Hunt: Showdown is going offline for 48 hours to prepare for its biggest update ever
Hunt: Showdown 1896 promises to usher in "a whole new era of Hunt."
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Hunt: Showdown is undergoing a major change next week as it transitions into Hunt: Showdown 1896, featuring an upgraded engine, overhauled UI, big changes to the meta, and an all-new map—the first in three years. That's the good news. The bad news is that a big update means some big downtime, and Hunt: Showdown will be unavailable for two solid days beginning tomorrow.
"This is it, Hunters," developer Crytek tweeted. "We are mere days from the launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896, and as noted in July, Hunt: Showdown servers are going dark for 48 hours starting Tuesday, August 13th from 7pm CEST (1 pm ET).
"This means the game will be unavailable on any platform as we ready Mammon's Gulch for your much anticipated arrival. Thank you for your understanding, patience and support as we enter into a whole new era of Hunt together on 15th August."
That's a long downtime, but as a relentless optimist I'm going to assume Crytek is playing it safe: The actual upgrade may be a 20-minute job but developers are building in a big buffer so players won't get mad about any possible side trips to the goat rodeo. (The actual upgrade will probably take a lot longer than 20 minutes, but you know what I'm saying.)
Three more days.In three days we venture into 1896. In three days, we'll be among the mountains of Mammon's Gulch. In three days, you'll be facing down a horror not yet seen but any hunter.In three days... The new era of Hunt: Showdown 1896 begins. pic.twitter.com/psRxOsFam0August 12, 2024
Despite having to go so long without their favorite game, Hunt: Showdown players seem happy to wait. Responses on Twitter and Reddit are far more excited for 1896 than they are put off by the extended downtime, and there's at least one very nice conversation about what people are going to play while they wait, in case you're looking for some ideas on how to pass the time.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

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.

