- Early Access Update V0.9.1 - 26 July 2026
This is the first update of the final 10 updates leading up to the games V1.0 release on 1 February 2027.1. Inventory SellingA much requested feature - being able to sell inventory items at the shops has now been added to the game! Of course, due to the crumbling economy the shopkeeper is not going to be able to offer you full price, or even half price for your goods. But luckily you are also able to sell certain junk items that have no purpose as well allowing you to make a little extra profit from your hoarding habits.2. New Flying Mini-GameA new helicopter flying minigame has been opened up, which can be accessed from the tavern.If you find a drunk helicopter pilot currently inbetween shifts, he will ask you to help him make a deliveryof essential supplies to assist a nearby vetinary operation. This requires you to fly a helicopter from the rooftop of the tavern to a nearby location…
- Upcoming Price Increase - 31 May 2026
Hello! As of today, Poached : Hunt The Hunter has been in development for almost 6 years, and has been for sale on Steam for almost 3 years at the low price of roughly $2.99 - and even lower prices for certain countries based on regional pricing.The game currently sits at 2,016 copies sold with only 149 refunds (7.3% of sales) which I am both very proud of as well as extremely grateful, not only for the support but for all the feedback and help in development.When I first launched the game, I deliberately kept the price low for players who were willing to support the game during development. That price has not changed since 2023, despite the game growing massively in size, scope, stability, and content.Poached is now in a very strong state, with many hours of gameplay, a large detailed world, over 30 species of animals, collectibles, secrets, side quests, bonus missions, mini games, mor…
- Early Access Update V0.9 - 30 May 2026
After many years of slaving over a hot keyboard, the final stretch is finally here. So much has been achieved in the last 5 years and this update is a celebration of that. The last few updates have mostly focused on bug fixes and polishes, and more of that will happen but since the game is now in a very stable state. This update focuses on general fun and depth. 1. New achievement icons.All placeholder icons have been replaced with actual images taken directly from the game. It feels more in keeping with what Poached actually is - the store page achievements now reflect the real game rather than standing in for it.2. New achievements.In addition to the 76 new achievement icon replacements, I have also added another 16 achievements, bringing the total of achievements to 92. The total amount of achievement the game will have upon launch is 100. This is the maximum amount of achievements a…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.9 - 1 April 2026
V0.8.9.9 This update is what I have been calling the last "boring" update before the V0.9+ stretch to final release. It focuses solely on mopping up the remaining tweaks and bugs on my list - clearing the decks so I can get back to more exciting work: new content, missions, and pushing toward the finish line. It's a long list, with entries ranging from subtle polish to more substantial fixes, but it's done and out of the way. Player interaction, vehicles, physics, collisions, and animation 1. Tents that have been set up can now be disassembled to be used again, to do this simply press use to sleep in the tent but hold down use to collect it again, the same as you would to collect ammo vs swap a weapon from a weapon pickup. 2. Crafted items such as tents and campfires now properly align to the ground slopes. 3. Fixed ragdoll issues with specifically enemy drivers that fall out of an expl…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.8 - 19 March 2026
This update focuses mainly on animal related things, plus some other important fixes. Animal Updates: 1. New animal: The Kudu - this majestic creature is one of the most requested animals to be added to the game, so I have finally done so. Kudus are typically solitary, but can also be found in small herds. They roam naturally, wander between idle/eating and walking states, and will flee when startled by nearby gunfire or when the player/poachers get too close. 2. Protected animals killed now also save to your save game to prevent quickload exploit for gaining 100% animal protection rating in levels. 3. Goats hunted in a mission now save as progress to your save game, to prevent infinite meat exploit as well as help you keep your progress if you wish to hunt all goats in a mission over time or across save/loads. 4. Goats now feature advanced procedural spinal animation, enabling realisti…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.7 - 14 January 2026
Third update for 2026! Terrain, environment, lighting, and visual polish 1. Improved quality of extremely small rock textures found on terrain for a more natural and realistic brown with less bright white fatiguing pixels. 2. Improved the appearance of the light that comes off your braai/barbecue, especially at night for a more realistic orange glow. 3. Improved the visual quality of waterfalls. 4. Improved visual quality of debris found fallen from an exploded attack helicopter. 5. Improved visual quality of warehouse textures when up close. 6. Fixed a weird terrain texture seam near the water tower next to the first mission poacher camp. 7. Made bloom even more tamed than previous update, only affecting the very most bright pixels for further realism and less random glowing. 8. Made the entrance to the guest lodge easier to drive into when near the main entrance gate to the lodge via…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.6 - 8 January 2026
The second update for 2026! I won't bore you with the blah blah this time, so lets get straight to it: 1. Driving into bushes with your vehicle now destroys them. 2. Enemies can now fire their weapons while crouched. 3. Made weapon wheel & weapon wheel info text more legible and easier to read 4. Fixed issue allowing binoculars to tag an enemy through the terrain. 5. Fixed an issue that caused the vehicle to be on your head when exiting the guest lodge after completing the mission. 6. Added splash damage to exploding enemy vehicles, similar to the damage from exploding your own vehicle. But it won't trigger the same achievement you get for killing enemies by blowing up your vehicle. (But it will still kill them, or you if you get caught in the explosion) 7. Improved appearance of black & white "End Level"/"Death" camera screens by allowing them to include the skybox in its rendering. 8.…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.5 - 5 January 2026
