theHunter Call of the Wild

theHunter: Call of the Wild is a first-person PC hunting simulation from Expansive Worlds, with storefront publisher credits varying between Avalanche Studios on Steam and Expansive Worlds on Epic Games Store. The current PC title remains theHunter: Call of the Wild; it has not been replaced by a renamed or definitive edition. Its focus is deliberate wildlife tracking, simulated ballistics, changing weather, and open-world hunting across a growing collection of reserves.

How the hunting loop works

The core loop starts before the shot. You explore a reserve, locate animal signs, read tracks, listen for calls, watch the wind, and choose an approach based on terrain, time of day, and the species you are pursuing. Movement, noise, scent, visibility, and positioning all affect whether an animal remains calm or detects you.

Encounters are built around animal tracking rather than constant combat. You may follow footprints, droppings, disturbed vegetation, warning calls, or blood trails before identifying the animal's likely route. When the opportunity appears, shot placement matters because ammunition, penetration, distance, and angle influence the result.

The game uses a first-person perspective throughout. There is no third-person hunting view, so binoculars, scopes, callers, and observation tools become important parts of the field routine. The pace is intentionally patient, making this a better fit for players who enjoy planning and observation than for anyone expecting a conventional action shooter.

Wildlife, reserves, and progression

Each reserve combines distinct terrain, wildlife populations, missions, challenges, outposts, lookout points, and discoverable landmarks. The current official ecosystem includes 19 reserves, ranging from the original Layton Lake District and Hirschfelden Hunting Reserve to locations such as Revontuli Coast, Emerald Coast Australia, Sundarpatan Nepal, and the newer Peru Hunting Reserve.

Species have different behaviors, habitats, activity patterns, and weapon requirements. Small game, waterfowl, predators, and large mammals demand different equipment and tactics, so a loadout built for deer is not automatically suitable for ducks, bears, or other animal classes.

Progression combines experience levels, skills, and perks. Completing missions, harvesting animals, discovering locations, and meeting challenges unlocks better hunting options and improvements to the player's preferred approach. Equipment loadouts make it easier to save and switch between prepared combinations of weapons and field gear.

Weapons, equipment, and trophy systems

The arsenal covers rifles, shotguns, bows, crossbows, handguns, ammunition types, scopes, callers, decoys, blinds, stands, tents, and other hunting equipment. Simulated ballistics give range, bullet drop, penetration, and impact location practical importance, while different weapons are matched to specific animal classes.

Field preparation is part of the strategy. Tents can support travel and resupply, while ground blinds, tripods, treestands, and waterfowl equipment help shape how you approach a location. Hunting dogs add another layer: the Bloodhound assists with tracking wounded animals, while retriever-focused dogs support particular hunting situations.

Successful hunts can be preserved in Trophy Lodges, where players display harvested animals and invite other players to view their collections. The free Trophy Cabin gives every player a place to showcase trophies from the base reserves, while additional lodges and cosmetic options expand the presentation side of the game.

Base game, free updates, and paid content

The base game is a paid PC release with substantial standalone content, including its initial reserves, missions, animals, weapons, skills, and trophy features. It is not a free-to-play title. The long-term content model combines free updates with optional paid DLC.

Paid additions are divided into reserve expansions, weapon packs, equipment packs, hunting dogs, Trophy Lodges, ATV transport, cosmetics, and specialized gear. The official DLC catalog is broad, so buyers should decide whether they primarily want new landscapes, new weapon types, faster traversal, tracking companions, or display features rather than assuming every pack is necessary.

Reserve DLC has a useful multiplayer rule: a player can visit a paid reserve in an online session when another member of the hunting party owns that reserve. That makes group play more flexible than a model where every participant must purchase the same map.

Who should play it

theHunter: Call of the Wild is aimed at PC players who enjoy realistic outdoor simulation, exploration, wildlife observation, and methodical progression. It works especially well for players who like turning a hunt into a self-directed story: locating a promising area, learning an animal's routine, selecting the right equipment, and waiting for a clean opportunity.

It is less suitable for players who want rapid missions, constant enemies, or immediate rewards. Travel, scouting, and failed approaches are normal parts of the experience. The game can also feel very different depending on whether you use generous visual aids or reduce interface assistance for a more demanding hunt.

Players who enjoy survival-oriented outdoor sandboxes may also appreciate the broader PC simulation catalog featuring hunting and wilderness-focused games, although few alternatives combine this many reserves with the same long-term hunting ecosystem.

PC features and multiplayer

On PC, the game supports keyboard and mouse input as well as controller play. Steam lists single-player, online co-op, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing, achievements, and in-app purchases, while the Epic Games Store lists single-player, online multiplayer, co-op, and cross-platform features for its version.

Online sessions support up to eight players. Friends can cooperate across the same reserve, compare trophies, share hunting locations, or simply explore while each player pursues separate objectives. Multiplayer is cooperative rather than a competitive shooter mode, and the game's slow rhythm remains central when playing with a group.

An Avalanche Apex Connect account is optional for playing and accessing multiplayer. It adds account-based functions such as PC friend invitations and in-game rewards, but the official FAQ states that it is not required to play the game or access multiplayer.

The PC storefront listings identify English full audio, with interface and subtitle support covering languages including French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Czech, Polish, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese. The game uses the Apex Avalanche Open World Engine and requires the relevant storefront client, with third-party EULA acceptance shown on Steam.

Similar hunting games on PC

The closest comparison is another first-person hunting simulation rather than a traditional shooter. theHunter: Call of the Wild emphasizes broad reserves, extensive DLC, wildlife routines, and long-term progression, while smaller hunting games may offer a narrower set of maps, more focused campaigns, or different approaches to dogs, ethics, and equipment.

Its strongest appeal is the combination of open-world exploration, systemic animal behavior, and a flexible mastery loop. If those systems sound more appealing than fast combat, the game occupies a distinctive space between a nature exploration experience and a detailed hunting simulator.

theHunter: Call of the Wild FAQ

Has the game been renamed on PC?

No. The current Steam and Epic Games Store listings continue to use theHunter: Call of the Wild. It is separate from the earlier theHunter title and from other games in the wider Avalanche and Expansive Worlds catalog.

Is the base game free to play?

No. The base game is a paid release. It receives free updates, while reserves, weapons, equipment, dogs, Trophy Lodges, transport, and cosmetic items are sold through optional paid DLC.

How many players can join a PC multiplayer session?

Online multiplayer supports up to eight players. The mode is built around cooperative hunting and shared reserve exploration rather than competitive matches.

Do all players need to own a reserve DLC?

No. A paid DLC reserve can be accessed in multiplayer when at least one member of the hunting party owns it. Players who want to visit that reserve independently still need the relevant content on their own account.

Is Apex Connect required?

No. The official Apex Connect FAQ states that an account is not required to play or access multiplayer. It is used for additional account features, including friend invitations on PC and selected in-game rewards.

Does the game have a real campaign?

It includes mission and challenge chains across its reserves, but the main structure is an open-ended hunting sandbox rather than a short linear story. Progress comes from exploring, completing objectives, improving skills, unlocking equipment, and mastering different species and environments.

Is third-person camera support available?

No. The PC version is designed around a first-person camera. Binoculars, scopes, callers, tracking signs, and environmental awareness are the primary tools for finding and approaching animals.