Hunting Simulator 3 is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. In this latest edition of the open-world hunting simulator series, developer Nacon Studio Ghent (Hunting Simulator 2) returns with the dog companion system and an array of brand-name equipment for your hunts. Between hunts, outfit your lodge with mounts and trophies to show off your achievements. Check out the realistic simulator on your platform of choice today!
Patience… Lots of Patience…
Coming from the bullet-hell chaos of Neon Abyss 2, Hunting Simulator 3 feels like a different planet entirely. It’s a sharp pivot from the “run ‘n’ gun” philosophy, trading instant gratification for a slow-burn experience that asks for your patience as much as your aim. How does it play out? Check out my thoughts in the review below.
Gameplay
Hunting Simulator 3 is a hunting simulator plain and simple. No crazy arcade mechanics; no outlandish hunts; no ridiculous gear. Just hunting in its simple digital form. Of course you also get the bonus of instant feedback describing exactly how you took down your prey. You’ll also be able to decorate your club headquarters with different mounts and taxidermy to arrange your own little scenes. Be sure to bring a companion along to help track, flush, and retrieve prey too. After all, you’ll be needing to score big to bring in the dough for the brand-name equipment.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the pacing. For someone accustomed to the higher speed of the roguelite genre, the game can feel almost glacial. It isn’t a game of “see it, shoot it”; it’s a game of find it, track it, wait for it, and then finally take the shot. Tracking down your prey takes a significant amount of time, turning the experience into a methodical exercise in observation rather than a high-octane chase. The fastest you’re going to get is trying to reach a specific area in your UTV.
Compared to my minimal hunting game experience (mostly just theHunter: Call of the Wild and those arcade hunting games), Hunting Simulator 3 leans even harder into the realism side of the spectrum. There is no “winging it” here. You can’t just grab any piece of gear and head into the woods; the game demands that you have the specific license tags and the appropriate ammunition for your target. While this level of preparation can feel like a hurdle, it’s clearly the game’s way of grounding the experience in a sense of authentic “hunter” responsibility. It’s a deliberate choice that provides a prepare and execute reality.
Graphics & Audio
For this review I’m playing Hunting Simulator 3 on my PC. The inclusion of official branding is a high point for the aesthetics. Seeing the recognizable names of the gear you’re using (yes even a nerd like me knows at least SOME of those) adds a layer of cool and immersion that feels great. I’m sure hunting enthusiasts appreciate it more than I do. However, while the branding is a nice touch, it doesn’t necessarily translate into deep mechanical variety. Seeing the different models vary by brand is entertaining though, even if there isn’t really much of a difference between them.
Visually, the wilderness is rendered with a level of detail that rewards the slow pace. Spending so much time scanning the horizon for your target, you actually want the environment to look good and the game delivers on that front. The animal models themselves look good as well. You can also change out your outerwear too, but I didn’t feel much interest with it being a first-person game.
The audio is about what you would expect as well of a simulator. Calls are just as various as the different species of animals and sound unique from one another. Once you start getting used to them, it becomes easier to recognize what you’re hunting versus other animals you happen to spook. Just listening to the wind blowing in Hunting Simulator 3 is nice and satisfying as well. I suppose I could just walk outside… but who wants to do that?
Longevity
Hunting Simulator 3 is launching with two zone maps set in Colorado and Texas. These are fairly large and there’s a variety of species to hunt across each. But I don’t feel that the game will last with only two for the dedicated hunter. For someone like me who feels the game drags most of the time, I’m not necessarily going to get too far out of the first map as it is anyway. If there were more implementation of fast-travel or returning your UTV to your lodge when you travel there from the map, maybe I’d stick around longer.
Final Thoughts
Not for the faint of heart, Hunting Simulator 3 is a commitment. It strips away the frantic pacing of the games I usually play in favor of a grounded, realistic simulation. It’s not for the player who wants a quick fix of dopamine. It’s for the player who wants to feel the weight of the gear, the tension of the track, and the quiet satisfaction of a well-prepared hunt. All said and done it earns the Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoy this review, be sure to check out my other reviews here.
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