Way Of The Hunter 2, formerly known as Next Hunting Adventure, is the next evolution of hunting simulations is built on a brand-new technical foundation and is designed to deliver the ultimate hunting game experience for years to come.

As the ultimate hunting simulator, Way Of The Hunter 2’s goal is to become the most authentic and advanced virtual hunting experience. Building upon our previous experience, invaluable player feedback, and countless iterations this game will start as the foundation for many updates, expansions and a true long-term support.

Way Of The Hunter 2 introduces a loyal hunting companion to aid you on your hunts. Your dog is the perfect tracker, helping you locate animal signs or follow the trails of fleeing animals. Through constant training and exercise, your companion will improve over time, learning to reliably respond to your commands — becoming not only an invaluable tool in the field, but also your trusted adventure buddy.

The first hunting ground in Way Of The Hunter 2 is set in the vast Canadian wilderness, home to big game such as moose, elk, bears, and bison, as well as smaller animals like rabbits, turkeys, and a variety of other bird species. As the new hunter in town, you are recruited to take on a series of unique challenges that span two breathtaking environments and introduce you to a cast of memorable NPCs. In New Laurentia, you’ll team up with a skilled dog trainer and assist the warden as you uncover the mystery behind the unusual behavior of the local moose population.

Way of the Hunter 2 receives its first major Steam Early Access content update, expanding the simulation with new systems and equipment that deepen both realism and player agency.

Players can now actively shape ecosystems through infrastructure improvements in reserves, by restoring damaged habitats, removing pollution, and clearing invasive species. These efforts directly impact animal fitness and population potential, creating more dynamic and sustainable hunting grounds over time.

A new layer of tactical hunting is introduced with suppressors, allowing for quieter shots that reduce animal alertness and prevent nearby herds from spooking. This enables more controlled harvests and improved follow-up opportunities, encouraging careful, selective hunting strategies.

The update also adds thermal optics, including both a handheld monocular and clip ons. These tools allow players to detect heat signatures in low visibility conditions, offering multiple viewing modes for scanning terrain, tracking movement, and identifying targets with greater precision.

Finally, Photo Mode is expanded with new player and dog poses, giving players more ways to capture both themselves and their hunting companions. These additions enhance storytelling and allow for more personalized and memorable in-game photography.

(Way of the Hunter 2) Update 0.1.0 (Version: 190882) - patch notes:

New Features:

• Thermal vision

• Infrastructure improvements

New Gear:

• Suppressors: “Primacy Panther”, “Primacy Whisper Magnum”

• Thermal vision monocular: “Terra Observer Mono”

• Thermal vision clip-on: “Terra Prometheus”

Animals:

• Added: Trophy measurements for Western moose

• Added: Snowshoe Hare animations and reactions, with added vocal cues

• Tweaked: Polish of Rocky Mountain elk trophy

• Tweaked: Turn off the animal path for small animals

• Tweaked: Improved the animal's fur rendering

• Tweaked: Blood signs of not fatally wounded animals disappear after a specific time

• Tweaked: Senses for hard difficulty game settings tweaked to be more challenging

• Tweaked: Delayed the animal’s reaction to the incoming vehicle

• Tweaked: Wood bison - white mouth, skin around eyes and hoofs

• Fixed: Animals clustering and freezing across the map, causing performance issues

• Fixed: Incorrect hit detection on some animals

• Fixed: Missing star rating and trophy score in the Claim screen for certain animals

• Fixed: Corrupted White-tailed Ptarmigan model, briefly seen when the bird transitions from running to fleeing

• Fixed: Shots from far ranges may sometimes ignore projectiles if sound cues from the weapon do not reach them

• Fixed: Turkeys fail to respond to the caller or the player's presence

• Fixed: Wild Ducks abruptly stop and drop in front of the player after using the duck caller

• Fixed: Turkeys shot non-lethally may remain on the ground with broken AI

• Fixed: Birds keep flying in circles around the group location target

• Fixed: Birds (landfowl) don’t escape correctly when alerted

• Fixed: Animals stuck walking towards the rocks

• Fixed: American wolverine’s droppings and footprints are not generated

• Fixed: Dead animal bodies are difficult to find when animals die in deep water

• Fixed: Swimming on the spot while in a sitting behaviour

• Fixed: Western moose: Liver doesn't get any damage

• Fixed: A wounded animal might lie down in water bodies while dying

• Fixed: Multiple reasons causing stacked animals in terrain or in the animation graph

