Hunting games are one of the best-selling categories for players of all ages. It competes against strategy, horror, action, and shooting genres. So let’s browse the options you’ve got for playstation, some of which are also available for PS5.
Selecting Hunting Games on PS
Hunting games allow you to hunt animals in a wild setting. That means these are generally first-person or third-person shooters. Hunting games come with various storylines, graphical styles, and mechanics. However, the gameplay is similar between the options. So it could be hard to pinpoint what makes hunter games great. Even so, here’s the list of aspects we believe could help you enjoy the genre:
Innovative gameplayRefined interface Refined effectsTracking mechanicsImmersive sound designSimulation elementsDetailed animal modelsRealistic weaponsRealistic hunting mechanics Fun hunting combatIdentifiable preys
Not every game on the list is a PS4 exclusive. You may find these titles elsewhere if you play on other consoles or PC. Be that as it may, we’re listing dedicated hunting games and other titles featuring hunting action.
Best Hunting Games on PS4 and PS5
theHunter: Call of the Wild
theHunter is a series of simulation hunting games. Call of the Wild is the latest entry in the saga, and it delivers its classical gameplay. That is atmospheric, realistic, and visually outstanding open-world wilderness. You play through a single-player campaign or share the experience with your friends. You can play with eight people online, but there’s no co-op split-screen. And before you start a game, you can create a character and choose a name. You play in first-person perspective, and the style features realistic graphics, sound, and animals. The setting, an open-world island, varies per the location you choose. For example, some maps are in Washington, Australia, or France. Lastly, the game features several animal types. Each offers a currency reward, which you can invest in new gear. That said, hunting is about using natural cover and tracking the animals through the sound they make. You also have a digital camera and a “correct” weapon for each prey.
Hunting Simulator 2
Hunting Simulator 2, as the name implies, is a first-person hunting simulator. It has realistic graphics, immersive sound design, and minimal user interfaces. You play in gorgeous natural environments. Then, you choose hunting gear from a selection of official weapons and accessories. Finally, you enter the map and search for animal species to hunt. The map is fully open, and there’re various options. You can select between Colorado plains, Eastern European forests, or the Texan desert. Each area offers over 6 square miles. Lastly, you track down the animals with binoculars or find clues in the environment. Your dog can also track your prey, and there’re over 33 animals and 160 weapons. There’re also clothing items and accessories from real-life brands.
Hunting Simulator
Hunting Simulator is the first part of the saga and is very similar. As you’d expect, it’s a sim game offering hours of immersive hunting in the open-world wilderness. The game has twelve zones to choose from. Some maps include Colorado woods, the French Alps, and Alaska tundras. Each zone has its own animals with realistic AI behavior. Also, each zone has realistic terrain modeling. As for species, the title includes 37 animals on air, sea, rivers, and land. Each species will roam around its natural habitat, which you must evaluate for proper tracking. Lastly, you can choose among 17 different weapons. It includes bows, crossbows, and real-life rifles like a Browning or a Winchester. Over 50 hunting tools and gadgets, like decoys and powders.
Pro Deer Hunting 2
Pro Deer Hunting 2 is a realistic deer hunting simulation game. Compared to the previous entry, it features graphical improvements, a new rifle, and new climbing mechanics. It offers the same experience, though. This is a professional hunting title with a heavy focus on AI. In essence, the deers feature advanced behaviors, making the experience challenging. For instance, you must track, follow, pursue, and hunt the animals. Relying on stealth, traps, and witts is your best option, as deers are fast and smart. Lastly, you can choose from various maps: open-field forests, prairies, or snowy mountains. Alternatively, you can play on the practice range to improve your skills with long-range rifles, shotguns, muskets, and bows.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3‘s protagonist, Geralt Of Rivia, is a hunter of mythological creatures. Specifically, he’s a Witcher, which means he underwent rigorous training to get the combat skills he needs. One of these skills is the Witcher sense. Essentially, it’s a button you press that reveals clues you can use to track the monsters. These are bounties, part of significant main or side quests. Each creature comes from Polish mythos and features skills, advantages, and weaknesses. You discover this information by hunting them, and you can see it on the bestiary. You have swords, a crossbow, potions, grenades, and magical signs for combat. Despite the game focusing heavily on hunting for a living, there are also main quests. The Witcher 3 is an open-world action RPG about finding Geralt’s missing surrogate daughter.
