All 3 Way of the Hunter 2 maps with exact sizes: New Laurentia and Kilimaya at 100 km2 each, Hearth & Hunt at 16 km2. What each holds.
Way of the Hunter 2 Maps & Reserves: All 3 Maps, Sizes and Animals
Way of the Hunter 2 ships with three maps in the base game, not one: New Laurentia and Kilimaya Reserve at 100 km² (38 sq mi) each, and the Hearth & Hunt Headquarters hub at 16 km² (6 sq mi). All three are in the standard package as of v1.0 (September 29, 2026) — no map DLC is needed to reach Africa. Those figures come from the developer's launch FAQ and, as of October 3, 2026, appear nowhere else, which is why so many pages still get the count wrong.
Official source: Way of the Hunter 2: FAQ, Nine Rocks Games — "There are three maps in the base game."
All 3 Way of the Hunter 2 Maps and Their Exact Sizes
| Map | Size | Type | What it holds |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Laurentia | 100 km² (38 sq mi) | Full hunting reserve | Rocky Mountain North America, 15 of the 28 species, the moose investigation storyline |
| Kilimaya Reserve | 100 km² (38 sq mi) | Full hunting reserve | African safari ground, 13 of the 28 species, arrived in Early Access Update 2 |
| Hearth & Hunt Headquarters | 16 km² (6 sq mi) | Hub plus small reserve | Expandable Rocky Mountain lodge, and huntable in its own right |
Add them up for 216 km² of ground. The Steam store page independently backs it, describing "three distinct hunting regions": a North American wilderness, an African hunting ground, and a Rocky Mountain region around the Hearth & Hunt lodge.
The Early Access Update 2 announcement (May 26, 2026) called Kilimaya "100 km² (40 square miles)"; the launch FAQ gives the identical 100 km² as 38 sq mi, the correct conversion. Only the rounding changed. If a page claims Kilimaya grew or shrank, it is mixing sources, not reporting a patch.
New Laurentia: 100 km² of Rocky Mountain North America
New Laurentia is the starting ground. The store page sets its hook plainly: you "investigate the unusual behavior of the local moose population with the help of a skilled dog trainer and a former warden." It is also the cleanest open hunting loop in the game: free roam plus structured missions.
What to hunt. 15 of the 28 species shipped at 1.0, and the widest big-game variety of the three: American wolverine, grizzly bear, Dall sheep, Northwestern grey wolf, western moose, Rocky Mountain elk, Rocky Mountain mule deer, northern white-tailed deer, Wood bison, pronghorn and central European wild boar, plus eastern wild turkey, mallard, white-tailed ptarmigan and snowshoe hare. Full per-map roster in our animals list.
Weather. Set the Long-Term Weather Forecast before you travel, not after — Update 1.1 added it for "the weather conditions you experience in each hunting ground", but a change "takes effect after 48 in-game hours", so the conditions you picked are still two in-game days out on arrival. One thing it does not do yet is change how well animals see and hear you; the developer lists that as a priority still to come, not a live mechanic.
When to enter. It was the only map in the game at Early Access launch on March 26, 2026, so there is nothing to wait for — no unlock, no DLC. Two things worth knowing: its footprint has never changed (the Early Access FAQ called it "a 10×10 km open-world region inspired by the North American wilderness", and 10 × 10 km is exactly 100 km² — the area was always the same, only the map count changed), and it is already full of restoration targets. The store page promises "enhanced reserve monitoring to manage habitats", and the Shackmaps New Laurentia interactive map carries exactly those marker types — Habitat Enhancement, Invasive Plant Species, Polluted Lake, Damaged Bridge, Boulder and Fallen Tree Obstruction.
Tracks are why this map rewards patience over distance: they are "dynamically created between need zones", and spooked animals leave temporary tracks as they move. See our tracking tips and 1.1 breakdown.