This is the first update of 2026! It's not the most massive update, but I am currently favoring regular updates every few days as opposed to only one big update per month. The game is leaving Early Access at the end of this year and I have approximately 100+ updates needed to be done before then so the best way is to get them out as quickly as possible and not keep players waiting for individual yet crucial improvements. It's going to be a big year so let's get to it! 1. Improved & refined enemy attack "bark" audio distribution system for more frequent and unique lines, and fortified the ability to prevent duplicate audio lines. Also applies to poachers making idle chatter among themselves when player is sneaking around. You will hear a lot more voice acting audio from the poachers in general now. 2. Improved guest lodge lighting/appearance. 3. Improved general gameplay in Guest Lodge s…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.4 - 31 December 2025
This is officially the last update for 2025, and the fifth update for December. I'm happy to say sales and activity have been picking up lately these holidays, so I hope you've all been enjoying the updates and to all the new players - I hope you've been enjoying the game! AI, Combat & Difficulty Improved enemy aim interaction with foliage: bushes now partially obscure enemy aim even when in front of you (not only when you’re inside them), while bullets can still pass through foliage. Balanced enemy rate-of-fire on certain enemies that were firing too frequently due to framerate. Various enemy cover-finding algorithm tweaks. Increased poacher pursuit speed. Fixed cover-finding breaking when a previously-used cover object was destroyed. Improved enemy coordination: better at communicating your position, and better at resetting back to patrol when they lose you or give up searching. Sligh…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.3 - 23 December 2025
Very happy to announce my fourth update for December, as collectively the changes from all updates now equals over 100+ crucial game fixes. The game is a lot more polished now, more fun, more challenging and more engaging - with still so much more left to do and so much more to come. Thank you to everybody involved in helping test, and to all new players who have recently purchased - welcome!! I look forward to hearing more from you soon. New "Ranger Vision" mode which allows you to track animals and poachers, by making their footprints visible to you. Engage this mode by selecting it from the weapon wheel. This mechanic will continue to be expanded upon, and potentially lead to missions that will require the player to track and hunt down poachers instead of just be led to them with a waypoint. For now, you can just use the mechanic for help tracking animals or enemies during battle and…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.2 - 20 December 2025
This update comes out only a few days after the previous update, but I'm in a good rhythm at the moment so the next update after this will most likely also be out in just a few days! I am mostly covering A.I. improvements, fixes and polish. But looking at adding some new content soon too. Balanced "Easy" difficulty setting to be easier, as new game features such as strafing have made the game much harder. Easy mode now affects enemy aim accuracy as well as damage. Fixed animal culling issue in main camp that could cause animals to disappear/appear in front of your eyes when entering/exiting the main camp. Waypoint to guest lodge is now always visible when using your vehicle in all missions. The sound of a bullet hitting a surface can now alert enemies, as opposed to only the sound of gun itself firing. Improved consistency of enemy strafing and obstacle avoidance across enemy instances.…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9.1 - 17 December 2025
This update adds a new stealth system, that makes every single piece of foliage in the entire map an active object the player can hide inside, as opposed to being merely decorative. Alongside the update are many other features based on user feedback. Thank you so much to those who keep submitting feedback to me via Discord or Steam, your contributions are invaluable and keep the updates rolling. If you don't wish to join the discord or post on the Steam forums, please post your feedback as a reply to this post or just email me directly at [email protected] - I read absolutely every single piece of feedback and am always dedicated to improving the game wherever possible. Foliage now makes a leaf rustling sound when you move through bushes. Foliage now obscures enemy aim when you are standing inside bushes. Foliage now makes you "Hidden", with an on-screen indicator, when you crouch i…
- Early Access Update V0.8.9 - 15 December 2025
Major Additions New bonus mission playable via the radio tower after Mission 2 (plays in 2 parts), including a new realistic (and educational) objective that involves using a helicopter to tranquilize a rhino in order to safely and humanely remove the horn, preventing poachers from killing them. This is done in real life as the horns grow back and poachers only want the horn, killing the entire animal for just a few bucks. More information on this real life process can be found here: https://www.savetherhino.org/thorny-issues/de-horning/New enemy Vehicle A.I. module: poachers can now enter the area with their own trucks - complete with A.I. driving, pathfinding and reversing. This can be found in the new mission. An enemy vehicle will first attempt to run you over; if they cannot do that the driver will get out and try to kill you the old fashioned way (with guns).New "Cutscene" module…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.9 - 6 October 2025