Monster Hunter: World
Monster Hunter: World is an action RPG, the saga’s fifth and most successful entry. In particular, it was the first to debut worldwide outside Japan. However, you can also try the latest entry, Monster Hunter: Rise. The game revolves around hunting mythical and massive monsters across an open world. There’s a campaign and side quests, but both are the same: hunt, bounty, and reap the benefits. The benefits are the gear you pick up. Your character’s stats deepened on the gear, as characters don’t level up. So, weapons and armor mean power. Moreover, there’re various weapon types, each featuring its own gameplay mechanics. Lastly, combat is fast, frenetic, and challenging. You dash, dodge, attack, use skills, jump, and go through lengthy battles. You can hunt alone or join online with four additional players.
Hunt: Showdown
Perhaps not exactly what you’re looking for, so we left it for last. Still, it’s an outstanding game, as it features one of the best PvP designs you can play. Showdown is a competitive FPS PvPvE bounty hunting game. You join a match alone or as part of a 2-player squad in a 12-player match. The goal is tracking and hunting the bounty (an NPC “boss” monster) and escaping with the prize. Other monsters and creatures, like zombies and giant spiders, roam the land. You must balance your decisions, though, as dying means everything you carry. For example, stealth could mean survival, but not victory; action makes noise and brings unwanted attention. Lastly, the game has an 1880’s setting in the southern USA. The weapons are mostly historically accurate, which means they are not very accurate or strong. You can improve your arsenal if you manage to loot in on a match and survive until the end.
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action RPG with one of the best combat systems you can play. It’s also a post-apocalyptic sci-fi, and the setting allows you to hunt machine creatures with tribal weapons. See, you play in a third-person perspective. You roam an open world to scavenge materials, combat, and exploration. For combat, you change in-between various tribal weapons like bows and ammo types to exploit each creature’s weakness. Alloy, a young hunter, is agile, nimble, and fast. So, you can run, jump, crouch, slide, vault, climb, and walk/run on ropes. You can mix these parkour abilities with your combat and develop skills in parkour, combat, stealth, or crafting. Lastly, the story is about discovering Alloy’s past alongside the creatures’ origins. She begins as an outcast of her tribe, but she gains her trust and becomes and explores. Your literal goal is finding the truth.
Predator: Hunting Grounds
Hunting Grounds is a third-person action game, and it’s a multiplayer-only title. Five people join a match, one of which plays as a Predator, and the others join as humans. The game is part of the Predator franchise and features various actors lending their voices. Roles you may recognize are Alan “Dutch” Schafer, Jake Busey, and Alice Braga. You play in a remote jungle world. You’re either part of a four-elite human team or a predator. The humans use an arsenal of the military of alien high-tech weapons, and they can either hunt or escape the area. The predator’s only purpose is hunting the humans, and he can use skills to complete the task. He can camouflage, use a thermal vision, jump very high, climb trees, fire a beam cannon, or use his strong melee attacks to rip off the enemies.
Catch & Release
Catch & Release is a cartoon-style first-person fishing game. It’s about offering a calm, easy-to-grasp, and fun fishing experience. You can jump into a boat and paddle to the perfect spot on open-world lakes and rivers. There, you can fish and enjoy the scenery. Additionally, you can trek across forests, mountains, and more. A gorgeous soundtrack will go along as you play. Alongside the visuals, the experience is reminiscent of Firewatch, an immersive interactive drama. Also, you get to play with the rod, the hook, and the bait to fish. And before you can catch your prey, you need to corner it and tire it. It’s a VR game, so you need the PlayStation Camera, the PlayStation Move controller, and the PSVR headset to play. That also means it’s an offline-only experience.
Euro Fishing: Ultimate Edition
Euro Fishing appeals to professionals, hobbyists, or amateur fishers. It’s about reproducing a realistic experience through intuitive controls and minimal interface. You can play it alone, or you can play it online. Via PS Plus, you can join a 4-player fishing team and visit semi-open-world maps for the activity. You pick a location and a spawn point to enjoy some silent fishing. You play in third-person perspective on a series of lakes and rivers. Gameplay is about walking to a fishing spot, launching your rod, and waiting patiently. Additional mechanics will determine what, when, and how you can fish. Lastly, the game includes several types of fish, some of which are extinct in real-life. These fish come in rarity, as there’re “boss” creatures you can capture in certain areas of the maps. The rod, hook, bait, and rea you pick influence whether you can catch these bosses.
Big Buck Hunter Arcade
Big Buck Hunter Arcade is a popular hunting arcade. There’re many versions of this game, but this is the latest, and it’s available for last-gen consoles. From a first-person perspective, you can travel worldwide to hunt savage animals like deers. Or you can play other game modes to test your shooting skills. It’s an Arcade game, though, like a carnival game. You play on a static screen, and what you see is your rifle. In front of you, you’ll see the animals popping in and out of the screen. Lastly, the title features enhanced and intuitive controllers compared to previous entries. It makes the game fun, classic, and easy to share with others. Speaking of which, you can play locally with another person.
