8 Best Hunting Video Games For The PS3

Hunting games belong to a very niche genre.

They will never be the most popular. These are games that will never sell as many copies as the Call of Duties, Maddens, or Zeldas of the world. They will never be critically acclaimed, nor win many end-of-year awards.

However, hunting-based games are held very dearly by a certain type of gamer, and for these people hunting games represent the ultimate entertainment experience. Much like with other types of simulators, if you’re into what these games have to offer, playing a hunting game can be very engaging and surprisingly relaxing.

So, in honor of these great games, and the hunters who love them, I’ve prepared a list of

The Best Hunting Games for The PlayStation 3 

Hunter’s Trophy

The first game on our list of best hunting video games for the PS3 is Hunter’s Trophy by Bigben Interactive.

Something that immediately sets Hunter’s Trophy apart from the droves of similar titles is the epic uses of Playstation Move controls.

The game originally shipped with a rifle-shaped controller on which to attach the Move device. This made for some truly amazing gameplay moments where the action on screen and your moves in the real world lined up to perfectly simulate a hunt.

Part first-person shooter, part simulation, the game offered players three main game modes: Shooting Range, Quick Hunt, and Career Mode.

• The Shooting Range: serves as a makeshift tutorial by providing you with a gameplay loop that allows you to practice and master your skills. The Shooting Range also offered a multiplayer experience, albeit a little barebones.
• Quick Hunt: as the name aptly suggests, allows players to quickly and effortlessly boot up a map, a weapon loadout, and jump right in for the hunt. This mode made Hunter’s Trophy my go-to hunting game for the ps3 for a very long time because of the unique control and how easy it was to jump in.
• Career Mode: offers players looking for more in-depth experience plenty to explore. The mode has a character creator, delivers a ton of different weapons, varied environments, and plenty of wild animals to hunt, each with different tactics requirements.

All in all, Hunter’s Trophy has something for everyone, making it a surefire bet in my book.

Duck Dynasty

If you’re into hunting you have likely heard of the Robertson clan of Louisiana, and if you have ever wondered what it would be like to hang out with the cast and go on some backwood shenanigans, then Duck Dynasty for the PS3 is your game.

A lot is happening in this game, including airboat racing, treasure hunting, pulling pranks on NPCs, etc. There are at least 10 hours of solid gameplay here.

While not the most realistic or traditional hunting simulator, Duck Dynasty offers hunters some original and exciting opportunities.

I particularly love the duck calling rhythm minigame before the twitch-shooter mechanics of the duck hunts themselves. Players who love to test their reflexes will have a ton of fun with these hunts.

Several highly addictive collectible challenges have you exploring the vast swamp map to find buried treasure, road signs, frogs, etc.

Cabela’s Series

Cabela’s is one of the biggest names in hunting and outdoor recreation, and over the years they have produced some of the best titles in the genre. As such, it should come as no surprise to find the name Cabela’s in our list of best hunting games for the PS3.

Because the Cabela’s series is so vast, today I’m going to highlight 3 different standout hunting titles released on Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011

First, we have Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 released in October 2010. The Dangerous Hunts franchise is a bit different from most hunting simulators in that it relies heavily on a scripted story to lead the player through its various hunting scenarios.

In Dangerous Hunts, 2011 players are tasked with hunting a variety of possessed beasts while they navigate through different hazardous environments.

Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013

Next, we have Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013, which refines the best gameplay elements of the 2011 title and adds a few new tricks to keep things fresh. The main difference here is that the 2013 edition heavily features on-rails elements where the player must survive waves of attacking enemies.

Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures

The next Cabela’s title is Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures, released in 2009 by Sand Grain Studios. Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures is a much more traditional hunting simulator experience than the two previous titles.

In Outdoor Adventures, the player can hunt 50 different species using a variety of different gear and hunting tactics, all the while placing a real emphasis on real-world hunting rules and regulations.

This last title is perfect for purists, but any one of the PS3 titles released by Cabela’s is worth your time.

Carnivore Dinosaur Hunter

One of my favorite characters in the entire Jurassic Park movie franchise was Ronald Tembo, the famed big-game hunter from Mombasa, Kenya.

During the fateful events of The Lost World, Mr. Tembo was hired to lead a dinosaur hunting expedition to Isla Sorna. Ever since I saw the movie I kept thinking how freaking awesome it would be to be able to hunt dinosaurs as if they were big game, the biggest of game.

Well, thanks to Carnivore Dinosaur Hunter for the PS3, anyone can play out this fantasy.

Carnivore Dinosaur Hunter offers players nine different unlockable stages with a daytime and nighttime cycle on which to stalk and hunt our saurian prey. To do so, players are given access to a variety of assorted weapons, including handguns, crossbows, and a variety of rifles. Weapons can be upgraded to improve stat lines such as range, damage, etc.

The difficulty curve is set just right, where the initial stages get progressively harder until you face off against the most aggressive and ravenous beasts. Each successful kill rewards you with progression points which in turn allow you to unlock the higher tiers of environments and prey.

All in all, it’s a simple gameplay loop, but one that is entrenched in so much flavor and atmosphere that it is hard not to recommend.

Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption is not a “hunting video game” but it has one of the most absorbing and addictive hunting mechanics in video games.

Aside from a masterful narrative, Red Dead Redemption gives players access to a massive, detailed, and realistic open world that is riddled with a wide variety of content, combat, and other activities such as bounty hunts, fishing, and animal hunts.

The hunting engine is surprisingly nuanced. For example, players can purchase different bait to attract the 36 animals that populate the land. These animals include familiar hunting game prey such as ducks, bears, deer, and bucks, as well as more exotic beasts such as armadillos, seagulls, and cougars.

Players are then able to gather materials harvested from their prey such as furs, hides, claws, fangs, tusks, horns, feathers, carapaces, etc. These can then be used to trade with NPCs and craft a number of useful items.