With the upcoming release of Update 2.4, we are excited to unveil several enhancements to the audio experience that will significantly improve clarity and readability within the game. To provide some context for these changes, let’s take a moment to reflect on our journey from the beginning of this discussion. 

For us, a core aspect of Hunt’s appeal and identity has always been its immersive world and its intrinsic connection to audio. Players engage with an environment that 'speaks' to them—whether it’s the unsettling buzz of a hive, the distant barking of dogs, the sharp crack of a gunshot, or the profound silence that follows. These auditory cues are not only crucial for gameplay but also serve to deepen immersion. Striking the right balance between Hunt’s dark, naturalistic audio aesthetic and the clarity needed to support the game’s competitive nature is a fundamental focus for us as audio designers on Hunt: Showdown 1896. 

With this in mind, we have implemented several changes throughout various areas of the game that moves the needle a bit more towards gameplay readability.  

Here’s a recap of some of the changes we’ve made in previous updates and what is more to come in 2.4:  
 

• Silent/Missing Footsteps:  

• We have resolved multiple issues that could lead to silent or missing footsteps. These were caused by missing or wrongly assigned surface types, no footsteps when running through vegetation, and floating hunters. We monitor this topic closely and continue to investigate if these issues continue to arise. 

 

• Improved accuracy for positioned Sounds 

• We found a systemic issue with our audio positioning for moving/positioned sounds in the game. While the fix is a subtle change, it overall improves the perceived movement accuracy and “smoothness” for all 3D sounds in the game.  

• The position of a sound is now updated more frequently, resulting in smoother and more precise audio from all sources. You can think of this as an increased frame rate for audio. 
   

 
The term audio readability refers to the clarity with which essential gameplay information can be comprehended solely through listening. For instance, there is a distinct difference in the sound of a gunshot fired inside a building compared to one shot outside. 

 
Some of the key areas we have been focusing on, are: 

• Vertical Audio:  

We have released a dedicated blog post on the topic of CrySpatial and 3D Audio Technology in Hunt that you can find here. 

With Update 2.4, we looked at the vertical audio readability on the sound design side. Specifically, the upstairs/downstairs interior footsteps system. Essentially, Hunter footsteps sound different if they are above or below the player inside of a building. This will make it easier to understand if an enemy hunter is moving above you inside a building.  

With these changes, someone running above you will sound “close and bassy”, while someone below can now be heard as “hollow and clicky”. This system is now independent of the listening player’s location. Previously, they were required to be within a building to participate. 

Please let us know about your thoughts and experiences on these readability changes once you have the chance to experience them. 

• Underground Audio:  

Underground Audio is a tricky area to get right, especially in a game like Hunt that relies so heavily on audio cues for its gameplay. This is also visible in the feedback we receive from the community about it. Some hear too much sound when in the underground whilst some dislike the fact that sound is so heavily muffled.  

We tweaked the design with Update 2.3, reducing edge cases by decreasing the strength of the underground system and therefore the amount of filtering of all sounds coming from an underground. This slightly tips the scale towards audio readability. Fuses have benefitted from this change especially as now they are more audible. 

 

• Audio Obstruction:  

The same problems that players can experience with the Underground Audio system can also be observed with the wide and complex topic of Audio Obstruction. When we talk about “Obstruction” this describes how a sound reacts to being “blocked” by objects in the world. 

Hunt uses a straightforward Obstruction system that checks if there are objects between the source of the sound and the “listener” (the ears of the player in the virtual world). Filters are applied depending on the material of the blocking objects. 

This obstruction system is not only relevant for audio realism, but also crucial for the games readability. In general – enemies behind a wall are not as dangerous as the ones that are not obstructed. In Hunt, this is especially true for anything that is behind a rock/stone wall, which is why these materials apply stronger filters to the sound than for example, objects made from wood or fabric. 

The audio obstruction system operates completely independently from your preferred audio output format or spatial audio solution. And the strength of the audio obstruction is not linked to your usage of CrySpatial, Dolby Atmos or conventional surround sound audio output. 

With the release of Update 2.4, we have re-evaluated several filter values to enhance overall readability. Brick walls dampen sound to a lesser extent, while thick wooden walls constructed from tree trunks, similar to those found in Grizzly Lodge on Mammon’s Gulch, have a more significant impact on sound. 

