The 16 Best Hunting Games

• Developer: Capcom
• Rating: T for Teen

Before Monster Hunter: World hit the scene, the previous series entries proved to be a bit too complicated for some players even though the overall gameplay loop proved to be highly engaging. The intricate process that goes into tracking massive beasts with your fellow "Hunters" and combining your efforts to take that towering creature down got streamlined for this series entry. Thanks to the welcome approach to Monster Hunter's traditional gameplay mechanics, World proved to be the most approachable and successful entry to date. You'll get a ton of enjoyment out of navigating all the various biomes in the game's massive "New World" and bring the fight to signature monsters such as the "Rajang," "Thunder Serpent Narwa," and "Chameleos."

• Developer: Capcom
• Rating: T for Teen

Once you've become a master at Monster Hunter: World, you can easily transition all of those newfound skills over to Monster Hunter Rise. This time, your epic hunting endeavors will take place in a world patterned after Feudal Japan and confront a new race of powerful monsters. You'll have an easier time navigating in the air thanks to the addition of the new "Wirebugs" tool and you can call upon the help of a new canine companion called a "Palamute" to help you get around faster & offer you extra assistance during battle. You can also choose to clash with this game's collection of intimidating beasties with co-op buddies - you're going to need all the help you can get when the time comes to take down a "Blood Orange Bishaten."

• Developer: Nine Rocks Games
• Rating: T for Teen

We're going to take a departure from the best hunting games that put you against fantastical beasts and dive into a selection that focuses on real-world animal hunts. Way of the Hunter is a first-person shooter that will let you indulge in some digital ethical hunting across the USA (Pacific Northwest) and Europe (Transylvania). The gameplay on display here feels as close to the real deal as possible when it comes to tracking down animals such as deer, moose, and warthogs. Tap into your "Hunter Sense" ability to highlight every important detail related to your current objective, do everything needed to keep your family hunting business alive, and make good use of your officially licensed firearms & equipment to become the best hunter there ever was.

• Developer: Expansive Worlds
• Rating: T for Teen

Here's another super realistic pick on our list of the best hunting games that cater to hardcore enthusiasts of the hobby. theHunter: Call of the Wild will transport your custom hunter to a wide range of locales in pursuit of varied wildlife, such as Jackrabbits, Black Bears, and Mallard Ducks. On your own or with a friend, you'll need to track each animal, pay attention to their behaviors, keep track of the game's dynamic weather & day/night systems, and account for every element that will impact the direction of your bullets. theHunter: Call of the Wild has everything needed to replicate the real-world excitement that comes from finally nailing that animal you've been hunting for hours on end.

• Developer: Biart Company LLC
• Rating: N/A

Now let's take a deep dive into the sea to enjoy one of the best hunting games that's themed around the extreme sport of spearfishing. Depth Hunter 2: Deep Dive provides players with three locales and 25 missions to test themselves with as they go on the hunt for treasure and spearfishing. Players will also be able to do a bit of underwater sightseeing and savor their memories by being able to take pictures of their watery surroundings.

• Developer: CyberLight Game Studio
• Rating: N/A

For decades now, avid Bigfoot researchers have made it their life mission to finally capture the elusive creature. BIGFOOT features the massive beast in an asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror game where you can either play amongst a team of hunters armed with firearms to confront their massive oppressor or the hairy beast himself. While taking on the role of the hunter is a fun activity, we think you'll have even more of a great time terrorizing those hapless humans as the ancient primate and smacking them around with the road sign you rip right out of the ground!

• Developer: Crytek
• Rating: M for Mature

Hunt: Showdown has accumulated a sizable player base due to just how unique its approach to competitive multiplayer is. The main mode this game presents is "Bounty Hunt," which pits two teams of bounty hunters against each other as they race to take down and capture their designated target. Along the way, both teams will have to stick together to brave the dangers presented by numerous monsters. Once one team eliminates the grand bounty, they'll need to survive shootouts with the enemy team (who can steal the bounty if they fight hard enough!) and earn their victory by getting to the extraction point. Hunt: Showdown's PvPvE structure provides a fun twist on the art of team-based hunting.

• Developer: SCS Software
• Rating: N/A

Hunting Unlimited 2010 is the oldest entry on this list as it originally launched in 2009. Now don't judge this aging book by its cover - while its visuals aren't mindblowing by any means, this respectable hunting game gives you a wide range of animals to track and hunt across North America, Canada, and the Bavarian Forest. The wealth of content contained here, which includes 110+ missions, 32+ weapons, and 18 big game animals, should be enough to convince you that this recommended pick on our list of the best hunting games is an oldie but goodie.

