10 Best Hunting Games to Experience the Thrill of a Chase

Want to relive that fun of hunting in the wild forests? Let’s make it possible with the help of the best Hunting Games.

Hunting is a popular sport that has been seen and heard since ancient times. Whatever region you belong to, every forest has wildlife sanctuary and hunting stories. Whether for sustenance or entertainment, people travel to various wild places around the globe to devise a courageous story and a kill. 

However, we can’t be brave enough to go into the forest, chase animals, aim at them, and get a fresh kill. But the 21st century has made numerous impossible things possible through the help of technology.

Consequently, video games allow you to experience the thrill of hunting and chasing. So, today let’s discuss some of the best hunting games that deserve a place in your gaming library. 

What are Hunting Games?

Hunting is a typical sport in which people go to forests and chase wild animals to kill them for specific reasons. In ancient times, the reason behind hunting wild animals was limited to food and self-defense. With the evolution of the world, people started hunting animals for entertainment, meat, flesh, teeth, and more.

However, now the laws are strict. But you can still experience the thrill of chasing in this era by sitting in your comfort place through hunting games. These games are specially designed with a storyline and plot where the player goes to various wild places to hunt wild animals and complete missions in return for rewards. The high-peak resolution and graphics make the games more realistic and engaging. 

Why are strategy and planning essential in hunting games?

You would already know that hunting isn’t a piece of cake. The hunter needs to face several technical, physical, and environmental challenges to make one successful kill. Furthermore, before making a strategy of hunting the animal, the hunter first makes a safe plan for his survival like in the survival games. 

Hunting games are based on reality, so the developers add various challenges for the gamer. These challenges make the game more realistic and keep the player on the edge of their seat. 

Hunting games take you on a realism tour, where your decisions entirely influence the game plot. The gamer needs to stalk, pursue, and defend himself according to the situation and reaction of the animals. 

Even though most hunting games genre is action role-playing, they are still interpreted with several real-time strategies and tactics. Therefore, the player must keep their eyes on the game and have a good presence of mind to progress.

Hunting games are best for gamers who like action more than the storyline. If you are one of them or want to try hunting games, then let’s get down to the list. 

Big Buck Hunter

This is one of the most popular and recommended video games with a hunting theme – Big Buck Hunter. As the name suggests, the player must shoot moving bucks without shooting a doe or female animal.

The initial edition of Big Buck Hunter’s initial series was released in December 2000, and the recent edition of Big Buck World was introduced to the audience in November 2010. This series has up to 7 games for endless fun and thrill.

Inspired by Duck Hunt, the big Buck Hunter game’s primary goal is to shoot the male animals while they run across the screen. Each round of this chase and thrill ends when the player shoots any female animal. 

The player gets points on every successful shot, determined based on distance, weight, and accuracy. Big Buck Hunter offers different states with various animals like antelope and moose. Big Buck Hunter is a fun game that is suitable to play with family and friends.

Release – December 2000 

Genre – Arcade 

Developer/ Publisher – Incredible Technologies 

Platforms – PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One 

Hunting Simulator

Hunting Simulator is an immersive game that offers players hours and hours of gameplay in the wild. This game is preferable for you if you want to enjoy a long weekend with your friends. The Hunting Simulator also includes a multiplayer mode. 

Hunting Simulator is developed using four unreal engines–making it more versatile and user-friendly. Moreover, the game presents up to 12 different regions based on natural hunting areas like the lakes and boreal forests of Alberta, the arid plains of Texas, the tundra and forest of Alaska, and more.

If the game offers a variety of regions, how could they miss offering a variety of animal species? Therefore, the Hunting Simulator presents more than 37 species of animals and over 100 missions to complete. 

Hunting Simulator gives the best hunting experience, with 17 firearms, various gaming modes, and more. The developers have paid attention to the graphics and user experience. This is the only game in the hunting genre that lets you use drones to explore the environment.

Release – June 2017

Genre – Hunting, Simulation 

Developer/ Publisher – Nacon

Platforms – Windows, Nintendo Switch, and PS4

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Hunting animals is all fun, but what if you can also experience hunting unique wild creatures and monsters? Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is a game that revolves around this theme while providing an extraordinary experience.

In this action role-playing game, the player gets control of a player-created character who travels to a new world filled with monsters. Further, the player is assigned to kill or capture these giant monsters in an arctic ecosystem named Hoarfrost. 

The game is played in a third-person perspective with several challenges and thrills. The player starts the games with limited weapons, but they can later upgrade equipment while progressing in new levels or as a reward by killing or trapping monsters. 

The game offers several places to travel and make up a new world, making it challenging and long-lasting. You can enjoy this game alone or with your friend in multiplayer mode.

Release – September 2019

Genre – Action role-playing 

Developer/ Publisher – Capcom

Platforms – PS4, Xbox One, and Windows

Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is the third entry in the Red Dead series and a prequel game of Red Dead Redemption. The game’s storyline is a fictionalized representation of the United States in 1899.

The player controls outlaw Arthur Morgan, who has to complete missions and deal with the decline of the Wild West while surviving against government forces, rival gangs, and other adversaries. 

Red Dead Redemption 2 features several landscapes, travelers, bandits, wildlife, and urban settlements. The gameplay elements include shootouts, robberies, hunting, horseback riding, and more. Also, the primary transportation in the game is a horse. 

Red Dead Redemption 2 can give you the perfect experience of Robin Hood, who may break laws around the city but always for a good cause. The primary goal of the gamer is to maintain the character’s honor rating through the right moral decisions and deeds. 

