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Another quick HOTFIX for the glaring balancing issues and bugs. To the player who mentioned that you have to start again, that is not the case. You have to restart that biome again. If you died in Farm night 3, you restart from Farm night 1. The gates unlock in the lobby. CentiEyes Fixed an issue where the CentiEyes laser could pass through trees and buildings. The laser now correctly collides with environmental obstacles. Achievements Fixed the Big Game Hunter achievement not unlocking correctly. HydraHart Improved the placement of the HydraHart Head during extraction. Gameplay Made animal stretching more forgiving by increasing the threshold before animals become overstretched and explode. Players now automatically drop any carried animal if they are thrown by a creature, preventing unintended behavior. Multiplayer Implemented a fix for the animal desynchronization issue. This fix requires further testing to confirm that the issue has been fully resolved. Please leave your comments and review to improve the game. ------------------------------------------------
The wait is finally over...
Huntin' Buddies is now available on Steam!
Grab up to 3 friends and head into a forbidden national park where every hunting trip starts out normal... until the wildlife starts hunting you.
Hunt wildlife to meet your contract quotas.
Drag massive carcasses back together using physics.
Survive the increasingly dangerous nights.
Face cursed anomaly animals that don't play by the rules.
Experience the chaos, panic, and laughter that only co-op can create.
Whether you're screaming because your friend overstretched the deer, got everyone killed, or because an explosive duck just ruined the entire hunt... every run tells a different story.
This game wouldn't be here without everyone who:
Played the demo.
Sent bug reports and feedback.
Wishlisted the game.
Shared clips and told their friends.
Believed in this weird hunting game.
Your feedback directly shaped the release version. I have fixed countless bugs, improved multiplayer stability, added quality-of-life improvements, balanced gameplay, and polished the experience thanks to all of you.
If you enjoy Huntin' Buddies, leaving a review on Steam makes an enormous difference for a solo developer. It goes a long way !
Hey hunters!
Before launch, I've pushed one last major update to the demo, focused almost entirely on the feedback you've been sending us.
Fixed voice input issues.
Improved multiplayer stability.
Major quality-of-life improvements across the game.
Gameplay balancing based on community feedback.
Lots of bug fixes and general polish.
A huge thank you to everyone who played the demo, reported bugs, and suggested improvements. Every report, discussion thread, and review helped make the game better.
If you've already tried the demo, I'd love for you to jump back in and experience the improvements before launch.
And if you haven't played yet, now's the perfect time.
Thank you all for being part of this journey. I can't wait for everyone to experience the full game this week.
Recruitment has been unusually brisk this week.
To everyone who's been out in Pine Valley Park these last few days. THANK YOU, sincerely.
Watching all the feedback - good, mid & bad has been exciting, nerve wracking and interesting.
WHERE THINGS STAND:
Huntin' Buddies launches 24 July, 2026. Full release. Not Early Access.
• 4-player online co-op horror comedy
• Three biomes, 15 nights, escalating quotas
• Drag the carcasses back yourself. They're heavy. That's the point.
• $7.99, with a launch discount If that sounds exciting, play the demo, its free and will remain available even after game release.
Huntin' Buddies Wildlife Management
Dropping the bit for a minute. This is my first multiplayer game and watching so many players hopping on and playing, engaging, loving and hating the game has been an experience. The demo staying free forever is not a marketing decision. I just want players to be able to enjoy a multiplayer game without the fluff, micro-transactions, any of the F2P BS and be able to shoot their friends. I cannot appreciate y'all enough. See you on the 24th
-Mani
Here is Smii7y and gang playing the game
To everyone here and to all of you who’ve wishlisted quietly in the background, THANK YOU ! Seriously.
What started as a small idea is now backed by thousands of you. That’s wild.
Your support at this stage means everything.
Added a new end-of-demo screen based on performance, with a primary CTA directing players to Steam. In-game feedback option remains available on the main page.
Fixed a bug where the hand could pull players from far away, sometimes causing them to fall through the landscape (especially in ragdoll mode).
Fixed Screaming Rabbit appearing even when not on contract. Fixed excessive enemy spawns. Fixed issues with too many hand spiders spawning. Fixed animal clipping through the camera during movement. Fixed cases where no animals or monsters would spawn if no spawner was nearby.
Only one anomaly type (small or large horror) can appear at a time. Updated contracts: now includes 3 rabbits, 1 deer, 1 screaming rabbit, and 1 crow (3 total contracts). Adjusted contract notes to match new structure. Screaming Rabbit scaling on shot. Players currently cannot pick up items in ragdoll mode but can still drop them.