• Gunshot Improvement - Distance readability:  

• In Update 2.0 we introduced a mixing change the was intended to give our guns a bit more of a cinematic feel in close range. We reversed this change with Update 2.4 which will now help you better judge distances of enemy gunshots in close range.  

• Gunshot Improvement – Interior Tails: 

• Our indoor gun readability for handguns and rifles showed inconsistencies over distance. The new behavior has smoother attenuation for the indoor elements of enemy and teammate gunshots. Besides that, we also took the opportunity to replace outdated indoor tail assets for those weapons. Not only does this fit better with the improved attenuation behavior – we also love the punch of it when firing your own gun inside a building. We can confirm that you’ll be able to experience this change with 2.4.  

• (Gunshot) Echo System 

• The release of Hunt: Showdown 1896 saw the release of our new Echo System. The system is only used on gunshots and explosions to give them a more realistic echo behavior. For example, if you see a mountain in the distance, we want you to hear gunshots echoing back from that mountain. 

• We used the opportunity in Update 2.4 to slightly touch the mix on these sounds to make sure they integrate better into the gameplay.  

With all these changes, our goal is that players can accurately judge the distance between enemy hunters. The above-mentioned changes are already enhancing this aspect, and we are investigating additional design improvements. 

 

With the release of Mammon’s Gulch and the re-release of Stillwater Bayou and Lawson Delta, one of our goals from the audio side was adding more detail and depth to the sense of immersion in Hunt’s world.  

In Update 2.0, we introduced a whole set of positioned sounds throughout the map. Players now experience the creaking of wooden footbridges, the metallic clinks from old rusty cranes, as well as adding dedicated ambiences for various environments such as forests, cornfields and wheatfields. 

We knew about the potential impact of these sounds on gameplay and therefore have been careful with their design, implementation, frequency, and volume. 

 

• Positioned Ambient Sounds 

• With Update 2.4, we’ve performed another pass on these sounds to reduce their presence in the mix even further. Players should now be able to better differentiate between important and unimportant sounds.  

• Environmental Ambient Loops 

• Environmental Ambient Loops (that you can hear when standing inside a Forest, Cornfield, Wheat Field, etc.) have been re-mixed to reduce their potential negative impact on gameplay as well. While still audible, they should now be less prominent and shouldn’t cover any important gameplay related sounds anymore. 

 

These changes were designed with much of the feedback you all have shared over the last year in mind. Our teams spend a lot of time reading your thoughts and opinions across our social channels, Reddit, Discord and more. We once again want to thank all of you that have provided feedback, clips, or even reported a bug. 

This is far from the end of the road for audio improvements in Hunt, and we will continue to monitor your thoughts closely. We can’t wait to see what you all think of the latest changes!

Hunters,

We are bringing back DeSalle and bloodstained retribution in Judgement of the Fool to you! Gather up to hear first news on the Update 2.4 and all the brutal goods it brings this summer to Hunt: Showdown 1896.


To kick things off we're bringing back the DeSalle map in its remade glory. Along with a visual overhaul and improved lighting, the map is revitalized and reimagined in every way: from lighting to dressing to terrain, all turned up a notch to bring out the best of the grim beauty in Hunt: Showdown 1896.

Key compounds Kingsnake Mine, Pearl Plantation, Fort Bolden, and others have been improved and reworked to offer new paths and tactical opportunities. Lighting and time-of-day systems gave been reworked across all maps for distinct atmospheres.


A plethora of vengeful Hunters are brought in with the new event:

The Fool – Disfigured, deranged, and a snake-oil salesman on the run, his face was mangled by victims of his poisonous Miracle Mouth All-Cure. The Pale Judge once offered him redemption, but that chance is no more.

The Pale Judge – A regular judge in Mammon's Gulch turned fallen lawman, he traded his gavel for a gun and a deck of tarot cards. He dishes out sentences on behalf of fate itself, and he's here to deal the final verdict to The Fool.

Dorothy Alice – The last survivor of the Alice family from once-idyllic Stillwater Bayou, she was found alone by The Fool. She hides him from The Pale Judge in the ruined homestead of Alice Farm.

And some of the gameplay twists to make the event even more memorable include:

Pledge Mark theft: pillage fallen Hunters like a bayou scavenger.

