It’s been a big year for Star Wars fans in the gaming space. Star Wars Outlaws brought the franchise into the open-world genre. The critically acclaimed 2023 game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was released on last-gen consoles. And for players who like to compete, the free-to-play competitive arena shooter Star Wars Hunters offers some multiplayer fun.
Of the three games, Star Wars Hunters likely flew under most players’ radar. The Switch, iOS, and Android exclusive developed by mobile veterans Zynga was released in June. It’s a fun multiplayer experience focused on quick action, casual shenanigans, and awesome original characters. And soon, those who missed it on handheld devices the first time will finally get a taste of the action, as the game will be making its PC debut next year.
Star Wars: Hunters will be coming to Steam Early Access in 2025. The PC version of the game will feature higher resolution textures and shadows on maps, higher rendering quality, and character models, according to Zynga. PC players can also ditch the controller and touchscreen support for the precision of mouse and keyboard.
“The success of Star Wars: Hunters on mobile and Nintendo Switch devices has led to our decision to expand the game to PC,” Zynga’s executive vice president Yaron Leyvand said. “This is something our community of fans have been asking for and we are very excited to welcome even more players to Vespaara.”
It’s a no-brainer move by Zynga. While I had a ton of fun playing the game at launch, not having a free-to-play shooter launch on every platform possible seemed like an unnecessary missed opportunity. Live-service multiplayer games need players to keep things going. A launch on PC is a step in the right direction if the developer wants to keep the game alive and healthy. When it releases, Star Wars Hunters will also mark the first time a Zynga title makes its way to PC.
Like The Mandalorian, Star Wars: Hunters takes place after Star Wars: Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi, following the fall of the Galactic Empire. It takes place on the outer rim planet of Vespaara, where a sleazy credits-minded scoundrel hosts a televised spectacle pitting the galaxy’s toughest and smartest mercenaries against one another. It’s Smash TV. It’s Running-Man. It’s an awesome premise for a game set in the Star Wars universe.
The show’s star players are the selectable roster of heroes, each of which either plays into Star Wars archetypes or some weird cartoonish take on the universe’s weird little guys. Competitors like the Dark Side assassin Rieve contrast wonderfully with the likes of Utooni, the two crafty Jawa brothers who compete in a single trenchcoat. Each has a special ability that can turn the tide of its simple but fun game types and lightning-fast matches. The brevity and simple interplay between characters are a nice departure from the more involved competitive shooters like Rainbow Six Siege.
Star Wars Hunters’ unique brand of casual competitiveness will surely find an even bigger audience on PC. It’s a long overdue but needed port for the year’s most surprising game set in a galaxy far, far away.
