Frankfurt, DE – 18th June, 2025 - Today, Crytek unleashes Judgement of the Fool, a new dramatic in-game Event for Hunt: Showdown 1896. It comes alongside Update 2.4 and the triumphant return of the DeSalle map, which has been rebuilt in stunning detail to bring new tactical depths with refactored compounds. Live now across all supported platforms, this update brings a great number of fixes, tweaks, and improvements, along with a cast of thrilling characters.
Judgement of the Fool will run until September 17th 2025.
See the trailer now:
A Tale of Hubris and Retribution
At the narrative heart of the Event is a tragic tale of vengeance. The Fool, originally known as Doc Redmartin, once peddled a toxic miracle cure before he was disfigured by his victims. Now, he’s on the run from The Pale Judge, a fallen lawman delivering justice on behalf of fate itself with the draw of a tarot card. The Fool is aided by Dorothy Alice, the last survivor of the once respectable Alice Family, who shelters him at her ruined homestead in Stillwater Bayou. And in the shadows hides The Prescient, an occult detective who has returned to seek the truth behind the omen of Orwellian Effigies re-appearances across the bayou and the gulch. The Event brings gritty characters into a clash, with a 38-tier Battle Pass dripping with occult-themed rewards.
Battle Pass Highlights
Bringing along a 38-tier trove of macabre rewards, the Battle Pass for Judgement of the Fool includes Equipment Skins, Charms, Equipment Animations, and Hunters:
- The Fool: A disfigured and deranged snake-oil salesman on the run, his face was mangled by the victims of his poisonous Miracle Mouth All-Cure. The Pale Judge once offered him redemption, but that chance is no more. This Hunter comes in two variants: Outlaw and Fugitive.
- The Pale Judge: Once a judge in Mammon’s Gulch but now a fallen lawman, he traded his gavel for a gun and a deck of tarot cards. He dishes out sentences on behalf of fate itself. He’s here to deal the final verdict to The Fool.
And if that is not enough, players will be able to separately purchase Dorothy Alice skins in two variations of Dream and Nightmare:
- Dorothy Alice: The last survivor of the Alice family from the once idyllic Stillwater Bayou, found alone by The Fool. She hides him from The Pale Judge in the ruined homestead of the Alice Farm.
Equipment Skins and Animations:
- Blind Justice (Terminus): A shotgun etched with scales of justice and bone inlays.
- Death Sentence (Throwing Spear): A spear wrapped in executioner’s rope, paired with the Oath to Impale inspect animation.
- Crypt Seal: Sniper (Sparks): A rifle carved with grave markers and hexes.
The Fool’s Hideout
Charred cattle, barricaded wagons, and journal scraps tell the story of doomed survivors huddled in The Fool’s Hideout, which will appear on all 4 maps. The Fool’s Hideout is a dangerous place—but with high stakes come high rewards. If players can avoid meeting their demise within, they will find exclusive Sealed Rewards such as:
- A Single Sealed Bounty Token
- Full Restoration Kit
- Trait Wager Spur (randomized Traits in exchange for Pledge Marks)
- Master Clue (reveals all Boss Targets)
- Event-exclusive Sealed Scarce Traits
New Threats and Twists
- The Brute: A blood-chilling beast of mysterious origin, the Brute stalks the forests of the bayou. It goes mad at the scent of blood and releases deafening roars. Brutes share the departed Ursa Mortis’ strengths and weaknesses but stick to forested areas, stalking Hunters that are careless.
- Pledge Mark theft: pillage fallen Hunters like a bayou scavenger!
- Trait Wager Spur: Gamble your hard-earned Pledge Marks for random Traits.
Lots more adjustments, tweaks, and fixes have also been applied to existing AI enemies across all maps.
DeSalle Reborn
The iconic and beloved DeSalle map is making a stunning comeback after being meticulously revamped and elevated to the new gold standard in Hunt: Showdown 1896 via CRYENGINE. Key changes include:
- Visual upgrades: enhanced textures, dynamic vegetation with thicker swamps and swaying cypress trees, and reworked lighting bringing out the unique atmosphere of the map.
- Many design revisions: new underground tunnels and vertical shafts create ambush opportunities at Kingsnake Mine; barn lofts and breakable walls make for great flanking at Pearl Plantation; reworked sightlines and a fortified central tower set the stage for sniper duels at Fort Bolden; expanded docks with destructible cover and submerged pathways provide exciting possibilities at Pelican Island, and much, much more at other compounds.
Update 2.4: All Hands on Hunt
Brimming with fixes and tweaks, Update 2.4 improves the Hunt: Showdown 1896 experience in every way.100+ UI issues were addressed and many more bugs resolved, with highlights including enemy AI behavior, audio clarity and precision, and meta game tweaks which bring out the best in gunfights at every opportunity. Find out more about the contents of the Update 2.4 in the Patch Notes.
Bounty Clash Updated
Hunter favorite game mode Bounty Clash receives a significant update, as well as a number of highly requested features:
- Dedicated MMR: Separate Bounty Clash Matchmaking Rating distinct from Bounty Hunt, set initially by copying the former rating. Kills and deaths in one game mode will be separate from the other.
- New compounds added: Lower DeSalle, Fort Bolden and First Testimonial Church present new challenges for the gunslingers.
- Spawn point adjustments: tweaked and tuned at Reynard Mill & Lumber, Deadfall Timber, and East Mountain Corn to make those Clashes fairer.
- And more: new per-map Times of Day, the updated O’Donovan Stone makes a comeback, and Blackthorn Stockyard bows out of the rotation.
Port Sulphur Band Sets the Stage
To set the stage for Judgement of the Fool, our very own Port Sulphur Band releases a new single written for the Event. Find out more about it at your favorite platform:
The Fool’s Last Stand
Update 2.4 and Judgement of the Fool are live now, with the latter running until September 17, 2025. Hunters can dive into DeSalle’s revitalized terrain, chase Battle Pass rewards, and witness the violent culmination of The Fool’s saga!
Even more content is coming soon to Hunt: Showdown 1896 during the Event. Stay tuned to our channels for more information and updates.
X/Twitter - https://twitter.com/HuntShowdown
BlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/huntshowdown.com
Discord - https://discord.gg/nFqe7r6AwQ
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/huntshowdown/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/huntthegame/
Youtube - @HuntShowdown
TikTok - Hunt: Showdown (@huntshowdownofficial)
Hunt: Showdown 1896 official website at https://www.huntshowdown.com
Find out more about Crytek at https://www.crytek.com/
# # #
For more information, please contact:
press@crytek.com
About Hunt: Showdown 1896
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is the new era of the competitive first-person bounty hunting game, packing the thrill of survival and the reward of profit into a horror match-based format. Set in Colorado and the Louisiana Bayou in 1896, the game boasts a mixture of PvP and PvE elements that create a uniquely tense experience. It's not just the monsters who are a threat—it's every Hunter on the map. In the classic Bounty Hunt game mode, a match pits 12 players—playing solo or in teams of two or three—against each other as they race to take out gruesome creatures for a Bounty they must collect and extract from the map. Hunt's Soul Survivor mode offers a shorter match for solo players to scavenge for weapons as they compete for a diminishing pool of Bounty. The higher the risk, the higher the reward–but a single mistake could cost you everything. Hunt: Showdown 1896 is out now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Series X|S. For more information, visit www.huntshowdown.com