Hunt: Showdown Leaves PS4 and Xbox One Behind With Its Free Next-Gen Update

Hunt: Showdown developer Crytek has announced the end of support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game as it readies the release of a significant free next-gen upgrade.

Hunt: Showdown is a tense multiplayer first-person shooter in which players work to survive with and against each other as they hunt mythical monsters before reaching an extraction point.

Crytek is treating August 15 as a “significant relaunch” of Hunt: Showdown, which launched first on Steam in Early Access form in February before a release on Xbox in 2019. The full release followed later in 2019, before a launch on PS4 in 2020.

The free PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S update goes live on August 15, and brings with it a new map, an upgrade to CryEngine version 5.11, performance improvements for the PC and console versions, as well as a new UI/UX design.

After the update goes live on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, you will no longer be able to play Hunt on the last generation of consoles, Crytek warned. Crytek said player accounts, entitlements, and all DLCs carry forward to the new version for free “when you’re ready to make the hardware transition.”

Crytek said it will reveal details in the months leading up to the next-gen update. Here's what to expect from the developer:

• Community surveys, lessons learned, and how this data will affect future events
• A sneak peek into the new UX/UI design
• Technological upgrades and performance improvements coming to Hunt via CRYENGINE 5.11 and what that means for players
• An update on the Fair Play Task Force and the steps being taken to address cheating, exploitive play, and toxic interactions
• The evolution of Hunter recruitment/ Prestige systems, as well as changes being made to the progression system
• Overall design vision for game mechanics and the decisions being made around Hunter revival, Health Chunks, restorations, burning downed Hunters, and more

Crytek is also working on first-person shooter sequel Crysis 4, announced in 2022 but without a release window.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].