Release – October 2018 

Genre – Action role-playing 

Developer/ Publisher – Rockstar Games 

Platforms – PS4, Xbox One, Windows, and Stadia

The Hunter Classic

The Hunter Classic is considered one of the most realistic hunting games ever created. This game lets you experience the thrill of hunting in the vast open-world environment. The environmental graphics of this game ranges from the desolate Australian outback to the landscape of the Austrian Alps. 

The Hunter Classic was first released in 2009, and it is continuously updating all its elements, including weapons, species, and environments, releasing new platforms and more. Through this game, the player can explore 12 vast environments while hunting up to 45 species like Bison, Moose, Red Deer, Feral Hog, and more.

In terms of gameplay, the game offers several challenges to the player. In addition, the player can have a good time with the game’s extensive online features by participating in competitions, completing missions, climbing leaderboards, etc. 

The Hunter Classic can be enjoyed solo and with friends, as you can team up with up to 7  friends to enjoy this thrilling game. Besides all this, the other attractive element of this game is weapons. The Hunter lets the player use several weapons, from crossbows to handguns, to harvest the prey. 

Release – 2009

Genre – Action-adventure 

Developer/ Publisher – Avalanche Studios 

Platforms – Steam

theHunter: Call of the Wild

theHunter: Call of the Wild is a hunting game in an atmospheric open world. The most attractive point of this game is its graphics and detailed environment. Moreover, the developers have exceptional attention to background sound for the best authentic experience. 

The gameplay is entirely designed based on actual animal behavior. You can experience a hunter’s life through this game. The player has to hunt the prey the same as ancient hunters did, i.e., you have to analyze and learn about animals’ behavior to pursue them.

theHunter: Call of Wild makes you part of the game, where you must survive and hunt wild animals using rifles and bows. Furthermore, the gamer should also complete in-game challenges and hunting events. You can also team up with up to 8 friends for more fun. 

Release – February 2017

Genre – Simulation 

Developer/ Publisher – Expansive Worlds 

Platforms – Windows, PS4, and Xbox One

Hunt: Showdown 

Hunt: Showdown is a first-person shooter game with an innovative strategy. It has two gaming modes – one is a bounty hunter, and the other is a quick-play mode. The game isn’t limited to only hunting but also includes puzzles and mysteries.

Bounty hunter is the most interactive and challenging mode in this game. The user gets control of a bounty hunter who must survive and kill a mythical monster to claim the bounty and reach an extraction point. 

While on the other hand, “Quickplay” is a battle royale mode and exactly like its name, i.e., quick and comparatively easy. This mode lasts for 15 minutes, in which the player is tasked to find an energy wellspring in a provided map while fending off hostile attacks. 

Release – May 2019

Genre – First-person shooter 

Developer/ Publisher – Crytek

Platforms – Windows, PS4, and Xbox One

Hunting Unlimited 2010

Hunting Unlimited 2010 is a fast-paced hunting game ranging from North America, Canada, and Bavarian Forest. The game offers two modes named accessible hunt mode and challenge mode. Both modes come with unique concepts and fun.

The accessible hunt mode drops you into an environment with various prey. While on the other hand, the challenge mode makes the game more exciting and fun through various tasks. The game lets you travel and locate animals through vehicles and maps. 

However, you can also run for a more realistic experience. The game has several animals, like Deer, Elk, bears, Lions, Elephants, etc., to hunt. You may or may not like the graphics, but you will love the gameplay of Hunting Unlimited.

Release –  July 2009

Genre – Simulation 

Developer/ Publisher – Ziggurat

Platforms – Steam 

Prehistoric Hunt 

As the name suggests, Prehistoric Hunt is a hunting game that takes you back to ancient times – in the era of dinosaurs. Exciting, right? Furthermore, the gameplay and the graphics of the game make it more thrilling and authentic.

The game takes you to a vast island inhabited by several types of dinosaur species. This single island’s terrain varies from mountain cliffs to dense forests and open plains to offer better hunting experiences.

However, the player can play this game solo or with friends, as this game has a multiplayer option. Besides surviving and hunting dinosaurs, the player must also complete hunting assignments. These assignments will further help the player gain rewards for new equipment and hunt in new places. 

Prehistoric Hunt provides players with multiple weapons options, from traditional firearms to tranquilizers. The game consists of horrific carnivorous dinosaurs who may chase the player. 

Release – December 2020

Genre – Action-adventure 

Developer/ Publisher – Antiproto Studios 

Platforms – Steam

The Forest 

The Forest is a survival horror video game with a unique and engaging storyline that can leave you thrilled and with bated breath till the end. The features in an open-world environment are played from a first-person perspective.

The game doesn’t include any set of missions or quests. Instead, the game plot is based on real-time strategy and players’ decisions for survival while completing a primary goal. 

Coming to the gameplay, the player Eric LeBlanc, goes to the forested peninsula in search of his son Timmy after a plane crash. The player must survive in this horrific forest by creating shelter, weapons, and other necessary survival equipment. 

What brings this game to our list is that the enemy creatures in the forest are cannibalistic monsters. These monsters dwell in villages and become more aggressive at night. The player should fight off these monsters while hunting animals, creating shelter and traps, etc. However, the player is also given a survival guidebook for help.

Release – November 2018

Genre – Survival horror 

Developer/ Publisher – Endnight Games

Platforms – PS4 and Steam

Bottom line

By the end of the article, you would have noticed that hunting games aren’t limited to only animals. The developers have a lot more to offer you. From hunting animals to exploring and surviving monsters and dinosaurs, you can enjoy the thrill of the chase in this modern era through hunting games.

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