• Fixed: Mallards in flying animations have the insides of their beaks on the outside

• Fixed: White-tailed Ptarmigan stretched intestines inside the Harvest screen

• Fixed: Glitching material on the Eastern Wild turkey’s head in the Claim screen

• Fixed: Corrupted antler material on some Mule deer trophies

• Fixed: Animal tongue occasionally blocks the bullet

• Fixed: Male Wood bison clipping through the ground

• Fixed: Artery shots that should be fatal are marked as "Lower volume of blood"

• Fixed: Western moose's trophy tab lacks certain trophy score information in the Harvest screen

• Fixed: Missing stars and trophy score in the Harvest screen on Western moose and Snowshoe hare

• Fixed: Small game animals bend grass and create an animal path while escaping

• Fixed: Trophy values for Wood bison and Dall sheep not updating correctly

• Fixed: Lethal flesh hit doesn't kill the Eastern Wild turkey

• Fixed: Silent sound cues on American wolverine and Dall sheep

Dog:

• Added: Dog animated turning on spot prototype

• Tweaked: More animations for the dog, including digging, wet shaking and facial animations

• Tweaked: After successfully finding a dead animal, the dog will now stop barking when you get 10m to the animal

• Tweaked: Dogs now stop barking within a certain distance of the animal

• Fixed: The dog clips into the ragdoll

• Fixed: Dog sounds stopped working after repeated “Sit and Stay” commands

• Fixed: “Track blood” command didn’t cancel “Sit and Stay” when far from the dog

• Fixed: Dog panting sounds played too often and didn’t match its position

• Fixed: Dog breathing audio is now properly synced

• Fixed: The dog sometimes does not stop at the animal sign

Weapons and Shooting:

• Tweaked: Update FOVs on all ironsights

• Tweaked: Shot is now causing less meat degradation

• Tweaked: Bullet impact in the water detection fix

Gear:

• Tweaked gear (improved visual):

  • Scopes: “ZOOMXD Vision Professional 1,5-6x42”, “Primacy Vision Unity 1-4x24”, “Integrix iX6 3-18x44 WOTH Edition”, “Primacy Vision Pillar 4-16x50”, “DD Optics V10 1.5-15x40 NXT”

  • Night vision scopes: “Primacy Clarity Digital 2-16x32”, “Overgaard Night Stalker 3-9x”

  • Collimators: “ZOOMXD Red dot”, “Primacy Reflex Freedom”

  • Bow sights: “ZOOMXD Triumph”

  • Binoculars: “Overgaard 8x, Bushnell Prime 10x42”, “Overgaard Titan 15x56”

Hunting Map:

• Added: Hunting stand markers to the hunting map

• Added: Markers for placeable gear to the hunting map

• Added: Land borders visible over the fog of war on the hunting map

• Tweaked: Improve visuals of the land highlight marker

User Interface (UI):

• Added: Trophy rating (stars) to animal analysis with binoculars

• Added: Control prompt for the Shooting stick to the HUD

• Added: Brand logos to the Shop and Encyclopedia

• Added: Player's current Rank badge in the game menu

• Tweaked: Impact of UI on performance

• Tweaked: Encyclopedia: Added information about Focal plane for Sights

• Tweaked: Reworked thumbnails of all firearms in Shop and Encyclopedia

• Tweaked: Improved the Mission screen UI

• Tweaked: Objective markers that show up as circle areas in the hunting map will also show up as markers in the Compass (HUD)

• Tweaked: Interaction with Sleep UI is disabled while time is passing

• Fixed: Sound cue ripples occasionally show incorrect animal behaviour

Player:

• Tweaked: Player footsteps water detection

Photo Mode:

• Added: Poses for the player character

• Added: Aspect ratio option

• Added: Height adjustment for animals

• Added: Poses for the dog

• Added: Toggle for dog visibility

• Added: Toggle for player visibility

• Tweaked: Camera temperature options limited to 2500-10000K

Gameplay:

