As an asymmetrical PvPvE title, Predator and Fireteam members have separate objectives, with the former being to kill every member of the Fireteam and the latter to complete a series of randomly generated objectives at various locations across the map while doing battle with NPC operatives and doing their best not to be killed and dismembered by the Predator.
Just like in the Predator movies, using explosives and firearms will draw the Predator’s attention by making fireteam members more visible to the Predator when using thermal imaging.
This should incentivize fireteam members to play tactically and engage in melee kills whenever possible; however, this is seldom possible when playing with random players, who seem determined to fire off every round in their arsenal at the first glimpse of enemy movement.
Image credit Predator: Hunting Grounds - Published by PlayStation PC LLC and developed by IllFonic.
Predator: Hunting Grounds has a loyal but not very communicative community, and it seems almost every player opts to play without a mic and makes no effort to communicate with the team, while you will see the occasional game emote prompting players to “stick together” or “get to the choppa” for the most part Predator: Hunting Grounds is a singleplayer game which is played with others.
Despite their reluctance to work as a team in all other areas, the resurrecting downed is more common in Predator: Hunting Grounds than in most games, as all but the most selfish players know that strength is in numbers, and the more remaining fireteam members at the end of a match, the greater the chances of a safe extraction.
Image credit Predator: Hunting Grounds - Published by PlayStation PC LLC and developed by IllFonic.
Apart from the occasional networking issues inherent with crossplay, I have experienced very few performance issues while playing Predator: Hunting Grounds.
FPS and Graphic Settings
Predator: Hunting Grounds does not have a cash shop, and all skins and cosmetic items are earned via in-game currency and acquired via RNG lootboxes purchased with that currency, which is incredibly easy to come by, with each daily awarding enough currency for ten crates, and weekly quests awarding currency equal to 50 crates, this is in addition to most players being able to unlock 1-3 crates after each match.
Players, however, can purchase DLC characters modelled after characters from the franchise, such as Dante, Dutch and Isabelle, and various Predators created for the title, such as Samurai Predator and Viking Predator.
Image credit Predator: Hunting Grounds - Published by PlayStation PC LLC and developed by IllFonic.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is not pay-2-win; however, DLC characters do have early unlocks of their signature weapons, which in some cases can make the game easier for new players, such as Dutch having instant access to a minigun and grenade launcher, which base classes would need to unlock via gameplay.
While this is not pay-2-win due to the asymmetrical nature of the game and how much attention was given to balancing weapons, it walks close to the line, and IllFonic needs to be very careful about going any further in this direction.
Image credit Predator: Hunting Grounds - Published by PlayStation PC LLC and developed by IllFonic.
Predator: Hunting Grounds has decent graphics and utilizes the Unreal Engine well; however, many of the Fireteam and human NPCs (except for movie likenesses) look a bit muddy; perhaps this is a result of a certain aesthetic that the developers were after, but I would have personally prefered sharper visuals where possible.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is by no means an ugly game, and it is very much on par with other similarly priced titles in the AA market; I, however, would have liked to see a greater emphasis on lighting effects and ambient audio.
Image credit Predator: Hunting Grounds - Published by PlayStation PC LLC and developed by IllFonic.
Predator: Hunting Grounds offers minimal character customization, with most classes having access to four female and four male faces in 5 skin tones. However, Predator: Hunting Grounds does allow players to customize their character’s appearance with dozens of warpaints, skins, shaders, and accessories.
By default, players can select from 5 Fireteam classes, each with up to 4 specialization options, and 5 Predator classes, each with three specialization options, while DLC characters are variations of default classes with unique passive abilities, items and perks.
Similarly to titles such as Call of Duty, all players can create and modify up to 12 separate loadouts, ensuring players are well prepared for every contingency.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is the second game by IllFonic to be involved in ligation between its creator and rights holder, with the first being Friday the 13th; thankfully for IllFonic, unlike with Friday the 13th, they were allowed to continue releasing content for Predator Hunting Grounds while the legal drama unfolded.
Image credit Predator: Hunting Grounds - Published by PlayStation PC LLC and developed by IllFonic.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is a extraction shooter video game developed by IllFonic and published by PlayStation PC LLC, it was released on 24 April 2020 and retails for $29.99.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 4, and Playstation 5.
Predator: Hunting Grounds is no longer in active development, and the developers have moved on to other projects.
As of April 2024, around 20,000 people play Predator: Hunting Grounds on a fairly regular basis.
Predator: Hunting Grounds suffers from low activity, meaning that while off-peak matchmaking is possible in populated regions, finding full lobbies in less populated regions is unlikely outside of peak playtimes.
Predator: Hunting Grounds supports:
Predator: Hunting Grounds offers the following matchmaking options:
The Predator: Hunting Grounds in-game store sells:
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Predator: Hunting Grounds is rated PEGI 18+ and contains:
Predator, Hunting Grounds is a must for fans of the franchise and a recommended purchase for fans of asymmetrical pvp titles.
While there are better games on the market, Predator: Hunting Grounds is just plain campy fun, and I always enjoy my time when playing it, even if that time is swiftly ended by a maxed-level Predator who wipes an entire time of low-level players, you live (or die) and learn, and a well-coordinated fireteam is a good match for a skilled predator regardless of loadout or experience.
