Not wanting to be shoved aside by several newcomers that have arrived on the extraction shooter scene, Hunt Showdown has just undergone a makeover. A big one, at that. The overhauled and improved Hunt Showdown 1896 is now finally here, and to celebrate the FPS will be free to play for everyone on Steam – but only for a very short time.
I write about a lot of different genres here on PCGamesN, but at the moment it seems at least half of my stories are about extraction shooters. As a result, I am now coining the phrase ‘Extraction Shooter Summer’. I might even trademark it… Anyway, everywhere you look, there are new extraction games launching, trailers and betas dropping for those that are still in the oven, and totally new projects being announced. Hunt Showdown 1896, however, is a rarity in that it is one of the forefathers of the genre that’s getting a major overhaul.
While 1896 is technically a massive update to the FPS game in a similar fashion to how Overwatch transformed into Overwatch 2, it’ll feel like a new game. Not only is it on a new engine and moving to a fresh map, but there are so many changes and features that the patch notes have to span three separate Steam blog posts. It’s wild.
With better visuals and performance, Hunt: Showdown is ensuring that it’s not going to fall behind in the extraction rat race. The new map, which is set in Colorado and called Mammon’s Gulch, “combines the best elements from previous maps with fresh content to create a unique setting.” New wildlife roams the environment. There is a fresh lineup of weapons and gear, existing guns have been given a huge balancing sweep, and gunplay overall has received a massive upgrade. A ridiculous amount of work has gone into this update, and it should make this already enjoyable FPS leagues better.
Hunt Showdown 1896 is out now on PC via Steam and current-gen consoles too. A free weekend for the game is also live right now, and will conclude on Monday August 19.
The combination of this transformational update and the free weekend is having an immediate effect on player numbers. While Hunt Showdown has been comfortably hovering between 20,000 and 40,000 concurrent players over the last couple of years, it is currently sitting at an all-time high peak player count of 57,000 at the time of writing, and that number is still climbing.
You should definitely give it a try over the coming days while it won’t cost you anything, but if it doesn’t hook you, there are countless other free PC games and amazing multiplayer games you can turn to.
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