will definitely finish beats a longer one you might not. Just buy it knowing it is the premium option here, not the bargain.
If the choice is really "which big PlayStation exclusive first", our God of War vs Spider-Man and God of War vs Horizon Zero Dawn comparisons complete the picture.