Trait Wage Spur: Gamble your hard-earned Pledge Marks for random Traits.

Bounty Clash MMR: A matchmaking rating to go all in its own for the game mode without risking the separate Bounty Hunt rating.

Unique Event Traits: Access previous Event-exclusive Traits, like Gunrunner and Corpse Seer, as well as the all-new Catalyst Trait, which brings back and combines some fan-favorite Conditional Trait Effects.

And beware Hunters, you best watch your back-a new enemy called the Brute will roam the woods. Who knows if this monstrosity is Ursa Mortis' failed offspring..or its attempted meal.


We've packed Update 2.4 full of UI and audio fixes, AI improvements and plenty more to make your fights even sharper and more relentless. We can't wait to tell you all about it soon.


Soon, the Judgement of the Fool will be delivered and carnage unleashed. We will announce the date soon and tell you much more about the event and the Update 2.4. Keep your eye on the ball to witness the news first!

- Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team

Hunters,

A key part of our feedback loop is gathering your thoughts and feelings about the Events through our surveys. A big thank you to everyone who took part; your responses are super important for shaping the future of Hunt: Showdown 1896. Keep an eye out for upcoming survey opportunities!

We’ve heard your feedback about the limited availability of these surveys. So, starting with the next Event, we’ll make sure that surveys are open for a longer duration. This year, we’re also working on ways to get our surveys out to the Russian and Chinese player bases who currently can’t access them. Plus, we want to provide multilingual translations so that those who aren’t comfortable with English can join in. We hope to make this happen later this year.

Now, let’s jump into some of your responses and feedback from Update 2.3!






The Battle Pass results for Garden of the Witch missed the mark, with only 47% of players feeling like they were satisfied with it, with an Average Rating that was lower compared to other previous Events. We’d like to acknowledge this and shed some light on our internal workings as to why this occurred.

To catch you up to speed, our focus with Update 2.3 was to prioritize bug fixes and performance over new content, which limited our resource capacity to make our normal amount of content for Garden of the Witch.

These fixes were much needed in the game, but meant that this Event wasn’t as substantial as our previous ones. We see this reflected in the results of the surveys and will continue to aim to do better in the future. The good news is that the extra resources were also used for designing future Events, and we look forward to sharing our latest Event with you in the next few weeks!


When it came to Event Points, 61% of players felt ‘Satisfied’ or ‘Very Satisfied’ with the amount of Event Points that were rewarded from the Weekly Challenges.



We asked you about your favorite and most frustrating challenges—check out the top favorite and most challenging below!



Performing Clean Sweeps was the most frustrating challenge. This came as no surprise since this is hard to do in any Bounty Hunt, no matter what your skill level! Our aim with Weely Challenges is to design an enjoyable variety of tasks that not only allow you to complete them but also encourage you to challenge yourself, giving you a sense of pride in your in-game achievements. We will continue to monitor the feedback we get around these challenges and adjust them later in the year if needed.



For Weekly Challenges, 75% of players felt the number of PvP and PvE challenges balanced out just right. However, 30% of players felt there were too few Weekly Challenges in the Battle Pass.

We have been paying close attention to your comments, posts, and survey responses regarding the reduction in Weekly Challenges, and we will be implementing adjustments based on your feedback. Some of the changes will be rolled out in Update 2.4, which will alter the way Weekly Challenges function during Events. Our objective is to strike a harmonious balance between the variety of challenges, the duration of Events, and the rewards, ensuring that you have an enjoyable Event experience.

To clarify, not all the modifications we have planned will be included in Update 2.4. By the time we received the survey feedback, we were already finalizing the next update. However, for Update 2.5 and future updates, we are committed to actively incorporating your feedback and making the necessary changes.






We’re happy to share that most players are liking the rewards at the Rare Supply Point.

That said, not everyone is excited about the Dark Sight Boost—it didn’t get the same love as the other Rare Supply rewards. We think it might be because the Boost only lasts for a quick second, or maybe because players feel like they shouldn’t be able to get it without a Bounty Token. We will be looking into this for the future.

When it comes to the cost of rewards, players thought the Full Ammo Restock was slightly pricey, while the Full Health Restoration seemed like a good deal. It is quite possible that the number of situations in which a player can use these rewards could affect their perception of its cost.

