Savage, nightmarish monsters roam the Louisiana swamps, and you are part of a group of rugged bounty hunters bound to rid the world of their ghastly presence. Banish these creatures from our world, and you will be paid generously—and given the chance to buy more gruesome and powerful weapons. Fail, and death will strip you of both character and gear. Your experience, however, remains in your pool of hunters—called your Bloodline—always.

Hunt’s competitive, match-based gameplay mixes PvP and PvE elements to create a uniquely tense experience where your life, your character, and your gear are always on the line. At the beginning of each match, up to five teams of two set out to track their monstrous targets. Once they’ve found and defeated one of these they will receive a bounty—and instantly become a target for every other Hunter left on the map. If you don’t watch your back, you’ll find a knife in it, and your last memory will be of another team of Hunters walking away with your prize. The higher the risk, the higher the reward–but a single mistake could cost you everything.

Hunt: Showdown 1896, the next chapter of Hunt, where players can join a whole new experience as we leap forward chronologically and head west of the Bayou backwaters to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

Today Crytek is thrilled to introduce the latest in-game Event, Scorched Earth, alongside a new Wild Target—the Hellborn.

Starting off in the new Colorado biome, Scorched Earth brings three Pacts for Hunters to pledge to as they step off the train from Louisiana into the shadow of the mighty Rocky Mountains. The Mammon’s Gulch Incursion is fully underway as horrors beyond comprehension spill forth from the oil wells and mines running through the mountain peaks.

Alongside the fiery new Wild Target, the upcoming Event brings new equipment, ammo, and weapons, including the 1865 Carbine, the Infantry 73L base rifle with a sniper variant, Bear Traps as a new Tool, and a Crossbow Deadeye scoped variant. A completely new Weekly Challenge system better supports players joining the action mid-Event, and a Battle Pass full of both free and premium rewards are available to unlock.

Hellborn

An amalgam of fire and flesh and a source of immense heat, the Hellborn can be tracked audibly by listening in Dark Sight. Boiled up from the depths of Mammon’s Gulch, this new Wild Target can be found at multiple locations, stalking the land until provoked into explosive response. Posing an entirely new threat, the Hellborn moves frantically to slag trespassing Hunters, scorching everything in its considerable reach.

Be warned—the Hellborn is best dispatched quickly, as its raging howls attract the attention of other Hunters across the Gulch, multiplying the threat minute by minute.

Event Pacts

Attempting to impose order, The Lawful Pact look to establish Hunter authority in the Gulch under Wyatt Preston’s command.

Making their first appearance, The Wilderness Pact puts no trust in the law. They have stepped out of their wild and remote haunts to defend the integrity of the mountain ranges and punish those who corrupt or exploit them.

Meanwhile, The Demented Pact have resurfaced under the cover of darkness, following signs of this new Corruption with twisted hearts. They seek to nurture and multiply the new wonders the Sculptor has wrought.

Players are able to pledge to their chosen Pacts at the Supply Points, which grants them an exclusive Trait enabling fresh gameplay opportunities. Some existing Traits also gain bonus Conditional Trait Effects for Hunters who pledge to specific Pacts.

The Wilderness Pact Traits

• Surefoot (New) – sprint with primed throwables or while using a First Aid Kit
• Beastface (Conditional Trait Effect) – avoid triggering animals or breaking branches
• Frontiersman (Conditional Trait Effect) – gain an extra Pledge Mark for the first 30 Event Points collected per Mission

The Lawful Pact Traits

• Peacekeeper – restore an empty Health Chunk after looting a dead Hunter
• Packmule (Conditional Trait Effect) – find extra ammo when looting dead Hunters
• Vigilant (Conditional Trait Effect) – double the range of Dark Sight

The Demented Pact Traits

• Berserker – boost melee damage
• Adrenaline (Conditional Trait Effect) – 25% speed boost for 20 seconds when at critical health
• Ghoul (Conditional Trait Effect) – restore health when damaging a Boss Target or Wild Target

Hunters will also be able to earn Event Pledge Marks and acquire additional boons and rewards, with the ability to carry up to 4 Pledge Marks at a time.

Mammon's Gulch

In Mammon’s Gulch, visit 16 unique compounds spread across the peaks and ravines of the new Hunt biome.

Pass through torched towns and delve deep into the mines, avoid new threats, and take advantage of the terrain as you explore new strategic vantage points and tactics.

Take to the high ground in the struggle against rival Hunters, or venture down into the Gulch’s deep mines to face untold horrors.

CRYENGINE 5.11

Hunt: Showdown 1896 showcases the new capabilities of the long-awaited CRYENGINE 5.11 upgrade.

Players will dive into a new experience benefiting from a leap in visual fidelity, with improvements across textures, lighting and animation, enhanced audio design, greater overall performance, and tons more.

Console players will also see native 4K and 60 fps support on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and 60 fps and 2k for Xbox Series S, all in glorious HDR.

Key Features:

• New Era of Hunt – Hunt: Showdown 1896 takes the fight to a whole new Colorado biome with the all-new map, Mammon’s Gulch. 
• CRYENGINE 5.11 – The latest CRYENGINE technology will usher in the most immersive Hunt yet, with overhauled visuals, richer audio, and more.
• Corrupt World & Timeless Evil – A gunslinging PvPvE extraction shooter, challenging Hunters to thrive against a backdrop of supernatural horrors in a dark and gritty world where players build shared memories of desperation, loss and triumph together. 
• Intense Atmosphere – Featuring award-winning audio design, sink deep into a sensory gameplay experience featuring rich sounds and immersive environments.
• Ever Evolving –Frequent updates for players always looking for new challenges, with new events, weapons, characters, rewards and more in the growing world of Hunt.
• Thriving Community –Join thousands of other Hunters from around the world in a highly engaged community, helping to shape the future of Hunt with feedback and surveys that regularly steer future updates.

The launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S brings with it the sunsetting of Hunt: Showdown on last-generation platforms. This means that beyond August 15, the original Hunt: Showdown will no longer be playable on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

As previously announced, all console players will automatically receive an upgrade to the new game at no additional cost on their next-generation counterpart, including all past purchases and progress.

For players that haven’t yet made the upgrade, rest assured your Hunt legacy will be ready and waiting as soon as you choose to make the switch to PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S.

Even in death, you will be able to progress among the ranks of Hunters via your Bloodline. Though one character may die, their experience will be transferred to your Bloodline, where it can be applied your other Hunters. If you make it off of the map alive, you will be able to use the money and experience you earn to kit out new Hunters and prepare for the next match. If you die, you lose everything but your experience.

Dark Sight allows Hunters to see into the veil between worlds, making that which cannot be seen by mortal eyes visible to those who have been initiated. Use Dark Sight when you are tracking monsters, and a ghostly light will guide you toward your next target. Dark Sight also marks players carrying a bounty, making them more vulnerable to ambush while trying to escape.

Hunt: Showdown is currently available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam).

Hunt: Showdown 1896 will be launching to PC (Steam), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on August 15, 2024, at which point the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be shut down.