Hunting games are perfect for folk who like a good blend of action, strategy, and simulation.
Whether you’re interested in hyper-realism or arcade gems, the thrill of the hunt transfers to video games perfectly. There are plenty of hunting titles out there, ranging from light-hearted experiences to dark and gritty simulations.
In this list, you’ll find a variety of solid hunting games for the Switch that let you fully immerse yourself in the hunting experience.
Here are the 8 best hunting games on Nintendo Switch.
Hunting Simulator 2
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, sports, shooter |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | Completing everything in the game will take you roughly 50-60 hours |
| Developer | Neopica and Neopica BVBA |
| Release date | 15th October 2020 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Hunting Simulator 2 does exactly what it says on the box.
It’s a first-person simulator with a vast open world that lets you wander around and enjoy nature while hunting. The ambience is realistic and immersive, and the mechanics feel incredibly lifelike as well.
The gameplay is a lot better than the previous Hunting Simulator title, as it includes new content, a wider variety of animals to kill, and even a canine companion to help you with your hunting.
This game takes a slow-paced approach to first-person shooting and manages to feel incredibly realistic thanks to this. You don’t just point and shoot at animals, you need to track them down via footprints and waste in order to find where they’re hiding.
There’s a wide variety of weapons in this game, which are all effective against different animals.
For example, the pump-action shotgun has a wide-spread bullet and deals more significant damage to more giant animals up close. It is also effective against a flock of birds.
You can also gear up by buying valuable items for your hunting trip, like night vision goggles.
This game is incredibly immersive and it’s one of the best hunting Switch games around.
Big Buck Hunter Arcade
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, arcade, shooter, sports |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | The main campaign will only take you up to half an hour but completing everything in the game will take you around 8 hours |
| Developer | Play Mechanix Inc, Play Mechanix, Incredible Technologies, GameMill Entertainment, and Jakks Pacific |
| Release date | 16th October 2018 |
| Co-op | Single system, 2 players supported |
If you want a hunting game on the Switch that has an arcade feel to it, Big Buck Hunter Arcade is the game for you. It’s a first-person arcade shooter that lets you test your hand-eye coordination and accuracy by hunting animals in the wild.
Big Buck Hunter Arcade takes inspiration from reality TV shows that focus on the wild hunting industry.
The game also provides a countryside music background to create a more ambient hunting experience.
The gameplay loop is straightforward, with a decent choice of modes and locations. For example, you can select 3 species to hunt, with 5 different stages to add some variety.
Animals in this game move in a realistic fashion, which means they can be quite hard to shoot and kill. There are also additional objectives and tasks in each stage, which add extra challenge and depth to the experience.
By completing extra tasks, you’ll get points and will be able to advance to the other modes. You can also hunt smaller animals to get extra points, too.
There’s a scoreboard in the game which will track which species you’ve successfully taken down. Hitting anything other than your target animals will automatically end the stage.
One of the most interesting things about this game is the trophy mode. Depending on the stage you pick, a scary predator will spawn and attack you before the round ends. This could be a bear, a lioness, a wolf, or something else entirely.
This is, without a doubt, one of the best hunting games on the Nintendo Switch out there. It’s immersive and challenging, but still incredibly fun and engaging too.
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, action, FPS, sports |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | Completing everything in the game will take you roughly 4 hours |
| Developer | Tatem Games, Digital Dreams Entertainment, and Beatshapers |
| Release date | 1st June 2021 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
If you’re a fan of dinosaur hunting games, this is going to be your next favorite game.
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt is a first-person shooting game that lets you hunt dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes.
In this game, you play as a dinosaur hunter in a zone that feels like Jurassic Park. With the help of your equipment and weapons, you’ll need to take down classic dinosaurs like the bloodthirsty Tyrannosaurus rex or the gigantic Triceratops.
The first-person perspective in this game adds a nice touch, as it makes the gameplay loop feel incredibly immersive.
Defeating trophy dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus and the Ankylosaurus will reward you with gems, which you can use to upgrade your gear and buy new weapons. There’s a huge variety of gear and upgrades to get your hands on.
Aside from upgrading weapons, you can also upgrade player abilities. Buying light clothes and increasing your camouflage rate will help you sneak up on prey more effectively.
You’ll need to be stealthy and strategic in order to really succeed with this game. It’s one of the most unique hunting games around, and it’s worth adding to your library.
Cabela’s: The Hunt- Championship Edition
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, sports, strategy |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | There is currently no up-to-date information about how long this game takes to beat |
| Developer | Piranha Games and Saber Interactive |
| Release date | 16th November 2018 |
| Co-op | Single system, 2 players supported |
Cabela’s: The Hunt- Championship Edition is an uber-realistic, first-person hunting game that aims to teach people how to be effective hunters.
Taking inspiration from real-world hunting techniques but still keeping the mechanics simple at the same time, the gameplay loop is satisfying and impactful.
You’ll need to plan your moves carefully, travel stealthily to avoid scaring your prey, and maintain a good level of situational awareness.
There are plenty of powerful weapons and tools that you can pick up to help you with this. Different weapons are suitable for different ranges, and you’ll need to practice each one to get the hang of it.
Killing animals will reward you with reputation points. If you collect 100 reputation points, you’ll be able to advance to the next area.
There are 10 areas in total, taking inspiration from areas that are known for their hunting grounds like Alaska and Georgia. Each zone is beautiful and full of lots of animals to kill and incredible landmarks to visit.
A small feature that makes this game feel more realistic is the tag system. If you try to kill an animal that doesn’t have tags, you’ll get kicked out of the zone.
