December 16, 2025

Update 1.31 is now live on PC, PlayStation®5, and Xbox Series X|S, bringing a new free map, the North American cougar, and fixes with compensation for earlier update issues.

Today marks an exciting day for Way of the Hunter players! Alongside the free DLC map Elkcrest Island, update 1.31 is now live on all platforms. This update also brings the North American cougar to Nez Perce Valley, Aurora Shores, and Elkcrest Island - harvest one or explore its need zones to unlock more info in the in-game encyclopedia. Alongside the new content, update 1.31 fixes essential issues and provides compensation for players affected by the previous update 1.29.1 before the hotfix. Let’s take a closer look.

Compensation for Players

Update 1.31 also brings several fixes and includes compensation for earlier update issues.

For everyone:

All players receive compensation for the inconvenience caused by the update 1.29.1. Since some players lost a rare-fur trophy, we’re adding a guaranteed high-fitness rare-fur animal to every reserve:

Nez Perce Valley: Melanistic Mule Deer - Private/Lowland
Transylvania: Albino Red Deer - Private/Lowland
Aurora Shores: Melanistic Alaska Moose - Primary/Grassland
Tikamoon Plains: Albino Cape Buffalo - Private/Savanna
Matariki Park: Albino White-Tailed Deer - Private/Lowland
Lintukoto Reserve: Melanistic Fallow Deer - Private/Highland Forest

For players affected by update 1.29.1:

If your save file was impacted and you loaded the game before the hotfix was available, this update will apply a herd-management recovery boost. The game will identify weaker animals in affected habitats and increase their fitness by 50% toward the habitat’s gene-pool maximum, which means a small boost to those, who have lost their herd management progress.

As part of this process, the game will automatically trigger a new in-game year the first time you load in after the update, but only for those affected saves.

Additional improvements:

Some herd management stats that previously failed to load correctly should self-correct over the next two in-game years.

Free Final Map DLC – Welcome to Elkcrest Island!

Way of the Hunter celebrates its community with a new free map, Elkcrest Island, the fifth and final map DLC for Way of the Hunter. Remote, rugged, and largely untouched, Elkcrest Island is a northern frontier where some of the continent’s most iconic game species live side by side. Its isolation, sweeping landscapes, and sparse human presence make it a dream destination for any hunter.

Elkcrest Island arrives as a free DLC map, featuring:

6 new tasks that will guide you through Elkcrest Island
17 wildlife species, including the brand-new North American cougar
A fresh landscape filled with new hunting opportunities, exploration paths, and scenic locations

Whether you’re tracking big game across rugged ridges or calling waterfowl by the shoreline, Elkcrest Island provides a diverse and relaxed hunting experience, free for all players. You can read more details about the map - HERE.

At the same time, players can look ahead: the Steam page for the upcoming Way of the Hunter project goes live today, allowing fans to add the new game to their wishlists. While the final name is still in discussion, this marks the official start of the next chapter for the studio.

You can add the upcoming game to your Steam wishlist now - here's the link.

Version 1.31 (Steam: 174393; PS5, Xbox Series X|S, GOG, EGS: 174405) patch notes:

Added: Free DLC: Elkcrest Island
Added: North American cougar to Nez Perce Valley, Aurora Shores, and Elkcrest Island
Tweaked: Compensation for players affected by update 1.29.1
- For everyone: All players receive a guaranteed high-fitness rare-fur animal on each reserve (excluding Elkcrest Island)
- For affected players affected by update 1.29.1: A small herd management boost across all reserves
Fixed: Missing magazine model on the Christensen Modern Hunting Rifle
Fixed: Issue where long blood marker expiration times caused extended loading times or crashes on some reserves

We will be grateful for any and all feedback and bug reports via THQ Nordic Redmine. When creating a ticket, please make sure that you enter the correct version of the game.

Thank you, and happy hunting!

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