NOTE: The next major update after this one (V0.9) - is one of the biggest updates planned this year, with over 100+ changes, so please stay tuned for that, there will also be some supplementary V0.8.9.x updates prior to that, in the meantime:New enemy “D.N.A.” systemThe game uses procedural outfit mixing (pants, tops, hats, skin tones) to keep enemies cohesive. Sometimes identical looks still appeared together, which broke immersion. The new D.N.A. system assigns each generated outfit a short signature and checks it against recent ones, steering generation toward fresher combinations while preserving the style. New environment: Guest LodgeA full new area. Entry is different here: arrive by vehicle and drive to the gate. The gate is locked at night, so plan a daytime visit. Find the entrance past the tavern on the right, or follow the lodge waypoint in your vehicle. New missionPoachers h…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.8 - 9 September 2025
AI & Combat BehaviorFixed an issue that caused wandering enemies to get stuck during patrol routes.General improvements to enemy A.I. responsiveness and pathing.Optimized internal patrol algorithms for better CPU efficiency.Enemies now react more realistically to sniper kills—no longer charging toward the shooter but instead taking cover and laying suppressive fire to avoid the same fate.Environment & World PolishImproved grass color consistency and terrain transitions across various biomes.Reduced terrain grass texture memory usage for better performance.Improved some Outskirts areas.Improved some underground cave areas.Sun shafts now only appear during the day—no more rays beaming down from stars or the moon.Fixed an issue where duck ragdolls would disappear or behave erratically at screen edges.Implemented optimized duck ragdoll cleanup to reduce memory overhead.TutorialFixed a progr…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.7 - 6 July 2025
This update includes some new content for players who have completed the game in the post-game sandbox mode as well as general game improvements. Gameplay: Braai meat now shows the ° degree symbol when showing the temperature of each side of the meat, so that it is less confusing as to what those numbers are. Added more Easter eggs to discover. (And polished some existing ones)Standard Shotgun has been nerfed, as it was far too good at headshots from a distance and I didn't want to just make shotgun shells more expensive as shotguns are fun up close.Improved headshot hit detection against tactical enemies that are cover-locked & crouching. Bug Fixes: Fixed a new issue causing the possibility to get stuck in options menu if accessed from the main pre-game menu.Fixed new issue causing the vehicle camera to not rotate when first entering the vehicle.Fixed an issue that could break cause th…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.6 - 3 June 2025
Gameplay: Added a new timer for Mission 4, when waiting for backup so that the waiting section of the mission will always end after 2 minutes so as not to frustrate the player. (Since the player cannot leave this location until backup arrives.) It is now easier to pull your bakkie out of the mud/trees/rocks etc when stuck. Added a few additional helpful tooltips to the tutorial levels. Brought back the "Carver" enemy. A poacher that can be found in the act of carving up a large animal, while not actually that threatening due to the delay they require to get their weapon - they do pose as some kind of threat and also add to the atmosphere. They had been removed while working on the new animation system but they are back now, in limited quantities. Bullet Proof vests now won't be carried over to the camping bonus interlude mission as it defeats the purpose. In Mission 8, there was a radio…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.5 - 1 June 2025
Gameplay: Shotgun now keeps the aiming reticle when performing A.D.S. since it doesn't function the same as a classic scope aim, allowing for much more accurate usage of the shotgun. Larger animals such as Rhinos that are hanging out closer to the main reserve will now attempt to avoid the poachers if they get too close by relocating. This doesn't guarantee their safety in all situations, but can avoid a few mishaps and keeps things cleaner in terms of general gameplay. Graphics: Improved tranquilizer dart rifle texture. Added advanced spine rotation animation to stampeding hippo. Fixed some grass in Hippo Mission with too low LOD threshold and thus were popping into existence too easily. Fixed foot IK clipping issue with General Gideon when sitting on camping chair during Mission 1/2 bonus interlude camping mission. Fixed "Lions Heart" powerup from making screen almost impossible to se…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.4 - 22 May 2025
A standard routine update featuring various fixes, improvements and quality of life adjustments. I'll be back again in a few weeks with another content based update (focusing largely on Chapter 2 this time), in the meantime the current update change notes are as follows: Fixed some navmesh issues near gazelle herd that caused animals and in some cases enemies to walk through a few of the rocks or huts. Improved shotgun appearance as well as fixed a one sided normal causing a see through face by the loader grip. Fixed an issue with water at a certain waterfall cycling between specular color maps while standing in-between 2 separate waterfall zones used for asynchronous level zone streaming. Fixed bug with gazelles that would sometimes cause their movement and animations speeds to not be synced. Fixed some cactuses in Delta Zone that were missing their impact damage, and some with missing…
- Early Access Update V0.8.8.3 - 11 May 2025
Early Access Update V0.8.8.3 Simple update fixing various user reported bugs & more. I am currently busy with a much larger technical update that adds proper spinal and leg animations to wildlife as well as general improved animal behavior, but it's taking a lot longer than expected so I wanted to knock out a few quick necessary polishes so everybody knows I'm still alive and working hard! A lot of progress has been made in the game in areas over the last few months that I wanted to explore, so much to the delight (or the chagrin, depending) of achievement hunters and gaming enthusiasts alike, I have added a huge heap of new achievements that include new challenges and ways to play the game never thought before, while also helping the player discover more hidden gems and secrets held within. - On the subject of achievements, we now have a total of 68 - the plan is by final game launch t…