In short, based on what we’ve heard from surveys and our in-game data, we don’t plan on making big changes to this system at this stage since it seems to be working as intended. But we’ll keep an eye on things and check in throughout the year.




The feedback from players regarding the equipment provided for this Event has largely been neutral to negative. We recognize that the equipment in this update did not resonate well with our community for various reasons, and are committed to addressing these concerns in the upcoming updates.



For Traits, players said that Corpse Seer and Gunrunner were perceived to be more powerful compared to Blademancer, and 50% of players felt Blademancer was neither powerful nor weak.

We are glad to see that most of the balance changes were received positively. In regard to ‘Silencer damage reduction’ and ‘Stamina & Regeneration Shot Duration Reduction’, we have a upcoming Dev Diary in which we will go into detail about what the impact of these changes were.



As mentioned before, the introduction of new weapons was not a primary focus in this update, as evidenced by the survey results indicating lower scores in this area compared to other weapons. Instead, we concentrated on enhancing Traits and implementing balance changes. We are pleased to note that the majority of these adjustments have been well received, as shown in the graph above.

We hope you found the survey results interesting and helpful! Thanks so much for taking the time to fill them out; your feedback really helps us shape future changes and features that we think you'll love.

Keep an eye on our social media channels over the next week or two for the announcement of our upcoming Event!

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team

Hunters,

With such a wide range of potential weapon choices available, it's always interesting to see what certain players favor and how they combine their equipment for the maximum effect. What do Hunt's most seasoned veterans prefer to use for their loadouts? We spoke to some of our devs, Partners, and mods to see what their favorite loadouts are and why. You never know—maybe you'll pick up a few ideas to try out on your next Mission.



Gustavo – Community Manager
“My favorite loadout is the Sparks paired with an Uppercut. I've been playing since 2018, and back then, this loadout was extremely popular. Having just one shot with the Sparks makes every kill feel much more rewarding. I also feel like I land more shots when using it, since it forces me to think carefully, and aim with precision before pulling the trigger."



Bence – Senior Social Media Manager
“Like Gustavo, I also like the Sparks and Uppercut combo. There's just something that feels right about it. It's classic, heavy, and the kind of setup where every shot with the Sparks really matters. Lately, I've been enjoying the Sparks Pistol as a sidearm too, usually paired with a shotgun for close range or the Krag when I want to keep things long distance."



RachtaZ
“The loadout I go for is the Centennial and the Drilling Hatchet, with both using High Velocity Ammo. This loadout is always fun and versatile. You get one of the fastest bullet velocities—the bullet drop on the Centennial is good, and because you have the Drilling with High Velocity as a secondary, you can stack more ammo and rarely run out. Then you can use the Drilling's shotgun if you want to push close range, and use the melee on the Drilling Hatchet for both PvP and PvE. A good thing about using this loadout is that it can have many combinations. For example, a Centennial Sniper with High Velocity Ammo for long range combined with the Drilling with High Velocity Ammo for medium range, and for close range you can use the Drilling's shotgun and Hatchet, or use a different ammo type for the Drilling, like Dumdum Ammo, for more pressure at close range."



Hornet
“I like to use the Officer Carbine with High Velocity Ammo and the Officer Brawler with High Velocity Ammo, which allows for a fun, aggressive playstyle with decent velocity. It is one of the original head clickers since Hunt's release. The Brawler is great for Immolators, too!. The best thing about this gun is that you can apply insane pressure and instant follow-ups, so if you hit all of your shots it's difficult to deal with, unless you get shut down pretty quick. The only bad thing about it is ammo economy, but I just take an Ammo Box since it gives you 20+ compact bullets."



Rexn0r
“I use the Hunting Bow with a Maynard Sniper Silencer with High Velocity Ammo. This loadout covers all ranges effectively and has tremendous value whether you play solo or on a team. It perfectly caters to stealthy gameplay and aggressive pushing alike. In my opinion it is the perfect all-round loadout and my overall favorite!"



Vombuz
“My favorite loadout to use is the Sparks Sniper and the Drilling Shorty, with base ammo on all. This loadout covers all ranges and makes it easy to adapt to any situation and other enemies' playstyles. The Tools I use are almost always a Throwing Spear/heals/ Derringer Pennyshot for Immolators and aggressive clutches and door breaches, and Flares for burn pressure or utility on barrels or AI. For Consumables, I use Recovery/Regenerative/Stamina Shots, and for the fourth slot I switch between either a Stalker Beetle or a Dark Dynamite Satchel."



