Hunting Simulator 3 Is Out Now on Xbox Series X|S

Hunting Simulator 3 is out now on Xbox Series X|S. Nacon and Nacon Studio Ghent’s open-world hunting sim sends you into the forests of Colorado and the plains of Texas with a hunting dog at your side.

The standard edition costs £44.99 / $49.99 on the Xbox Store. The Apex Predator Edition is £54.99 / $64.99. It’s not in Game Pass.

Two big maps and more than 35 species

Built in Unreal Engine 5, Hunting Simulator 3 has two open areas of about 39 square miles each, from high-altitude Colorado forest to windswept Texas plains. You can cover ground on foot or in a Polaris all-terrain vehicle, then head in quietly once you’ve parked up.

More than 35 animal species live across the two maps. Nacon’s SimFauna system means animals react to what you do, age over time, reproduce and learn from your mistakes as the seasons change. Snapped branches and a shifting wind can give you away, and animals will pick up your scent, so you need to stay hidden and plan each shot. You can stalk your prey or wait in ambush with decoys and lures.

Your dog, your gear and your lodge

Your hunting dog takes orders from a command wheel. It sniffs out fresh scents, follows trails, spots tracks and retrieves small game, and it gets better the more you take it out.

There are more than 200 licensed items to buy and customise, including 75 firearms, scopes and accessories from brands such as Remington, Beretta, Winchester and Browning. You can use rifles, shotguns, bows and crossbows.

Between trips, your customisable hunting lodge is where you show off trophies, sort out your kit and relax by the fire. It also has a shooting range and a timed clay-pigeon mode with a global leaderboard.

What’s in the Apex Predator Edition?

The Apex Predator Edition adds two Remington guns (the Model 870 SPS SM Turkey/Predator shotgun and the Model 783 rifle) and a Polaris RANGER EV in an exclusive ‘Pursuit Camo’ livery. You also get a Primos turkey call, Bushnell Fusion rangefinder binoculars, a Browning protective vest and Rex Specs goggles for your dog, more than 20 taxidermy poses and a ‘Royal’ interior theme for the lodge.

It was one of this week’s launches in our new Xbox games this week roundup. Find all our coverage on the Hunting Simulator 3 hub.

Are you heading out into the wilderness this weekend? Tell us on X or Facebook.