Fans of Hunt: Showdown have been waiting a long time, and it is finally clear when the highly anticipated engine upgrade will take place and what improvements online hunters can expect. However, if you are playing the shooter on PS4 or Xbox One, you will need to be strong.
When is the relaunch of Hunt: Showdown planned? The update 5.11 for the CryEngine, which was first announced in March 2023, is set to be released on August 15, 2024. Thus, the release communicated in October 2023 as “early in 2024” is ultimately no longer valid.
With update 5.11, you can expect the following new features:
- Hunt: Showdown will receive a next-gen update that promises to offer all players on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series a gaming experience on a “completely new level”.
- Once the update goes live, support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions will be discontinued.
- The update will introduce a new map with a fresh biome for the first time in three years, which is intended to serve as a showcase for the new engine.
- You can also expect a complete overhaul of the user interface.
Hunt: Showdown offers an online shooter experience of a different kind:
A relaunch that requires sacrifices
What does the end of support mean for PS4 and Xbox One owners? Hunt: Showdown is a Buy2Play game that costs nearly 40 euros. It is understandably frustrating when your platform is no longer supported after an update.
However, the developers are offering all users of the old consoles a free upgrade to the respective versions of PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series, including a transfer of previous progression as well as all purchased DLCs.
Last year, Crytek officials stated that less than ten percent of the total player base would be affected by the discontinued platforms. The other 90+ percent would greatly benefit from the upgrade.
What kind of game is Hunt: Showdown? Hunt Showdown is a so-called PvPvE shooter (Player vs. Player vs. Environment). You play against AI creatures and other players at the same time. The game takes you into a western fantasy scenario in 1895 and makes you what you have probably always wanted to be: a monster-hunting cowboy with a shotgun axe.
The basic structure of a match consists of searching for clues to find out where a monster is hiding. You then must find the beast, send it back to hell, and get the loot to one of the extraction points.
While you do this, other players are trying to achieve the exact same thing. You can play solo or in teams of two or three players. And to add an extra layer of tension, Hunt Showdown features a permadeath system. Once you surpass bloodline level 10, you lose your hunter and everything he had if you die.
The tension-filled excursions attract tens of thousands of players to the servers daily, just through Steam. The all-time high is 44,527 simultaneous active hunters. Of the 156,756 reviews so far, 82 percent are positive. By the way: Successful shooter on Steam does not want to be called Hunt 2 despite engine upgrade – Because of Destiny 2 and Overwatch 2.