Failish
“My go-to is a shotgun: the Caldwell Rival 78 (with Slugs) paired with either an Uppercut, Scottfield Spitfire, or Pax depending on the mood. Double-barrel never lets you down, and the sidearm will either give you that long-range cover (Uppercut/Pax) or help you out it in a pinch with the high rate-of-fire and medium range (Spitfire). Rifle-wise, I go with the Sparks with any sidearm of choice, usually an Officer. It looks good, sounds good, and feels good to shoot. The click you hear when switching to the Sparks is like ASMR, and as a bonus, single shot rifles arguably make a headshot sound 10x better!"



JacJac
"The Springy (Springfield) and Pax is a budget loadout for those on the Prestige grind etc, it's solid at long, medium, and close-range encounters. The Pax is the most versatile pistol in the game—it's solid as a single and dual wields with decent rate-of-fire. And the Krag is a good sniper for those trying to learn or get into sniper gameplay. The New Army is becoming a favorite if I don't have the Quartermaster Trait and am not running dual Pax second."



Kerrty
"The Centennial Trauma with FMJ Ammo and the Hand Crossbow with Poison and Fire Bolts. This allows you to put pressure on enemy Hunters with fire and poison, and is great against AI. The Trauma is really versatile in combating enemies mid and close range, and is great against Targets and Immolators. Pair this with the Pain Sense Trait, and you can wallbang with the FMJ Ammo when they get poisoned or are on fire. An excellent combo."



BlauerChiller
"I prefer to play with a Mosin and a Katana so I can play perfectly at a distance and in close combat. This loadout also means you can shoot through anywhere, and most people also have immediate respect when they hear Long Ammo."



Neenoh
"The Marathon and the LeMat with FMJ Ammo. Covers all ranges, the Marathon gives room to forgive potato shots, and the LeMat has the shotgun option just in case."



IndeX_30
“My favorite loadout is the Bornheim No. 3 Match (preferred with High Velocity Ammo) and whatever other weapon brings the most ammo . I mostly match it with the Vandal 73C, which is a good option if there's no time for reloading. There aren't many things more satisfying than beating the strongest (and partly overpowered) loadouts with simple guns!"



We hope this gave a good insight into what some of our favorite experts like to equip for their Missions! It's always really awesome to see how our players combine different weapons, ammo types, and Traits to cover potential encounters at any range. Did you learn anything new? Let us know in the comments which loadouts you go for and why. We will be sharing more next week about our upcoming update, so keep an eye on our socials for more.



See you in the bayou and the gulch,



Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Team

Hunters,

We’ve noticed that a lot of you are interested in how the audio systems work in Hunt: Showdown 1896. With the help of our audio engineers, we have compiled the guide below to answer some of your most frequently asked questions regarding how we give you the best audio experience possible.

Some of the changes that are coming with Update 2.4 are improvements to silent/missing footsteps, a revised vertical footstep audio design, gunshot distance readability, and more! We look forward to sharing more about the new update and what it means for your audio experience soon.


CrySpatial is our 3D audio solution designed specifically for Hunt. Implemented back in 2019, it’s our recommended spatial audio solution when playing the game.

CrySpatial uses HRTF (Head-Related-Transfer-Function) for its 3D audio positioning and is directly integrated into the game, enabling players to hear if certain sounds are coming from behind, in front of, above, or below them. (Just a friendly reminder that CrySpatial or any other spatial audio solution does not handle the way sounds are attenuated over a distance or while being occluded by objects.)

While CrySpatial has been a part of Hunt since its release, we added an option for players to disable it with the launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896.

To experience CrySpatial (recommended):

• Use stereo headphones
  
• Activate CrySpatial in the Audio Settings (this can be done during a Mission or in the Main Menu) and hit the Apply button.
  
