Way of the Hunter 2 — The Best Shot Is Often the One You Don’t Take

Way of the Hunter 2 is the sequel to Nine Rocks Games’ realistic hunting sim, published by THQ Nordic. After a brief Early Access period on PC that began in late March, it launches in 1.0 today on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. We’re reviewing the PS5 version.

Our verdict: Way of the Hunter 2 delivers stunning visuals and genuinely lifelike animal behavior that makes hunting feel refreshingly authentic. It’s deeper, more beautiful and far more welcoming than the original — with a few rough edges and some promised features still to come.

Three Regions, One Lodge

You’ve been recruited by Hearth & Hunt, an organisation that manages hunting reserves, teaches ethical hunting and works to keep regional ecosystems healthy. It’s a smart framing for a game whose core loop is conservation as much as marksmanship.

One notable change from the original: Way of the Hunter 2 largely drops the family-drama story that framed the first game. There are still quest-givers and characters, but the focus is squarely on the hunt. One reviewer who loved the original admitted they missed some of its heart — while conceding that for most players, letting the hunting loop take centre stage is probably for the better. The lead character’s occasional too-cool-for-tradition commentary can grate, but it never gets in the way.

The Dog Is the Best Addition

Beautiful, and Built for Watching

You spend a huge amount of time in Way of the Hunter 2 looking at animals through binoculars — reading their condition, their age, their movement and their herd — so the animal models and animations carry enormous weight. They’re a big step up from the original, and the landscapes are gorgeous across all three regions.

The stalk itself is as demanding as ever. You’re managing wind direction and scent, as well as noise and sightlines, across enormous open spaces. That scale is the point: the vast reserves give the stakes room to breathe.

After every shot, the improved bullet camera and shot review let you break down trajectory, speed, angle and placement — a genuinely useful teaching tool for new hunters learning why a shot did or didn’t land cleanly. There’s also high-tech kit like thermal night vision and reserve monitoring for managing habitats, plus gear from more than ten real-world brand partners.

What’s Not Quite Right Yet

The Road Ahead

Things to Know Going In

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Verdict

Way of the Hunter 2 is the rare sequel that’s better in almost every way that matters. The animals are more convincing, the landscapes more beautiful, the dog genuinely transformative, and the herd-management systems explained clearly enough that someone who has never played a hunting game can understand why people love them.

That last point is its biggest achievement. Most of this genre is locked behind a wall of unexplained systems. Way of the Hunter 2 opens the door and teaches you that the most satisfying shot is often the one you choose not to take — and that watching a young animal grow into a magnificent one, because you let it, is its own kind of reward.

It isn’t finished. Key features and accessibility options are still to come, the UI will divide returning players, and the story has lost some of its warmth. But Nine Rocks have been unusually transparent about all of it, with a detailed roadmap and a clear list of what’s missing.

The honest read: if you’ve ever been curious about hunting games, this is where to start — and the two-hour PS Plus Premium trial means you can find out risk-free. If you loved the original, it’s an easy upgrade, especially with the 10% loyalty discount.

For more game reviews, check out our full reviews section.

Score Breakdown