Hunt: Showdown, our game of E3 2017, is coming to Early Access on Steam

You may recall we picked Hunt: Showdown as our best in show at this year's E3, so we're naturally excited to see what's happening next with it. Crytek still hasn't set a release date for the multiplayer supernatural survival shooter, but it has revealed that before the game goes live it will go through an Early Access period on Steam. It's there right now, in fact—you can't actually buy it yet, but you can have a look around.

"You want to create an experience that goes from the game into the player. These guys are really into your world and they're having fun right? And that's what I want, too," creative director Magnus Larbrant told IGN. "I think Early Access for our game is the best thing that could ever happen."

The Steam listing says Crytek plans to keep Hunt: Showdown in Early Access for at least a year, although that timeline could change depending on how things come together. The first couple of months will be dedicated to collecting data and feedback, after which "we should be able to share a more detailed development roadmap."

Over the Early Access period, the studio will add "more gear, more monsters, more (and more diverse) Hunters, more game modes, more traits, crafting, and more map variations." Gameplay will be tweaked and balanced, with more monsters, modes, Hunters, traits, and map variations, and as is becoming increasingly common, the page also warns that once Hunt comes out of Early Access, the price will go up—although what the pricing will be hasn't yet been revealed.

"We will be collecting all of the feedback we get from the community on both existing and upcoming features, as well as tracking game data from every play session, and we will take all of that information into account as we steer our development plans," the Early Access page promises. "We want to be transparent about that process, the timeline for additions, and the reasoning behind the decisions we make."

The Hunt: Showdown Early Access release will happen "soon." In the meantime, you can sit back and enjoy 12 minutes of gameplay here.

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.