• Ensure you deactivate any additional audio enhancements
  
• Ensure any Virtual Surround/Room Correction features are deactivated on your system and headphone-specific drivers

for Windows 10:

• Right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar/system tray
  
• Select “Spatial sound” and set it to “Off”

for Windows 11:

• Open System -> Sound Settings
  
• Open your Output Device’s properties by clicking on the arrow on the side

for Xbox Series X|S:

• In your Xbox Series S/X settings in the General tab, select “Volume & audio output”
  
• Change the “Headset format” to “Stereo uncompressed”

for PlayStation 5:

• Open your consoles settings -> Open the Sound Settings
  
• In the 3D Audio (Headphones) Settings, deactivate the option “Enable 3D Audio for Headphones”

FAQ: If CrySpatial is so important, why can users deactivate it?

The core function of any binaural plugin is the Head-Related-Transfer-Function (HRTF). It is a set of audio filters that emulate how sound physically interacts with your body, head, and pinnae, which is unique for every person.

CrySpatial's carefully designed filters work well for most people, but the sound might be perceived in a slightly different way by every person. Hence, CrySpatial's filtering might not fit perfectly to how certain ear shapes perceive the sounds in the world around them. If you’re interested in learning more, you can read up about HRFT and binaural audio here:

With the release of Hunt: Showdown 1896, we wanted to give players more freedom and flexibility to choose what 3D audio format they want to experience while playing Hunt.

To achieve this, we’ve updated Hunt’s audio system to support additional spatial audio solutions that can pick up Hunt’s audio output and render it using other sets of filters. This means that we can now offer support for spatial audio solutions like Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, DTS:X, and Sony’s own 3D audio for headphones solution on PS5.

Good to know: While CrySpatial and other spatial audio solutions help you hear from which direction a sound is coming from (above, behind, etc), they do not influence the way sound is occluded by objects or how it behaves over a distance. This part of the audio experience is handled by the game independently from the selected spatial audio solution.

FAQ: What happens if I turn off CrySpatial without activating any other spatial audio solutions on my platform?

If CrySpatial is turned off without using any other spatial audio solutions like Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic, etc., then you’ll hear plain stereo or surround sound depending on your speaker setup. This means that all spatial audio enhancements will be lost, and you’ll have a hard time judging if sounds are coming from above or below you, as well as if something is in front or behind you. That’s why we recommend using a spatial audio solution at all times—it is crucial to getting the best Hunt experience.

FAQ: If I play Hunt with stereo headphones, what in-game settings should I use?

We would recommend that you set your Audio Settings to the following:
Audio Configuration: Headphones
CrySpatial: On

After turning CrySpatial on, make sure to play a few Missions in Hunt. It takes some time for your ears to get accustomed to the audio processing applied by CrySpatial, especially if you are new to Hunt and aren't used to how CrySpatial sounds. Like any other tool, it can take time to learn how it feels and how to use it.

FAQ: How does surround sound impact CrySpatial audio, and should players have 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound enabled while playing Hunt?

While we generally recommend playing Hunt on headphones in Stereo (2.0) with CrySpatial active, there might be cases where players have a surround sound setup at home. In that case, playing the game in 5.1 or 7.1 on speakers can be a desirable scenario. If you have a setup like this, then please set your configuration to ‘Speakers’ in your game’s Audio Settings which will disable CrySpatial. This ensures that the game can make the best use of your surround sound setup.

FAQ: What's the problem with having all possible sound enhancements enabled?

This heavily depends on the ‘sound enhancement.’ Additional sound virtualization (e.g. 3D audio effects, surround sound effects from headphone drivers, etc.) should be prevented as much as possible while using CrySpatial, as these effects can apply similar audio processing on top of CrySpatial, resulting in broken audio.

Applying additional effects (like EQs) can also lead to other unforeseen consequences, and should be applied with caution.



If you have any further questions regarding the audio of Hunt, please don’t hesitate to message us on socials. We will be monitoring your questions and comments with the intention to write another guide in the future if there is enough interest.

Keep an ear out,
Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 Audio Team

Hunters,

Another clash with Corruption comes to and end and Garden of the Witch will conclude tomorrow, May 5th. Live servers will be taken offline at 10:00 CEST to wrap up the event.

Estimated downtime is ~2 hours.

We’ll let you know once the servers are back online.

Thanks for your patience.

Hunters,

As part of our commitment to keeping you informed about our Fair Play Task Force and our actions against cheaters we would like to share with you an update. Since January we have banned a total of 4929 cheaters. In this blog you’ll find a breakdown of these bans by MMR levels along with some insights into how we categorize different cheaters.

