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About Carnival Hunt

Carnival Hunt is a multiplayer survival action adventure game with horror and violence themes. It was developed by Beer Night Studio and was released on July 23, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

WELCOME TO THE HUNT Carnival Hunt is a 5v1 first-person asymmetrical horror game set within a twisted carnival world created by the Puppetmaster. Five players become fragile wind-up Bunnies who must work together, complete objectives, and find a way to escape. One player becomes the Carnival Monster, hunting them before they can complete their performance. Both sides depend on their wind-up ch…

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Games Like Carnival Hunt

Looking for games like Carnival Hunt? Here are top survival action adventure recommendations with a horror and violence focus, selected from player-similarity data — start with Glitchery, Sanctua or After Hours.

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Reviews

68%Audience ScoreBased on 1,327 reviews
gameplay148 positive mentions
optimization41 negative mentions

  • Unique and refreshing take on the asymmetrical horror genre with engaging gameplay mechanics and vertical map design.
  • Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design create an immersive carnival horror experience.
  • Active and responsive developers providing frequent updates and quickly addressing bugs and community feedback.
  • Severe balance issues favoring bunnies or hunters at different stages, making the gameplay frustrating especially for solo or new players.
  • Long queue times and low player count, especially for the bunny role, causing matchmaking difficulties and long waits.
  • Poor optimization and server instability result in lag, rubberbanding, frame drops, and occasional crashes contributing to a frustrating experience.
  • gameplay

    462 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    32% positive mentions, 61% neutral mentions, 7% negative mentions

    The gameplay of Carnival Hunt offers a unique, slower-paced asymmetrical horror experience focused on stealth, strategy, and teamwork, distinguishing itself from similar games like Dead by Daylight. While the core mechanics and atmosphere are praised for being engaging and fresh, many players find the game suffers from balance issues, a steep learning curve, underwhelming tutorials, and technical problems such as lag and bugs that hinder enjoyment. Overall, the gameplay has strong potential but requires significant polishing, better onboarding, and balance adjustments to reach its full promise.

    • “Sincerely, regardless of the current balance, the core mechanics of this game are truly amazing, and they're why I see the potential here even as the playerbase is dwindling.”
    • “The core gameplay loop of Carnival Hunt is genuinely fun whether you are playing as a bunny or a monster.”
    • “Once you start learning the maps and mechanics, it becomes a really enjoyable experience, and there's a lot of fun to be had.”
    • “The game is great but the gameplay is atrocious; the bunnies are extremely overpowered in comparison to the hunters. The game is extremely survivor-sided and often catching anyone feels grueling and unfulfilling unless you're lucky to walk up on them when they aren't expecting it. Despite being advertised as a stealthy horror survival, stealth is rarely used. Bunnies will almost always reach the 4th floor in under 5 minutes if they ignore hiding and rush objectives, yet matches are super long, making it feel like there should be a 5-minute match timer.”
    • “The gameplay loop for the bunnies is very repetitive and frustrating, especially with how easily the killer can undo your progress. Instead of tense, back-and-forth gameplay, many matches become exercises in frustration as you repeatedly get sent from the 4th floor back to the 1st floor with very little counterplay.”
    • “This game has a great concept and aesthetic but is ultimately held down by stale gameplay design. Many mechanics and interactions are not explained, the tutorial is poor, and there are bugs that directly affect gameplay. The gameplay tends to be slow-paced, bordering on tedious, and matches can last an entire 30 minutes with no rewards if the quarry escapes.”
  • optimization

    141 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    11% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 29% negative mentions

    The game currently suffers from poor optimization, resulting in frequent FPS drops, stuttering, and inconsistent performance even on mid-range PCs, which significantly impacts gameplay enjoyment. Server instability and lag compound these issues, making it frustrating for many players. While there is potential and developer responsiveness is noted, substantial optimization patches are needed before the performance stabilizes across a wider range of hardware.

    • “It has incredible potential; the only downside is that it needs an optimization patch or two, but that's kind of expected with early access titles, so I'm sure it'll get ironed out.”
    • “My honest opinion to others would be if you can get around the fact that this game probably needs 1 or 2 more patches to get into a pretty solid optimized state get it, if not then wait for a couple more patches to release then get it!”
    • “Definitely continue to work on optimization and server stability (these should be your main focuses right now) overall, I will give the game a thumbs up.”
    • “Needs a lot of work even for early access and new killer is absolutely busted, game is also terribly optimized; I have a fairly mid-ranged PC and still have tons of FPS issues on low settings, sad to say I enjoy it less than DBD.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized, full of bugs, and even some of its most basic features feel unpolished and lacking attention.”
    • “The optimization is quite poor, resulting in bad frame drops, and the server lag makes hitting skill checks or escaping the monster incredibly frustrating.”
  • graphics

    121 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    56% positive mentions, 42% neutral mentions, 2% negative mentions

    The game's graphics and art style are widely praised for their unique, creepy carnival aesthetic and strong thematic atmosphere, with impressive visuals and character designs that enhance immersion. However, many users report significant performance issues, including low FPS, stuttering, and bugs, which detract from the experience and suggest a need for better optimization. Despite these technical drawbacks, the overall graphical presentation is considered a major strength and a key appeal of the game.