There’s also a bullet tracing system in this game which adds extra immersion. You’ll need to be mindful of the wind, your weapon style, and any vital points on the animal you’re trying to kill if you want to be successful.
Cabela’s: The Hunt- Championship Edition is worth playing no matter your experience with hunting games so far. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just entering this specific niche for the first time, you’re sure to find a lot to love in this game.
Deer Drive Legends
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, action, sports, shooter, strategy |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store or Amazon |
| Length | Completing this game will take you roughly 20 hours |
| Developer | Raylight S.R.L. and Raylight Games Srls |
| Release date | 14th June 2019 |
| Co-op | Single system, 2 players supported |
Another hunting game that you should get for your Switch is Deer Drive Legends. It’s a first-person arcade hunting title that strikes a good balance between being fun and challenging.
It’s a much simpler game than the other titles on this list, and it’s the perfect game to play with a partner if you both feel like shooting some animals. Multiplayer is a lot of fun in this game, but the solo options are great, too.
The gameplay loop is quite simple in this game, with plenty of vicious animals to take down and factors to keep in mind like heart rate and wind direction.
There are 30 animals to tangle with in this game, and they can all fight back so make sure to stay on your guard.
Every area has 5 stages and you’ll have a target or objective for each one. There are additional rounds, too, asking you to complete extra challenges and avoid getting penalties.
There are tricky boss fights in this game, which you can access after finishing every level in the selected area. You’ll be able to tangle with rare, extinct creatures, like sabertooth tigers.
Taking down bosses is difficult, so you’ll need to have some good weapons at your disposal. There are plenty to pick from, ranging from pistols and shotguns, to rifles and crossbows.
You can also upgrade your skills, too. It’s possible to upgrade things like your aim and precision, and your heart rate management too.
Deer Drive Legends isn’t just an arcade game. It’s one of the overall best hunting games on the Nintendo Switch, too. It’s well worth playing if you haven’t already.
Duck Hunting Challenge
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, sports, strategy, shooting |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | There is currently no accurate data on how long this game takes to beat |
| Developer | Collision Studios |
| Release date | 12th February 2019 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Duck Hunting Challenge will test your patience and powers of observation. It’s a first-person hunting game that lets you hunt ducks in different parts of America.
This is a very simple game, but it’s still charming and enjoyable for players who like more relaxed experiences.
You’ll need to bide your time and use a whistle to bait the ducks out into the open.
This game will test your aim as the ducks move in a realistic manner and can be quite hard to shoot. You can use your binoculars to help scout and locate the ducks before shooting, too, and you’ll need to be mindful of your hiding spot as well.
To help you take down even more ducks, you have a dog to keep you company on your hunting trips. You can train your dog to obey your orders, and it’ll have its own stats as well. For example, if a dog has high obedience stats it’ll listen to your orders more often.
The character customization options in this game are solid, letting you change your character’s face, skin tone, and hair style.
Overall, Duck Hunting Challenge is a hunting game with a slower pace than most other games in the genre. It’s a lot of fun and has some call-backs to older hunting games, too.
Hunt
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, sandbox, shooting, sports, strategy |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | There is currently no up-to-date information on how long this game takes to beat |
| Developer | Sabec Limited |
| Release date | 23rd July 2020 |
| Co-op | Single system, 2 players supported |
Hunt may look like a run-of-the-mill hunting game on the surface, but it has a lot of personality and charm that you’ll be able to uncover as you play it.
This is a semi-open world game with a first-person perspective and simplistic art style. The background music is charming, the gameplay loop is satisfying, and there’s an engaging day-to-night cycle. What’s not to love?
You’re able to pick what time you want to start hunting, which will determine which animals show up for you. There are different challenges that you’ll come up against depending on whether you’re hunting at night or day.
At the start of the game, you get to pick a set of firearms. There are three sets to pick from, each of which thrive in different ranges and settings.
While this game may look quite simple, it will put you through your paces. The animals can be quite hard to aim at and kill, and they can also attack you if you don’t manage to kill them quick enough, which can end your run.
You’ll also need to have a good sense of direction in this game, as the main navigational tool that you have is a compass.
Once you’ve slaughtered your prey, you can claim them and get a monetary reward based on their type, weight, color, and overall value.
There are heaps of animals to tangle with in this game and it’s a lot of fun. The controls can be a bit clunky, but it’s endearing.
Whether you’re a fan of hunting in real life or just looking for something new to add to your hunting game collection on your Switch, this is a game you should pick up today.
Hunter Shooting Camp
| Genre | Hunting, simulation, sports, strategy, shooter, arcade |
| Buy from | The official Nintendo store |
| Length | There is currently no accurate data on how long this game takes to beat |
| Developer | pix arts |
| Release date | 23rd June 2021 |
| Co-op | No, single player only |
Hunter Shooting Camp is one of the most unique hunting games on the Switch, as it takes a unique perspective on the genre and puts you in the setting of a hunter boot camp.
This is a first-person hunting game where you’ll get to learn all about what it takes to make a person into a fearsome hunter. It includes three unique modes (Bullet, Hunting, or Battle) and over 150 levels to get stuck into.
There’s a lot of value for money here.
Some levels will test your precision and accuracy by getting you to shoot floating balloons or by asking you to identify vital points on animals.
Others will ask you to take down a specific number of animals within a time limit.
The best thing about this game is that you can challenge an AI to a shoot-off. This is a great way to practice and hone your skills.
With lots of weapons, a realistic wind system, and animals that will flee in a realistic fashion, there are a lot of challenges to contend with here. This game is a hell of a lot of fun to play, and it’s worth adding to your hunting game collection today.