Banned Players by MMR distribution



The chart above shows the distribution of MMR levels among players who were banned in recent months. As indicated, cheaters are significantly more likely to be found at higher MMR levels, as their performance improves drastically once they gain the advantage of cheating software. However, bans also occur at lower MMR levels. This can be attributed to players intentionally dying to maintain a low MMR, or more commonly, players being banned when they launch the game with cheats for the first time—before they had the opportunity to use them in a match, or shortly after starting to. We have methods in place to detect when a banned player creates a new account and continues cheating. In such cases, we enforce a zero-tolerance policy: repeat offenders are instantly banned upon account creation.

Types of cheaters

In general, we tend to see two main types of cheaters: “rage cheaters” and “togglers.”

Rage cheaters are the most obvious group. They typically use blatant cheating methods and make little to no effort to hide their behavior. Their goal is often to disrupt the game as much as possible before getting banned, using less sophisticated tools or behaving in ways that are easy to detect. As a result, they are usually caught and banned very quickly.

Togglers, on the other hand, use more subtle and sophisticated methods. They don’t cheat throughout the entire match—instead, they enable cheats only during specific moments where it can provide a critical advantage. From our perspective, these players often appear to be playing normally most of the time, but in certain situations, their performance improves in an unnatural and statistically abnormal way. Because of this selective behavior, our systems need to collect more data over a longer period before it can confirm a ban. This is why some bans take longer and why togglers are often found in higher MMR brackets.

There are also cases where rage cheaters climb the MMR ladder rapidly due to the extreme advantage provided by their cheats. In such instances, they may end up getting banned when they reach higher skill brackets.

One common toggler tactic involves only one player in a group actively using cheats, while sharing information—such as enemy positions—with their teammates through voice chat. This makes detection more challenging, as it’s difficult to determine who is actually cheating and who is simply receiving relayed information. We take extra care in these situations to avoid banning innocent players who may be unaware of their teammates’ actions.

We are actively developing advanced systems focused on identifying and banning cheaters at higher MMR levels. These tools are designed to distinguish genuinely skilled players from those using subtle forms of cheating. While we cannot share specific details about how these systems work—for security reasons—we want to emphasize that this is a top priority for us.

How To Report Suspected Cheaters

If you encounter someone who you think is cheating, who was not picked up by the automatic ban system then please follow the below steps:

While on the death screen you can click “Show killer profile” or press “R” (for PC), RT (for Xbox)/R2 (for PS5) and then select “Report”. You can then fill in the reasons and add any additional information.

Another way to report people is after the Mission is over you can go onto the “Last Mission – Team Details” menu and click on the profile you would like to report and then click on “Actions Menu” or press “F” (PC)/ press X (Xbox)/ press square (PS5) and then “Report”.

Additionally, you can report via our website if you have any additional context you would like to share. You can do this by going to www.huntshowdown.com. In the bottom right corner of the screen, you'll see "Please log in for support". After logging in, open a new ticket, select your language and platform as well as "I'd like to report another player" and the bot will guide you through the process.

We hope this sheds light on what we are doing to combat cheaters; we can’t give away all our methods, but we endeavor to give you as much transparent information as possible! Watch this space for more updates as the year unfolds.

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team

Hunters,

It's no secret that Hunt wants to challenge you and push players to their limits, and we often see members of the community looking for hints, tips, and tricks for how to improve their game. So today, we wanted to explore a new style of Developer Insight, sharing insider tips from our developers, mods, and Hunt Partners!

First up—a subject that comes around all the time—what are our favorite ways to earn and save Hunt Dollars?

Let's start with the basics from one of our resident Community Managers, Gustavo:

• Soul Survival is a great mode if you want to make some extra dollars. You can get Hunters and equipment for free, and even if you die then you still earn some Hunt Dollars.
  
• You can always recruit Free Hunters in Bounty Hunt. Every free Hunter comes with a contraband First Aid Kit and Melee weapon, so no need to buy them twice. Even if you don't plan to use the Hunter, you can still take their equipment and use it on other Hunters.
  
• If you are feeling more exploratory and want to play it safe, then you can jump into Missions fully silenced. Kill monsters, get the Clues, rummage for Cash Registers, and then extract. There's no need to fight anyone if you're stealthy enough!