    • “The aesthetics/art direction of this game are top notch.”
    • “The graphics and visual designs are amazing and I really like the designs of the killers.”
    • “The game's graphics look stunning thanks to Unreal Engine 5 and the art style they chose.”
    • “This game needs heavy optimization (I had to turn all graphics settings to low in order to get relatively good frames), and just in general right now it's not that fun.”
    • “I played the playtest of this game a while back and was excited to play it again but now that the game is out it's unplayable; I would go into the settings and change the graphics and I am still going at 5 frames. Please fix your game.”
    • “Even with medium graphics, vsync, and turning off everything in the background the game lags so bad it's unplayable for me... they need to optimize and get more servers, at least some in the Americas.”
  • atmosphere

    68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    63% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game is widely praised for its exceptional and immersive atmosphere, characterized by a unique, creepy carnival theme brought to life through striking art direction, detailed map design, and high-quality sound and music. This atmospheric depth creates intense, tension-filled gameplay that significantly enhances the horror experience, setting it apart from similar asymmetrical multiplayer games. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout strength, contributing greatly to the game's identity and player engagement.

    • “The atmosphere of the game is immaculate, from the sound effects to the art style to the game mechanics themselves the devs have absolutely nailed the horror carnival vibe they were going for.”
    • “The atmosphere is phenomenal, and you can really see the incredible attention to detail the developers put into the game.”
    • “A stylish and thrilling asymmetrical horror that fully lives up to expectations: the insane atmosphere of a sinister carnival, fast-paced matches, and equally exciting gameplay whether you're the victim or the hunter deliver a ton of genuine emotions.”
  • stability

    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    2% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 98% negative mentions

    The game currently suffers from frequent bugs, crashes, performance issues, and unstable servers, causing freezes, high latency, and matchmaking problems. While many acknowledge these stability issues as typical for early access and praise the game's fun and refreshing gameplay, the persistent technical flaws and bugs significantly hinder the overall experience and require substantial polish.

    • “Mostly bug-free, with some optimization issues, but overall it's pretty good.”
    • “There are fps drops, occasional freezes during chases.”
    • “Game is good, graphics, gameplay, aesthetics but it needs some work; menus in the lobby are buggy, and especially the servers and ping in game with crashes is the worst and most ruining part.”
    • “2: picking up player-controlled bunnies sometimes just freezes the game mid-swing, or you catch the bunny, then the game freezes.”
  • humor

    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's humor largely stems from its quirky, chaotic interactions and the unique proximity voice chat that lets survivors and the killer hear each other's funny taunts and reactions, creating many laugh-out-loud moments. While some find the killer role hilariously frustrating and taunted, others enjoy the creative, unpredictable comedic situations during chases and gameplay. Overall, the humor is a mix of witty player banter, silly ragdoll physics, and amusing in-game scenarios that add charm despite occasional balance and difficulty issues.

    • “I've been waiting for a game with this amount of creativity, art, humor and endless challenge.”
    • “Bunnies can talk to each other, but the hunter can hear them too, which creates some hilarious moments when people actually use their microphones.”
    • “The proximity chat for the bunnies makes for some hilarious interactions between them and the hunter that is simply unmatched in any other asymmetric.”
  • music

    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    55% positive mentions, 30% neutral mentions, 15% negative mentions

    The game's music is widely praised for enhancing atmosphere and vibe, featuring an engaging and enjoyable soundtrack that complements gameplay and menus. While some find it repetitive or occasionally overwhelming, overall the music and sound design are considered great, adding significantly to the game's style and ambiance.

    • “Atmosphere, graphics, sound, music are very well executed.”
    • “At its core, the game is a very fun asymmetrical multiplayer 'horror' game with great music, style and atmosphere, and better gameplay mechanics.”
    • “+ atmosphere -> music when chasing, music in menu, just default music while in match, beautiful <3”
    • “Day one FOMO cosmetics, and the game immediately blasts you with hip hop carnival music that constantly assaults your ears while you try to find a match.”
    • “Music is decent.”
    • “ Music / sound:”
  • grinding

    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    6% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 94% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is widely seen as tedious and slow-paced, often feeling like a chore due to unbalanced mechanics such as camping and complex crafting requirements. While some find progression and gear unlocking rewarding, many criticize the excessive time investment needed and repetitive nature of gathering materials and XP. Overall, grinding hampers the fun and pacing, making the experience frustrating for many players.