• Added: Challenges "Get rid of pollution"

• Added: Challenge "Improve navigation"

• Added: Challenge "Place any habitat enhancement"

• Tweaked: Removed Skill "All Scent Masks are more effective"

• Tweaked: Game time now pauses while in the hunting map

Controls:

• Tweaked: Default aiming sensitivity and dead zone settings for controllers

• Added: Shooting stick keybinding setting

Sound & Audio:

• Added: New loading screen music

• Tweaked: Volume automation for ambient and animal sounds while in UI screens, in vehicle and NPC dialogues

• Tweaked: Increased animal footstep distances

• Tweaked: The balance between interior and exterior while raining

• Tweaked: Rain is more intense during a thunderstorm

• Tweaked: Increased distances and volume for all water objects

• Tweaked: Lowered volume for the vehicle engine and tyres

• Tweaked: Lowered wind volume + lowered altitude wind volume

• Tweaked: Disabled ambient sounds during cutscenes

• Tweaked: Improved memory optimisation for all sounds

Ammo:

• Fixed: The light effect on the ammo is too bright

• Fixed: "Lewellings Grande Strike" (375 H&H Magnum) wrong info in Encyclopedia

Challenges:

• Tweaked: Certain challenges can now be fulfilled in the training grounds

• Tweaked: Challenges that require selling meat now also count when disposing of an animal

• Tweaked: Hidden fitness value for females

• Fixed: Random crashes when completing challenges (e.g. "Talk Turkey To Me" mission)

Cutscenes:

• Fixed: New Laurentia intro cinematic has mismatched words displayed in the subtitles compared to the voice-over

• Fixed: Visual and audio glitches in cutscenes

Encyclopedia:

• Fixed: Displaying incorrect values of the trophy estimated range

• Fixed: Missing description for some items

• Fixed: Missing image of the WildHeart Deer Estrus Scent

• Fixed: Debug text appearing in the Recommended Equipment tab for Dall sheep and Wood bison

• Fixed: Arrow ammo descriptions appear the same in the Encyclopedia description

• Fixed: Binoculars display the incorrect magnification in the Encyclopedia

• Fixed: Cutting diameter for vanes now displays in the correct units

• Fixed: Duplicate or wrongly written text appears in the guides section of the Encyclopedia

• Fixed: Overgaard Titan 15x56 binoculars now only appear in the Encyclopedia after being unlocked

Gamepad:

• Fixed: Binocular control prompt in the tutorial displaying "NONE"

• Fixed: LT and RT not working in the Claim screen

• Fixed: Missing Y-Axis inversion option

• Fixed: Multiple buttons sharing the same functionality

• Fixed: Tutorial voiceover didn’t skip when pressing the button

• Fixed: Fast travel could cause FPS drops and animation issues over time

• Fixed: Not being able to summon the vehicle in multiple campsites from the game menu

Gear:

• Fixed: Game could crash when using the Primos Double Jackrabbit Predator Call near Northwestern wolves

• Fixed: NPC models didn’t display correctly in binoculars

• Fixed: Animals not correctly displayed in vision modes

• Fixed: Duck caller visual artefacts when moving around

• Fixed: Incorrect scope effects on various rendering aspect ratios

• Fixed: Animation for “Primos The Great Big Can Doe Bleat”

• Fixed: Binoculars displaying incorrect magnification and lens size values in the Shop

• Fixed: Binoculars zoom control prompt remaining available after turning the Arcade zoom option off

• Fixed: Not being able to place the “WildHeart Front Cover” and the “WildHeart Wild Turkey Decoy” on some valid surfaces

• Fixed: “Primacy Vision Pillar 4-16x50” being incorrectly attached to “Primacy Classic Hunter MK II”

• Fixed: Prone moving animation glitching when holding a weapon

• Fixed: Resetting Skills destroys tents instead of returning them to storage

• Fixed: Switching weapons while using the shooting stick resulted in a glitched camera after aiming down sights

• Fixed: The initial binocular is placed in the incorrect gear slot in some situations

• Fixed: Visual artefacts while moving the camera with “Primos The Original Wench Duck Call” in hand