• Developer: Raw Thrills
• Rating: N/A

Starting in the year 2000, arcades and dive bars across America began featuring arcade cabinets that feature the latest version of the Big Buck Hunter series. Now if you go to a Dave & Buster's nowadays or another one of the larger arcades in the States, you'll come across the best version of the light-gun hunting shooter to date. Big Buck Hunter Reloaded gives two players plastic rifles to play around with during missions that throw all sorts of deer to keep track of and eliminate. The more fantastical side of this game pits you against zombie deer, mythical monsters such as a Yeti, and even "Terminators" from the famous sci-fi movie franchise. For Big Buck Hunter fans who want to go pro in the esports arena, Reloaded provides one of the best avenues to do so.

• Developer: Guerrilla Games
• Rating: T for Teen

The next three games on our list of the best hunting games are more story-driven experiences that happen to feature a strong implementation of hunting mechanics. The Horizon series, which is centered around a mysterious young woman named Aloy, offers a fun sci-fi twist on its themes as you run through a post-apocalyptic world dominated by robotic animals. Horizon Zero Dawn kicks off her adventure in a 31st-century rendition of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. With a collection of varied ranged weaponry and a spear at the ready, you'll need to employ your best stealth techniques as you attempt to incapacitate "Striders," "Sawtooths," "Snapmaws," and so much more.

• Developer: Guerrilla Games
• Rating: T for Teen

After learning about the origin of Aloy and mastering the hunting techniques of Horizon Zero Dawn, you'll want to dive deeper into her ongoing adventures. Horizon Forbidden West moves all the robotic beat action to post-apocalyptic versions of California, Nevada, and Utah. This sequel gives you even more ground to cover across those larger locales and even the ability to travel underwater. The newest mechanical beasts you'll run into here include "Bristlebacks," "Burrowers," "Clamberjaws," and so much more since all of the robotic animals you encountered in the first game make their return here. With your armory of new weapons in tow, you'll earn new ways to trap and ultimately defeat your targets.

• Developer: Rockstar Games
• Rating: M for Mature

Rockstar Games' releases tend to be all-encompassing experiences that give players a ton of activities to do. Red Dead Redemption 2 is that sort of game as you can take a break from all the shootouts and robberies to engage in some leisure-friendly minigames. You can sit down and enjoy a few rounds of Blackjack, Dominoes, Poker, and Five Finger Fillet, for instance. Plus you can venture out into RDR2's gorgeous and expansive wilderness to fulfill all sorts of hunting requests. Keep track of Ms. L Hobbs' Hunters Sought Posters and heed the call of duty as you attempt to hunt down rabbits, squirrels, beavers, bullfrogs, and a bunch of other animals that exist across the Wild West frontier. You'll have a hell of a time finding three-star-rated animals, taking them down with a perfect kill to obtain their perfect animal carcasses, and getting paid handsomely for your efforts.

• Developer: Ten Square Games S.A.
• Rating: 17+

Wild Hunt: Hunting Simulator keeps it simple with its mobile interpretation of venturing through the great outdoors to indulge in hunting a wide range of wildlife. You'll spend your time staying on the move throughout Africa, Europe, Australia, America, and Asia while you stay low & track your targets in the woods, mountains, forests, and savannas. This hunting game makes for a great time killer during road trips and daily public transportation rides - time will fly by as you use firearms and a bow & arrow to take down bears, deer, and more.

• Developers: Nintendo R&D1, Intelligent Systems
• Rating: N/A

Gamers who came up during the 80s must have recurring nightmares about that cheeky little dog that giggled at them every time they missed a shot. Waking up from that enraging memory must push those same gaming veterans to pull out their Nintendo Entertainment System, trusty "Zapper," and retro CRT television to run it back on Duck Hunt. This light-gun shooter is simple and gets right to the point of all the fun that's advertised on the game's box art - shoot ducks out of the sky as quickly as possible to rack up a respectable score. Back in the day, Duck Hunt left everyone's jaws on the floor thanks to just how amazing it felt to have such a responsive gaming peripheral magnifying our fun. Nowadays, Duck Hunt makes for a fun ride to the past for hunting devotees.

• Developer: Phoenix Labs
• Rating: T for Teen

Dauntless integrates the same monster-hunting vibes featured in Capcom's massively successful action RPG franchise, Monster Hunter. The mammoth monsters you and your fellow "Slayers" will have to clash with are called "Behemoths." And the only way to take them down is by utilizing different weapon types to hack away at their massive frames. You can tackle the towering beasts here on your own, with up to four players for chaotic co-op battles, and with up to six players for even more co-op hunting fun in the game's "Hunting Grounds" mode. In its current state, Dauntless is jam-packed with new monsters, modes, weapons, locations, and more to stay busy with.

• Developer: Omega Force
• Rating: T for Teen

Development studio Omega Force isn't just known for churning out tons of "Musou" games in its Dynasty/Samurai Warriors franchises. It also dipped its toes into the monster-hunting sub-genre of action RPGs with its Toukiden series - we recommend hopping into the second one to play its latest installment and the best one to date. Toukiden 2 features expansive open-world exploring, a wide swath of "Oni" creatures to encounter in battle, and tons of customization options for your chosen "Slayers." With a full four-player squad, you'll derive plenty of entertainment from the act of fighting for your life against folkloric beasts.