Jump into the wild with your friends and experience the chaotic, unpredictable hunts firsthand. Track strange creatures, survive the forest, and try not to lose each other along the way.
Play the demo now and wishlist Huntin’ Buddies to support development!
Alright listen up, Buddies
We’ve unleashed 1,710 of you into the wild.
That’s it. That’s the number. No more.
The gates are shut. The clipboard guy has gone home.
If you got in: congrats, you are now legally a Huntin’ Buddy.
If you didn’t get in: stare dramatically into the distance. Your time will come.
🚫 No more playtest approvals from here on.🚫
Next stop: DEMO LAUNCH (yes, it’s getting real)
Stay weird. Stay huntin’.
Huntin’ Buddies Wildlife Management
The forest feels… wrong.
We’ve added a small Easter event to Huntin’ Buddies, and the playtest is now open for this weekend only.
What’s new:
🥚 Strange eggs are scattered across the map
👀 Some eggs are… not what they seem
🐰 Something inside might come out when you get close
Collect eggs as part of your contract—but stay sharp. Not everything you find wants to be found.
Playtest Details:
⏳ Available for a limited time (Easter weekend only)
🎯 Core hunt gameplay unchanged
👥 Best experienced in co-op chaos
Jump in, try it out, and let us know what you think, and if something weird happens… clip it. ;)
Play now before it’s gone.
Howdy hunters,
We’ve officially closed open signups for the Huntin’ Buddies playtest. That means no new entries for now but don’t pack up your gear just yet.
If you already have access, the playtest is still live. We’re keeping it running so anyone who got in but hasn’t had the chance to jump in can still give the game a proper shot.
Take your time, explore, break things and let us know what you think. Your feedback has been a huge help so far, and we’re excited to hear more from you.
Thanks again for all the support and happy huntin’ 🐾
Huntin' Buddies Wildlife Management
PLAYTESTERS HAVE JOINED THE HUNT. YOU SHOULD JOIN NOW BEFORE THE PLAYTESTS CLOSE !
4-player co-op hunting chaos
Physics-driven madness
Early look at upcoming content
Playtest access is OPEN Invite your friends (up to 4 players) Things will go wrong — that’s the fun
This playtest is your chance to get in early before the official demo drops.
Your feedback directly impacts development. Break things. Tell us what’s fun (and what’s not).
Join us on Discord:
Alright, went through your feedback and fixed a lot of the chaos. Here’s the quick version:
Deer and horrors (yes, including HallowHart) should no longer spawn in unreachable places.
No more moving your light around after dying or falling / ragdolling.
Added a way to exit the emote menu without mooning others.
Can’t aim without a rifle anymore.
Rabbits are now properly physics-based when carried (yes, I forgot… my bad)
Push-to-talk now works.
Voice chat can now be toggled. Enabled, Push to talk & Disabled.
Speaking animation bug when all players used to sync like a cursed puppet show when host talks. Lol.
Gameplay
Night 1 rebalanced: Target: 165 lbs.
Known Issue
First-time shader loading takes abysmally long. Have reduced it considerably.
Please reach out to me on DISCORD
4-player co-op hunting chaos
Physics-driven madness
Early look at upcoming content
Playtest access is OPEN Invite your friends (up to 4 players) Things will go wrong — that’s the fun
This playtest is your chance to get in early before the official demo drops.
Your feedback directly impacts development. Break things. Tell us what’s fun (and what’s not).
Join us on Discord:
We’re opening the gates for a limited Huntin’ Buddies playtest next week.
For a few days, you’ll get early access to jump in, explore the woods, hunt with your buddies… and see what hunts back.
And we’re not stopping there.
JOIN THE DISCORD for perks, updates… and warnings we won’t repeat twice : https://discord.gg/PUk2BwPUpM
There might be some surprises too.
This is your chance to experience the woods before they start remembering you.
See you out there, Just… if something grabs your buddy, don’t be a hero. It’s already decided who’s coming next.
Hello Contractors,
The discord server is live. Join it to keep updated with the system.
Discord : https://discord.gg/PUk2BwPUpM
About
This page aggregates Steam news feeds, patch notes, and developer announcements for Huntin' Buddies, sourced from official Steam community posts.
Major updates, balance changes, and seasonal events often correlate with player-count spikes — cross-reference announcements here with the live charts on the main Huntin' Buddies statistics page.
Articles link back to Steam for full changelogs. SteamScope refreshes news entries as new posts are published to the game's Steam hub.