update · January 21, 2026
Hunt: Showdown 1896 Update 2.6.0.2 Fixes PS5 Crashes and Story Progress
Update 2.6.0.2 addresses memory leaks on PS5, updates post-event story challenges, and fixes numerous equipment and UI bugs.
Hunt: Showdown 1896 patch 2.6.0.2 is live, bringing crucial stability fixes for PlayStation 5 hardware alongside adjustments that keep active story challenges completable. Players tackling current trials will find objectives more flexible, while hunters navigating menus and weapon loadouts benefit from resolved visual and progression errors.
Challenge Adjustments and Progression
Several requirements for the "On the Winds of Midwinter" Story Challenge have been revised to remain completable following the Post Malone’s Murder Circus Encore event. Chapter 1 replaces "Hit a High Striker" with "Collect Clues or Hit High Strikers". Chapter 2 lets players "Destroy Balloons or Kill Monsters". Chapter 3 shifts "Kill Circus Grunts" to include armored targets, and changes "Acquire Traits of any Troupe" to general mission traits while dropping the total requirement from 15 down to 10. Additionally, the Centennial Trauma now correctly progresses melee damage challenges.
Stability and Hardware Fixes
A texture memory allocation issue on PS5 and PS5 Pro that led to memory leaks and sudden crashes has been resolved. The update also addresses various rare, hard-to-reproduce crashes and freezes across platforms, and corrects a bug in the Basic Tutorial where early clue collection could hard-block progression.
Weapon and Equipment Corrections
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (Dark Dynamite Satchel) now properly detonates from nearby explosions such as dynamite, explosive ammo, or other satchels. Several visual and functional errors have also been corrected, including iron sight alignment on Celestial Scream Drilling variants, missing textures on the Ewe's Horn charm, and a duplicated mesh on the Flame Rifle. The Gunslinger control scheme with Lowering State enabled now correctly returns weapons to the lowered position after aiming down sights.
Interface and Unlock Fixes
Missing unlock requirements for the Tennessee Morgan Bloodline Progression Hunter have been restored across all tiers and languages. Profile customization text errors for Expert Marksman, Deadeye, and Sniper titles are fixed, and unintended visibility of enemy loadouts during loading screens has been addressed.
Why this patch matters
Update 2.6.0.2 is a vital maintenance patch that secures console performance and ensures players can still finish limited-time event narratives without progression locks.