• Fixed: Zoom effect is slowing down while speeding up the mouse wheel input

• Fixed: "DD Optics V10 1.5-15x40" scope attachment flickers on the sides while inside ADS on any weapon

• Fixed: "Primacy Clarity Digital 2-16x32" scope attachment exhibits a glitching/flickering effect while ADS

• Fixed: "Primacy Vision Pillar 4-16x50" scope attachment lightly flickers on the sides while moving any weapon inside ADS

• Fixed: Placeholder text "16.73" displayed above the "Scent" type equipment while equipped in hand

• Fixed: “The ZOOMXD TrueSight 1.5-5x32” attachment has an improper crosshair displayed

• Fixed: Mismatch between shotgun pellet count in the Encyclopedia and in-game, causing lower damage

• Fixed: Improper visual displayed for certain scopes when equipped

• Fixed: Callers have incorrect optimal timing data in the Shop, storage and Encyclopedia

• Fixed: Missing red dot on collimator “ZOOMXD Red dot”

• Fixed: Incorrect lens quality information for “ZOOMXD Thunderstrike XR 3-12x44” in the Shop and Encyclopedia

• Fixed: Scope view is too dark on “ZOOMXD Vision Professional 1,5-6x42”

• Fixed: Unable to see iron sights in ADS on the “Primacy Morning silence”

Hunter Assist:

• Fixed: Hunter assist dot ignoring tree collisions

• Fixed: Animal sound cues are becoming visible when aiming down sights after switching from the game menu

• Fixed: Sound cue ripples not expiring correctly

• Fixed: Map markers could appear in the sky when placed on unloaded areas

Inventory:

• Fixed: Inventory items could be lost after a crash during fast travel

Map - New Laurentia:

• Fixed: Improved landscape materials during rainy weather

• Fixed: Improved grass material and distribution

• Fixed: Pulsating foliage on some grass and bushes

• Fixed: Foliage lacks material

• Fixed: Missing collisions with rocks near the main lodge

• Fixed: Removed bushes placed on the trail near Salakum Shore

• Fixed: Grass and a ladder are clipping through the floor at the cabin close to Juniper

• Fixed: Rocks missing collision at the beginning of the river

• Fixed: Painting asset placeholder texture in Juniper's cabin

• Fixed: Multiple places in the lodge interior where the player could get stuck in the furniture

• Fixed: Missing collision with information panels encountered in campsites

• Fixed: Missing collision in the Jackalope Cordillera region

• Fixed: Water flow texture between the lake and the river

• Fixed: Inconsistent lake edges on the map compared to the actual environment

• Fixed: Missplaced bear taxidermy pose

• Fixed: Lighting issues on small objects in the lodge interior

• Fixed: Added missing water surface in the swamp area

• Fixed: Sharp edges on terrain in some areas

• Fixed: Removed tree assets that were present on the road close to the lodge

• Fixed: Removed trees and bushes that were present in the water close to one campsite

Missions:

• Fixed: The player can see the deer “For the Hearth” deer spawning

• Fixed: Mismatch in fitness value and its unit of measure for the Cercyonis Pegala mission

• Fixed: Part of a dialogue about Mikael does not have subtitles

• Fixed: Mission animal can be outside of a marked area

• Fixed: Incorrect dialogue plays after completing "Tyria Jacobaeae"

• Fixed: Incorrect fitness value in the objective for the missions "Cercyonis Pegala" and "Wattle Bearers"

• Fixed: Player not receiving money or XP after successfully completing certain missions

• Fixed: The missing postcard after completing "A Hunt For Home"

Photo Mode:

• Fixed: Losing consciousness in Photo Mode could spawn multiple player characters

• Fixed: Map and Photo Mode no longer cause falling through the world after fast travel

Player:

• Fixed: Camera shaking when the player tries to go beyond the maximum depth of water

• Fixed: Jumping into deeper water makes the character stuck

• Fixed: Red visual effect remains on the edges of the screen after falling unconscious

• Fixed: Screen flickering upon moving backwards while having a decoy item selected for placing

Settings:

• Fixed: Hold to interact, failing to utilise the rebound key

• Fixed: Lighting issues after disabling all Lumen-related settings

• Fixed: Rebinding the "Action Menu" key failing to rebind the "Swap Action Menu" action