    • “Grinding is abysmal as bunnies and only encourages the killer to camp and tunnel for a quick victory as the only effective way of gaining XP, and even then you end up with recipes that take materials only obtainable by escaping as a bunny or having them as the killer (or buying materials from the shop with in-game currency that is drip-fed, assuming it's in stock).”
    • “Mostly the gameplay is slow-paced, bordering on tedious, and it is possible to endure an entire 30-minute match for no rewards whatsoever if your quarry escapes.”
    • “The crafting system also feels more complicated and grindy than it needs to be.”
  • story

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    The story effectively combines subtle environmental details with a unique atmosphere, portraying trapped souls trying to escape a sinister carnival. Players engage in active exploration and stealth to navigate the setting, though some side quests may detract from the main narrative. Overall, the storytelling is immersive and enhanced by distinct art direction.

    • “Even after you've played a lot, there are still subtle environmental details that set the scene and tell a nuanced story.”
    • “It keeps its story of being trapped souls in a puppet that awaken in a strange circus trying to escape a carnival monster.”
    • “The atmosphere and environmental storytelling are great; the art direction of the game is unique and eerily enjoyable.”
    • “But doing these sideline quests wastes your time in getting out.”
    • “Even after playing a lot, there are still few environmental details that set the scene and tell a subtle story.”
    • “The story is about trapped souls in a puppet awakening in a strange circus, trying to escape a carnival monster, but this premise is thin and underdeveloped.”
  • monetization

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 20% neutral mentions, 80% negative mentions

    Monetization currently suffers from minimal advertising and lack of fresh content beyond the initial Kickstarter vision, leading to low player numbers. Reviewers hope that increased marketing efforts and ongoing updates will improve player retention and support a sustainable player base.

    • “Happy to revise my review if this game survives this drought and really comes back with some stellar content, but unless they super quickly improve server stability and put some money into actually advertising this game, I'm fairly sure it will be going offline in a few weeks.”
    • “This game has such potential, but zero advertising and is weirdly in almost the same state they advertised it as on Kickstarter in 2023, in both a good and bad way, as they've delivered on the vision they advertised, but basically nothing else.”
    • “Currently player numbers are somewhat low with around 1500-2000 players, advertising seems low but I have hope that will pick up and the game will flourish.”
  • emotional

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users express significant frustration and emotional dissatisfaction, feeling that the game is unfairly biased towards the killer role, leading to a discouraging and stressful experience for those playing as survivors ("bunnies"). The perceived imbalance, combined with connection issues and frustrating gameplay mechanics, results in a negative emotional response and disappointment.

    • “Right now, it honestly feels like you’re better off just playing bunny and never touching hunter if you don’t want to end up frustrated like me.”
    • “Killer is way too strong, bunnies get very few resources to deal with the killer, items are luck-based, the map RNG is awful, and 4th floor camping is insane. You can camp one gate entirely and then the other, so unless you have a well-coordinated team, you are not escaping.”
    • “But from what I observed and heard, it made me feel like the producers are just a bunch of mean hunters that try to make bunnies suffer miserably, as if the sole intention was to make this game unpleasant.”
  • character development

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    60% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The character development is widely praised for its impressive and unique designs that complement the game's aesthetic and horror theme well. However, while the visuals and character concepts are strong, some players feel the overall experience lacks depth beyond the designs.

    • “I love the character design; the aesthetics are really good.”
    • “The character designs are incredible, in my opinion.”
    • “Such a fun and refreshing take on the asym formula with great character design and an amazing aesthetic!”
  • replayability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Players find the game highly replayable, praising the unique experiences of both hunter and bunny roles and anticipating even more variety with future content updates. Mastery of gameplay enhances the rewarding and engaging nature, contributing to its endless replay value.

    • “Endless, infinite replayability.”
    • “After playing 19 matches as hunter and 20 matches as bunny, I have found both sides to be unique and replayable, especially with more content updates expected.”
    • “Once you (and your teammates) get the hang of it, the game really shines and becomes incredibly rewarding and replayable.”
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Play Times

20h Median play time
36h Average play time
7-51h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Carnival Hunt is a survival action adventure game with horror and violence themes. Common tags for Carnival Hunt include first-person, 3D, indie, psychological, atmospheric and others.

Carnival Hunt is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 36 hours playing Carnival Hunt.

Carnival Hunt was released on July 23, 2026.

Carnival Hunt was developed by Beer Night Studio.

Carnival Hunt has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Carnival Hunt for its gameplay but disliked it for its optimization.

Carnival Hunt is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Glitchery, Sanctua, After Hours, MAINTAINER, The Silent Expedition Echo Protocol and others.