Hunting in video games is a unique activity, as it’s portrayed in so many ways. Some titles treat hunting as a distraction from the core gameplay, while others make it their primary focus.
There are plenty of games with hunting of some sort, but many miss the mark and are hard to recommend.
In the hunting space specifically, many promising titles don’t get the support they require and quickly fall off the map. With this in mind, here are some surefire bangers for hunters who never miss a shot.
8Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Toss A Coin
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
TheWitcherseries is legendary in theAction RPGspace, and the latest entry,Wild Hunt, offers plenty of thrilling hunting with a fantasy twist.
TheWitcher 3is an incrediblehigh-budget fantasy adventuregame with everything from romance and violence to a dangerously addictive card game inGwent. There are plenty of huge, intimidating monsters to slay in The Witcher, and you’ll come across most of them during the story.
There aren’t many hunting-specific mechanics, but combat is so fun that it doesn’t really matter.Geralt has weight to his movements, which incentivize calculated strikes over mashing the attack button with your fingers crossed. He can also fall onto his Witcher powers, which are basically stylish spells.
There are better titles on the list if you’re after a more focused hunting experience. That said, the thrilling hunts add to this already incredible title from CD Projekt Red.
Unconventional Hunting For Adorable Rewards
Warframehas its fingers in many pies and offers anintriguing spin on huntingyou can’t find anywhere else. It also has a greatfishing minigame, but I digress.
InWarframe, setting up the kill is arguably more important than pulling the trigger. You must locate your prey by tracking their poop andluring them to the appropriate areawith a caller. Once the trap is set, you can bust out a tranquilizer to sedate your target.
A big reason whyWarframehunting makes the list is the rewards.you’re able to earn ‘Floofs,‘which are adorable plushie creatures to decorate your ship. If those aren’t worth the grind, I don’t know what is.
6Monster Hunter World
I Mean, It’s In The Title!
Monster Hunter World
We couldn’t have a list of hunting games without a title fromone of Capcoms finest series.
Monster Hunter Worldis all about huntingcreatures of different shapes and sizes. The fate of the village depends on it! At least, that’s what they tell you. In reality,Monster Hunteris all about slaughtering monsters with oversized weapons and wearing their carcasses forfashion and skill points.
Combat is whereMonster Huntershines, andeach weapon type is equally fleshed out, with tons of viable options. While I wouldn’t say thatMonster Hunterenters ‘souls-like’ territory, your positioning matters, and you’ll be annihilated if you treat the game like a hack and slash.
TheMonster Hunterseries is an unconventional hunting game, but withWildsreleasing this year, there’s never been a better time to try it.
5Far Cry 4
Beware Of The Bears!
Far Cry 4is my favorite game in the series, set in theunforgiving but beautiful backdropof Kyrat, a fictional country near the Himalayas.
Far Cry 4offers atense open-world adventurewhere you play as Ajay Ghale, a young man in way over his head against asuperb antagonist in Pagan Min.
The world offers plenty of different gameplay modes, buthunting is particularly fleshed out. You’ll run into various animals during your adventure, and many can be fashioned into gear upgrades. Gunplay inFC4is solid, and this equates nicely to hunting.
Honestly, most of the newerFar Crygames have a decent hunting element.Far Cry 4gets my vote for a couple of reasons. Thehunting side story is fantastic, ending with an encounter I would feel terrible spoiling here.
While subtle, I also appreciate how Ajay sounds repulsed by cutting animals up. It makes sense when you rememberhe’s a city boy, no matter how much he walks off the sanity map.
Rockstar Does It Again
Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2is arguably thebest ‘Western’ game ever made, with so much attention to detail that all its side activities are worth your time.
RDR2has a superb fishing minigame and anin-depth hunting system, which feels fantastic thanks to the tangible rewards it offers. You cancraft storage bonuseswith your hard-earned pelts as well as stat bonuses with rarer parts.
Hunting uses the same fantastically refined shooting mechanics as the rest of the game, so there’s no wonder why it works so well. The best part of Hunting inRDR2is easily thegrind for legendary animals, which can even give unique cosmetics.
3theHunter Classic
The Hardcore Choice
theHunter Classicis arobust hunting simwith over 10 massive reserves and dozens of unique animals to hunt. The game is apurist hunting simwhere you stalk real-world creatures like Deer and Elk.
theHunter Classicmay look a little primitive compared to other hunting simulators on this list, but it does have a few perks.It’s free to play, although some in-game purchases may feel necessary later on.
Hunting is surprisingly realistic. You will spook animals miles away if you make too much noise, and you must tactically approach targets if you don’t want them to smell you coming. Many things must be performed at a glacial pace, but that’s part of the charm.
Thesimplistic visualsmean the game will work on lower-end PCs, too. If you don’t mind the graphics, there’s a ton of content to enjoy here without even opening your wallet.
2Way of the Hunter
The New Kid On The Block
Key Information
Nine Rock Games
PC, PS5, XSX
Release Date
August 2022
The hunting genre is a tough one to break into, butWay of the Hunteroffersone of the best experiences on the market.
Way of the Hunteris a hardcore Hunting Sim with agood grasp of real-world ballistics. Animal models look superb, and the maps are so gorgeous you can happily wander for an hour without firing a shot. It’s also thenewest hunting game on the list, with the highest graphical fidelity.
Between this andtheHunter: Call of the Wild, which we will cover next,WOTHfeels more realistic. There are real-life weapons inWOTHand a nuanced system for herd management, which purists will enjoy.
Animals have smooth animations, and their behaviors seem natural as you hunt. If you want achallenging hunting simand want to work for your kills, you can’t go wrong withWay of the Hunter.
1theHunter: Call of the Wild
The Complete Package
theHunter: Call of the Wild
theHunter: Call of the Wildhas been around since 2017 and has such amassive pool of maps and weaponsthat you could easily be occupied for hundreds of hours.
COTWhas everything you can want in a hunting game, from dozens of animal types tomultiple hunting disciplines. I’ve sunk a ridiculous amount of time into COTW over the years (300 hours, according to Steam!), and it remains one of my ‘cozy’ games, as there’s never any urgency.
Each map has a unique story, and some even unlock weapons you can take onto other reserves. Shooting is realistic to a point, butnotably more ‘arcadey’than something liketheHunter: Classic, which we covered earlier.
COTWhits theperfect medium between sim and arcade, in my opinion. And the grind for Diamond animals, rare fur types, and the elusive ‘Great One’ are all great incentives to keep playing.
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