I am not a hunter by any stretch of the imagination, but I do appreciate the best hunting games on PS4 for their complex mechanics and often beautiful wildlife and environments.
The PlayStation 4 is home to a myriad of different hunting games and experiences. Games based on traditional real-world activities sit alongside fantasy worlds with giant creatures to track.
Several of the games on our list require players to trail animals as part of ongoing survival in harsh environments, whereas others attempt to convey hunting as a sport for alien travellers…
Even more games use hunting as a way to procure resources for equipment upgrades or even for entirely new outfits.
Across these following titles, the reasons why somebody chooses to hunt can be summed up rather succinctly in lyrics once sung by Springfieldian businessman C. Montgomery Burns;
‘Some men hunt for sport, others hunt for food, the only thing I’m hunting for is an outfit that looks good…’
And here you are, hunting for games that look good. We’ve got 10 for you to track down in this list, so aim true and give them your best shot!
Table of Contents
1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018)
Hitting the bullseye straight away as the best hunting game on PS4 is Red Dead Redemption 2.
While Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn’t list ‘hunting’ as its primary activity, it still tops our list because of its exceptionally detailed world and rich ecosystem.
In fact, there are roughly 200 different species of animal living in Rockstar’s 2018 masterpiece including birds, livestock, critters and big game.
The act of hunting in Red Dead Redemption 2 has evolved from a similar gameplay system that was first introduced in the original Red Dead Redemption and later in Grand Theft Auto V.
Players can adopt the hunter lifestyle proper after completing the ‘Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego’ mission early on in the campaign. This mission teaches players (and Arthur Morgan) how to track animals, make bait and even take down one of the many legendary animals roaming the wilderness.
Red Dead Redemptions realism extends to its hunting mechanics too, with pelts and resources being ruined with neglectful handling and kills needing to be skinned or transported away on the back of your horse.
The astounding attention to detail, beautifully realised American frontier, smorgasbord of ways to hunt, and a generation defining single player narrative makes RDR2 an unmissable experience.
2. Horizon: Zero Dawn (2017)
From one giant and beautiful open world to another now with Horizon: Zero Dawn offering a futuristic take on the whole ‘hunt to kill’ thing.
And while there are the obligatory flesh and blood targets that run around Guerilla’s 31st Century United States, they’re not the primary target for bow-wielding protagonist Aloy.
Take one look at the box art for Horizon: Zero Dawn and you’ll see that the real ‘big game’ are giant robotic dinosaurs!
Aloy must hunt these mechanical menaces as she attempts to discover the truth of her origins and reveal the frightening circumstances that led to creation of the beasts.
Players will wield an assortment of weapons from Aloy’s iconic bow to trip casters that can fell even the mightiest Thunderjaw. Precise attacks can even remove weapons from your prey, allowing players to turn the tables by disarming foes and levelling up their attack potency.
And once players have conquered Aloy’s plight through Horizon: Zero Dawn there are even more adventures to be had in DLC expansion The Frozen Wilds and sequel Forbidden West, which sees Aloy embarking on a new journey filled with more dangerous robo-dinos to hunt.
3. Far Cry 5 (2018)
Ah, Far Cry. Once the pre-eminent commentary on the definition of insanity within gaming antagonists, the series slowly but steadily creeped into the bizarre, the wild and the downright silly.
Far Cry boasted adventures across exotic open worlds until Ubisoft opted to set the fifth entry in the good ol’ U.S of A.
In taking the series stateside, Ubisoft gave players the opportunity to encounter an array of creatures not seen before in the series.
While Far Cry 5’s state of Montana is locked down following the cultist outbreak of Joseph Seed and his siblings, players become effectively locked into the area with a host of wild animals.
These beasts can be tracked and their pelts, feathers, teeth and claws used for upgrades and stat boosts. Bears, wolves, eagles, cougars and more roam the open-world and won’t hesitate to rip you a new one.
Thankfully it’s not all about player vs. nature as several key animal friends can assist you in your ongoing fight against deranged cultists. Players can employ animals such as Boomer the dog to pick up ammo and weapons for you. There’s also Cheeseburger, the freakin’ massive grizzly bear who can terrorise your foes by being, well, a freakin’ massive grizzly bear.
4. Monster Hunter World (2018)
The fifth mainline Monster Hunter game arrived on PlayStation 4 back at the start of 2018 and introduced a whole new generation of gamers to the compulsive gameplay loop of craft-hunt-loot-repeat.
Capcom’s long running series finally saw critical and commercial success in Western markets thanks to a redesigned user experience that made the game more accessible for new players.
Players can create their own hunter characters (check out my handsome avatar below) with specific builds, gear, abilities and weapons to take with them as they track their prey through lush jungles, arid deserts and raging volcanoes.
Taking point during an expedition into a new world filled with powerful monsters, players will accept quests to hunt various beasts and oddities. These quests can be completed alone or with several friends in online co-op.
Each hunt will see players tracking their prey by following scents, disturbed vegetation and even their own scout flies to locate their quarry. Simply trailing the monsters is a compelling adventure in its own right, but battling with these majestic creatures takes the action to another level.
Hunts typically culminate with a test of strength, endurance and strategy as players must work hard to buff themselves, maintain their equipment and deal damage during the hundreds of the climactic clashes.
5. Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015)
Rise of the Tomb Raider is the sequel to the 2013 reboot of the series starring a younger Lara Croft as she develops into the legendary heroine we first met back on the original PlayStation.
The hunting systems from the first game were greatly expanded upon in Rise of the Tomb Raider following feedback from players. This meant that Lara can unlock even more skills within the Hunter Skill Tree as players earn XP throughout the game.
