Crytek will show off live Hunt: Showdown gameplay this weekend during Extra Life

Extra Life, a charity that supports Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, becomes extra-visible once a year during its 24-hour gaming marathon event. It's a bit like the Jerry Lewis telethons of old, except instead of one guy on the teevee, it's thousands of gamers from around the world taking part, playing their favorites for a solid 24 hours (or whatever they can manage) and livestreaming their fun/suffering for those of us who'd prefer to support the effort by donating money and getting a decent night of sleep. 

Crytek is one of the studios taking part in this year's event: From 10 am CET on November 4 to the same time on November 5, employees will take on games including Dark Souls, Overwatch, Cuphead, River City Ransom—and, from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 8 pm, the studio's own new game, Hunt: Showdown. This will be the first-ever showing of live Hunt: Showdown gameplay, and separate two-hour stretches will provide plenty of opportunity to see it in all its glory, and also potential ugliness should there be problems.   

Given how promising Hunt: Showdown looks—"Favorite game of E3" and all that—it'll be nice to finally have the opportunity to see it running live and without a safety net. And luckily for those of us in North America, the timing isn't terrible: The first session will begin at 6 am PT/9 am ET (okay, that's pretty early) while the second will follow at 10 am PT/1 pm ET. You can catch the action on Crytek's Twitch channel, and donate to the cause if you are so inclined at the studio's Extra Life page

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.