Kilimaya Reserve: 100 km² of African Safari
Kilimaya arrived in Early Access Update 2 (patch notes May 27, 2026, version 0.2.0 / 195528), the largest content addition outside the 1.0 launch. It is "built on contrast, featuring highlands, forests, open grasslands, wetlands, shrublands, and sun-scorched barren terrain", plus scenery to hunt around: ancient stone ruins, remote village settlements, lookout towers and hidden cave paintings. That biome spread in one 100 km² block is why it is not a Rockies reskin.
What to hunt. 13 of the 28 species: greater kudu, blue wildebeest, Nile crocodile, spotted hyena, blesbok, Cape mountain zebra, common hippopotamus, Cape honey badger, southern lion, South African ostrich, Cape buffalo, southern yellow-billed duck and southern common warthog. Twelve of those shipped with the map itself in May 2026.
Weather. The Long-Term Weather Forecast is set per hunting ground, so it covers Kilimaya too, with the same 48 in-game-hour delay before your choice takes effect. What Kilimaya weather does not do at 1.0 is alter detection: the developer is still only planning "environments and weather to have a greater effect on how well animals can see and hear you". Read its dry heat and open ground as a visibility problem you solve with cover and timing, not a stealth modifier the game applies for you.
When to enter. Base-game content since 1.0 with no unlock, but it only existed from May 2026 — any guide predating the Update 2 patch notes will not mention it. Set your forecast before travelling. If you loaded Kilimaya in Early Access and hit trouble on entry, the Update 2 notes flagged three problems: a crash to desktop on load with Intel 13th or 14th gen i7/i9 CPUs paired with an RTX 4090 (workaround: downclock turbo ratios with ThrottleStop); animal territories occasionally set incorrectly; and water surfaces with incorrect collision boundaries.
The bigger difference is temperament. Of all 28 species, exactly three have charging or aggressive reactions implemented — Southern Lion, Common Hippopotamus and Cape African Buffalo — and all three live here. New Laurentia has nothing that charges you, so stance and exit plan should differ between maps. The Kilimaya Reserve guide covers which to worry about; the developer confirms it will expand, possibly with random attacks.
Hearth & Hunt Headquarters: the 16 km² Lodge Hub
At 16 km², Headquarters is roughly one sixth the size of either reserve, and not filler. The store page calls it "a smaller Rocky Mountain hub map where you can unwind or explore the surrounding wilderness". The lodge is why people end up here: a "colorful elderly Irish carpenter" will "turn your hard-earned cash into lodge expansions with extra rooms and trophy displays", giving you an "expandable lodge where you can display your best trophies from across the reserves".
What to hunt. The developer has never published a Headquarters species list. The official count of 28 species at 1.0 is explicitly scoped to "Laurentia and the Kilimaya Reserve", and Headquarters is described only as offering "additional hunting opportunities of its own". Treat it as a short side session, not a roster to plan a trip around.
Weather. The forecast is set per hunting ground, and Headquarters counts as one — it has hunting of its own — so you can set it there as well, with the same 48 in-game-hour delay before it takes effect. There is direct evidence weather-driven scenery renders around the hub: Patch 1.1 shipped a fix for "stretching bushes in front of Hub lodge".
When to enter. Before a session, not only after one. The Shop is reached "from the laptop in your lodge or from the vicinity menu", and the Storage is where you "select the rifles/shotguns you want to bring with you" — that is the Headquarters prep loop. It also holds two of the three Season Pass verification statues, a dog and an ibex, against a deer statue in New Laurentia and a kudu in Kilimaya; find all three and you have reached all three maps. The ibex is a prop, since the Laurentia roster lists Dall sheep. The Season Pass guide covers verification and the elk statue trap.
How You Move Between Maps (and What Actually Gates You)
Nothing in the official FAQ describes a map unlock, travel fee or level requirement between the three regions, and no map DLC is listed as a separate Steam product as of Update 1.1. We could not verify in-game travel firsthand — "nothing documented", not "instant travel confirmed".