• Fixed: Rebinding the "Crouch" key, failing to rebind the "Prone" action

• Fixed: Removed "Aspect ratio" setting from video options

• Fixed: Unresponsive keybindings for inventory gear slots 10, 11, 12

• Fixed: Binoculars arcade mode has a placeholder description

• Fixed: Blood tracks description is missing

SFX

• Fixed: Footstep sound is accumulating and makes the performance drop

• Fixed: Audio glitches after too many audio effects are played at the same time

• Fixed: Voice over is very quiet compared to other audio elements

• Fixed: Some environmental sound elements are overly boosted volume-wise

Taxidermy:

• Added: Wall mount taxidermies

• Fixed: Multiple taxidermy diorama poses refinements (clipping, improper placement, etc)

• Fixed: Multiple issues with diorama clipping, slot occupancy, and taxidermy selection

Text / Translation (UI):

• Fixed: "Vicinity Menu" information pops up every time after accessing the game menu near the lodge after loading a save

• Fixed: Users with NVIDIA GPU's may encounter overlapping Harvest screen UIs

• Fixed: Some of the lure cans have placeholder text written on their caps in the Shop

• Fixed: 12-hour time format not displaying AM/PM indicators

• Fixed: Callers displaying incorrect values of Optimal timing for some callers

• Fixed: NPC marker is duplicating after fast travelling to the same NPC multiple times

• Fixed: Player's name overflowing in the game menu if it surpasses 20 characters in length

• Fixed: Pressing both "E" and "Space" simultaneously causes the screen to be indefinitely blocked by a broken Claim screen

• Fixed: WildHeart Journey backpack displaying incorrect Noise parameter

• Fixed: The message written in the letter is misplaced in the mission MooseNews

• Fixed: Final Section of Mikael Dialogue VO towards the Player doesn't match displayed Dialogue UI Text

• Fixed: Mismatch in fitness value and its unit of measure for the "Wattle Bearers" mission

• Fixed: NPC Juniper's portrait and name disappear during the “Who Let The Bloodhounds Out " dialogue

Vehicle:

• Fixed: Vehicle audio is very loud

• Fixed: Irregular shadows cast by vehicles

• Fixed: Animal’s blood appearing on the vehicle

Weapons:

• Fixed: FPS drop when quickly shooting a semi-automatic rifle or shotgun

• Fixed: “Primacy Rasenbaum" Manufacturing details floating during reload animations

• Fixed: "Jack Bear Hunter" ironsight does not disappear when the scope is mounted

Thank you for your continued support and for being part of the Early Access journey with us.

Happy hunting!

A vastly improved bullet camera allows you to analyze each shot in detail, helping you refine your technique and achieve the perfect shot. The new Hunting Lodge serves as a central hub where you can showcase your trophies, unlock important upgrades, and plan your next adventures. Each territory features its own unique lodge, allowing you to visualize your achievements across every hunting ground.

Authenticity is essential for any simulation. Way Of The Hunter 2 features gear from more than 10 real-world brand partners, ranging from hunting rifles and high-tech equipment to apparel, delivering a deeply immersive and realistic hunting experience.

While we’re not ready to talk about the “when” just yet, Way Of The Hunter 2 might be closer than you think - stay tuned.

Key Features:

• Hunting Dog: Bring your loyal hunting companion to support you while you hunt and track game.. It can search for animal signs, locate blood trails, and track down wounded animals. Your dog will learn and improve with constant exercise and training.
• Shot review: Our improved bullet camera lets you break down every shot with precision. Analyze trajectory, speed, angle, placement, and more — learn how to make the perfect shot, every time
• Hunting Lodge: Welcome to the Hunting Lodge — your ultimate hub for adventure. Plan your next hunt, showcase hard-earned trophies, and unlock powerful upgrades to build the hunting paradise of your dreams. Each map features its own Lodge, unique to that territory
• High Tech Equipment: High end gear will amplify your instincts — delivering the most immersive and realistic hunting experience with improved night vision and next level hunting reserve monitoring for managing your habitats

Way Of The Hunter 2 is coming to PC (Steam).