We got some of our mods to help out with their tips too—check out some of our favorites below:
Dizzmaux:

• Something that I made use of when I used to prestige was always going for Clues. I would rush three Clues. Since early prestige weapons were the Frontier 73C, the three Clues would pay for my weapons and some Tools (50 Hunt Dollars per Clue), even if I died.

Heathen15:

• Go to Weapon/Tool/Consumable Progression and type "owned" in the search bar. Sell everything you don't need. Periodically check back, as you accumulate more from rewards than you notice.
  
• Substitute a Dynamite Stick for the Frag Bombs. It's not as deadly, but you can throw 5 or 6 of them for the cost of one Frag.

Of course it's useful to know how to earn Hunt Dollars, but how about the best way to save them? Our other Community Manager, Ari, has some top tips for those of you who want to be more frugal!

• When playing Bounty Hunt, invest four of your starting Upgrade Points into the Packmule Trait. Afterwards, only equip your Hunter with 2 Consumables instead of the max of 4. Once the Mission starts, plan to hit a Supply Point or Toolbox quickly. The random Consumables from these sources will save you money in the long run and could help you try out new Consumables you may not have considered in the past! (Bonus tip: Be sure to keep an eye out towards the base of larger trees for Beetle cocoons, as these can be another source of free Consumables)
  
• After killing an enemy, double check if their weapon might be worth more than what you brought in with you. Even if you aren't able to sell your Contraband after the Mission, upgrading your Frontier 73C to the enemy's Krag could be seen as saving 409 Hunt Dollars!
  
• Instead of taking both a Heavy Knife for close quarters and a set of Throwing Knives to take out that pesky Hive at a distance, consider only taking the Throwing Axes and buffing their melee performance with the Assailant Trait (1 Upgrade Point). This tip will save you Hunt Dollars and give you an additional Tool Slot to use. Careful though! It can be quite treacherous if you lose your Throwing Axes and get caught without a Melee. Consider taking the Blade Seer Trait (also 1 Upgrade Point) to help find those pesky Throwables.

Got any tips yourselves? Share them with your fellow Hunters via our Reddit post found here

Whether you're a beginner or veteran, we hope some of these tips can help you in future Missions, and we look forward to sharing more insights in the future!

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team

Hunters,

Today we wanted to share an update around the high ping separation for matchmaking that we began trialing back in March. This system was always intended to develop over time as we observed the impact of our changes and worked to refine them, and recently you may have noticed there have been some issues with recent iterations. We wanted to share some insights into what changes we have made so far, as well as what the future looks like for matchmaking.

We can confirm that we have made the decision to temporarily disable the current ping limit system within matchmaking. We are looking to restore an updated version as soon as possible. While we cannot give an exact timeframe at the moment, we are investigating fixes for this issue as a priority.

We found that the ping separation system in place inadvertently created an issue where players who would normally have high ping were still able to enter into matchmaking with a lower ping than their actual value. Therefore, the ping calculation requires reworking for more accurate reporting.

The changes we have been exploring with matchmaking must be tested in a live environment in order to properly evaluate their success, and we have been monitoring the data and feedback closely as we tweak the system. While the need to temporarily take the system down is not ideal, it does give us the opportunity to take action based on our learnings and bring you a better version of matchmaking in the near future.

This remains a priority for us, and when we have a solid solution in place that works for the majority of players, we will continue the rollout of the new system. Once again, your feedback has been instrumental in the improvement of our systems, and we’re thankful to all of you that have taken part in our surveys and shared feedback in our channels. A recent example of this has been an issue where accidental cross play happened between PC & Console players, we can confirm that this has happened a handful of times with a 0.02% incidence, and this has now been fixed.

We thank you in advance for your understanding and patience—watch this space for more info soon!

Your Hunt: Showdown 1896 team

Last of the Herd DLC – Out Now!

This DLC includes:
Plains Warden (Hunter) 💀
Herd Thinner (Hunting Bow) 🏹
Bison’s Leg (Centennial Shorty) 🔫
Thunderbird’s Cry (Dynamite Bundle) 💥

Available now - https://store.steampowered.com/app/3415590/Hunt_Showdown_1896__Last_of_the_Herd