NACON and Belgian developer NACON Studio Ghent have released Hunting Simulator 3, the newest entry in their hunting simulation series, on PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X|S as well as PC.
According to a release, the game launched today, October 29th. It runs on Unreal Engine 5. NACON says the series has ‘two million fans’, and a release trailer went out alongside the news. On Steam, the PC version is listed at $39.99 (currently 20% off). Hunting Simulator 3 was among the new titles NACON was counting on for 2026.
Two maps and wildlife that learns
Players get two maps of 39 square miles each. One covers the high-altitude forests of Colorado; the other, the windswept plains of Texas. A Polaris UTV (a utility task vehicle, essentially a rugged off-road buggy) handles the steep trails. More than 35 animal species roam the land.
The animals run on what NACON calls the SimFauna system. Wildlife ‘lives its own life’, the release says, learning from a hunter's mistakes as the seasons change. Getting close to a big stag takes care. Animals have a keen sense of smell, so hunters have to blend into the vegetation and think out each shot. A cracking branch or a shifting breeze can give them away.
Nobody hunts alone. A dog companion, called up from the command wheel, picks up fresh scents, leads the way through tall grass and retrieves small game.
The hunting lodge
Between trips, players head back to a fully customizable hunting lodge. It works as a trophy room and a shop. The release lists more than 200 licensed items, including 75 firearms, along with scopes and accessories from brands such as Remington, Beretta, Winchester and Browning.
The lodge also hosts clay pigeon shooting. Players use a rifle or shotgun to hit as many targets as they can in the time allowed. Scores go on a global leaderboard.
NACON is part of the BIGBEN Group and was founded in 2019. It runs its own development studios, publishes AA games and designs gaming peripherals. NACON Studio Ghent, founded in 2007, says it has made more than 60 games. NACON bought the whole studio in 2020; today it works mainly on Hunting Simulator.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