These skills range from upgrades to weapon proficiency to traits that enable Lara to see animals easier within the environment. The Anatomical Knowledge skill even grants Lara the ability to sense the location of a creatures heart, allowing for more deadly one shot kills for accurate hunters.
Survival is the name of the game in the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy, and Rise of the Tomb Raider tasks players with hunting indigenous animals to gather resources for Lara.
Players can track and kill many different animals throughout the Siberian Wilderness with hides from rabbits and deer being used to craft more protective gear whereas more exotic prey like bears will yield greater rewards.
Rise of the Tomb Raider isn’t just a great game for people looking for their hunting fix, but it’s also the best Tomb Raider game ever according to our Editor in Chief, Seb.
6. Dauntless (2019)
Dauntless takes the formula of the Monster Hunter series and gives it a fantastical twist. Monster sized Behemoths have invaded the land and it’s the job of players to hunt them down.
Defeating Behemoths rewards players with loot and crafting materials to develop better gear, enabling them to take on more dangerous hunts.
These aren’t simple hunts either, with some challenging Behemoths taking a team of four players the best part of an hour to topple using weapons such as magical hammers and explosive repeaters.
What makes Dauntless a standout entry in our list of the best hunting games on PS4 is the ability to play with friends across multiple platforms.
Hunters can gather from the worlds of PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC to tackle hunts together in this free-to-play massively multiplayer action RPG.
Extensive customisation options allow players to show off their personal flare with gear fashioned from their fallen targets. The Behemoths are beautifully designed monsters so it makes sense that a hat made from the hide of a Chronovore will be equally as dashing.
7. Shadow Of The Colossus (2018)
Who said hunting games had to be all flannel shirts and rifles? Shadow of the Colossus qualifies as one of the best hunting games on PS4 by featuring quarry larger than most department stores.
Bluepoint Games‘ 2018 remake of the seminal title by Team Ico is one of the most visually striking games on the PlayStation 4 and features the most unique take on hunting in our list.
Across the epic open world of Shadow of the Colossus live sixteen enormous creatures, the titular Colossi. These magnificent beings must be found and dispatched in order to unleash magic capable of resurrecting your mysterious female companion.
Riding atop your trusty steed, Agro, players will embark on a quest to discover the imposing prey that hold the key to life renewed.
Each mission or hunt will see the protagnoist, Wander, ride into the unknown, traversing environmental puzzles before facing off against their targets.
Possibly the most emotionally charged entry on this list, Shadow of the Colossus will stay with players long after the credits have rolled.
Shadow of the Colossus isn’t Team Ico’s only game featuring giant creatures as the follow up, The Last Guardian stars a young boy and his towering bird-cat-dog-thing that will also please fans of Neopets.
8. Far Cry Primal (2016)
The second Far Cry game to feature on our list takes the series back in time to a prehistoric setting. Much like it’s modern day stablemates, Primal sees players trying to survive in a harsh and unforgiving wilderness full of dangerous beasts.
You assume the role of Takkar around the year 10,000 BC in the mountains of Central Europe. The plot of the game revolves around Takkar’s quest to reunite with his tribe after his hunting party is slaughtered by a rival clan.
What makes Far Cry Primal worthy of inclusion on this list is that all the weapons for your hunting endeavours are suitably primitive. You won’t find any sniper rifles or explosives here!
The most technically advanced weaponry you can use in Far Cry Primal are the pair of unlockable bows. Elsewhere rudimentary clubs and spears can be used to defeat enemies and subdue your prey.
There are also a number of traps you can develop to capture and overwhelm your targets which include terrifying sabretooth tigers, stampeding woolly rhinos and even gigantic mammoths.
9. Predator: Hunting Grounds (2020)
Most of the titles featured on our list of the best hunting games on PS4 allow players to hunt animals, monsters and even robotic dinosaurs, but what about the most deadly game of all… man.
For those of you looking to channel your inner alien hunter, you’re in luck, as Predator: Hunting Grounds lets you live out all of your human hunting dreams!
Of course, it’s not as simple as training your shoulder-mounted Plasma Caster on Mr and Mrs Smith at number 42. No; instead, you’ll be tracking and hunting an elite team of special forces operative controlled by real-life flesh and blood gamers.
And that’s the hook of Predator: Hunting Grounds. The asymmetrical multiplayer game sees a squad of four players trying to complete missions in the games’ jungle environments while a fifth player hunts them as the deadly Predator.
Players taking on the role of the titular hunter will have an array of abilities and weaponry at their disposal. They can use their stealth camouflage to blend into their environments, wrist blades to get up close and deadly and the Yautja Bow to strike from a distance.
The prey won’t be a push over though. Not only are they hardened military veterans controlled by a group of gamers, but Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to voice Dutch Schaefer in one of the paid DLC packs. Expect to hear cries of ‘get to the chopper’ over the voice chat!
10. Bloodborne (2015)
You didn’t really expect me to write a list of the best hunting games on PS4 without mentioning Bloodborne, did you?
While Bloodborne is actually one of the finest games to grace Sony’s fourth home console, its hunting credentials are admittedly weaker than those higher up on this particular list.
Bloodborne sees players take on the role of a hunter and delve into the gothic labyrinth of Yharnam amidst an outbreak of plague that has transformed its citizens into foul beasts.
It’s your job to uncover the secrets of this twisted world and hunt and kill the monstrosities that roam unchained.
Brutal and punishing, Bloodborne rewards players for aggressive attacks with all manner of specialised trick weapons and armaments.
Not for the faint at heart, Bloodborne will often make you question who is the hunter, and who is the hunted…
Now that you’ve reached the end of our list, it’s time for you to do some hunting of your own. For as Eileen the Crow would say, ‘A hunter must hunt!’