Multiplayer narrows access more: co-op is two-player free-play only, single-player and multiplayer use separate worlds and animal populations, and there is no crossplay in 1.0 — see the multiplayer walkthrough and crossplay answer.
Why Some Pages Still Tell You There Is Only One Map
The most common outdated fact about the game has two sources, and both contradict each other and the game.
Under its Maps heading, the Fandom wiki's Way of the Hunter 2 page states that "Way of the Hunter 2 currently features one map" — while the wiki's own Maps page says three are in the base game. Separately, ninerocksgames.com/posts/faq, dated March 24, 2026, still states the game "features one map - New Laurentia, a 10×10 km open-world region". Written for the Early Access launch and never taken down, while the current launch FAQ says three. Any "only one map" claim with a citation almost certainly traces back to one of these.
The THQ Nordic site is stale in the same direction — its front page still describes species "roaming the Canadian wilderness" and never mentions Africa (checked October 3, 2026). Trust the post-launch FAQ and the Steam page when they disagree; anything pre-September 29, 2026 predates Africa being in the base game.
New Maps After Launch: 2 More in Year One
The developer has committed to a cadence: 2 new maps in year one, then roughly one per year. The most-requested addition, a European reserve, is planned but explicitly "won't be among the next two upcoming maps". Pace is the caveat — "Creating a new reserve is a substantial project that can take more than a year of development."
That matters for what you buy today. The Season Pass covers 8 DLCs in year one, unrevealed. Two plausibly line up with those maps, but that is inference, not an announced pairing. The Season Pass breakdown tracks confirmed versus guesswork.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many maps are in Way of the Hunter 2?
Three in the base game as of v1.0: New Laurentia and Kilimaya Reserve at 100 km² (38 sq mi) each, Headquarters at 16 km² (6 sq mi) — all with the standard $39.99 edition.
Is Kilimaya Reserve DLC or in the base game?
Base game. It shipped in Early Access Update 2, May 2026, and is in the standard package at 1.0. No map DLC has sold separately on Steam as of Update 1.1 (Patch 1.1.212672).
Can you hunt in Hearth & Hunt Headquarters, or is it only a menu?
You can hunt there — the FAQ describes "additional hunting opportunities of its own". The catch is that the official 28-species roster is scoped to Laurentia and Kilimaya, so no Headquarters list is published. At 16 km² it is a short session, not a destination.
Is there an interactive map for Kilimaya?
Not yet. Shackmaps has a full interactive map for New Laurentia with need zones, campsites and custom pins, but its Kilimaya and Headquarters URLs 404 as of October 3, 2026. Anything promising one is upcoming or invented.
How many maps will Way of the Hunter 2 have in total?
Five is the confirmed minimum: three base-game maps plus two in year one, roughly one per year beyond. No end state given.
Related Guides
More Way of the Hunter 2 Guides
Official answer on Way of the Hunter 2 crossplay: not in version 1.0. PC, PS5 and Xbox sessions are fully separate. What the dev says.
Way of the Hunter 2 tips that change results: reading tracks, wind, callers, waiting out weather, and using the dog to find wounded game.
Way of the Hunter 2 known issues after launch: the demo config fix for broken resolution settings, plus how to report a bug.
How to play co-op in Way of the Hunter 2: how to invite a friend, open a lobby, join a session, and the 2-player limit that trips people up at launch.
Way of the Hunter 2 update 1.1 summary: weather forecast, inverted look, controller deadzone fixes, what is still broken, and how to report bugs.
Way of the Hunter 2 costs $39.99 or $59.99 deluxe. What the 8-DLC Season Pass adds, what Heirloom Pack includes, and how game 1 owners save.
Way of the Hunter 2 Season Pass: 8 DLCs in year one, $34.99, release window, what is inside right now, and the three statues that prove it worked.
Way of the Hunter 2 on Steam Deck: the developer says it is not officially supported. What happens when you try, and whether it is worth it.