On this page
Hunt: Showdown 1896 has a date for its biggest event of the year. Blood Testament opens on 8 September, and it arrives together with Update 2.9. What that update actually contains is, at the time of writing, not public — and being straight about that gap matters more than filling it, because the week before an event is exactly when people plan around rumours.
TL;DR
- Blood Testament begins 8 September — stated in Crytek’s own cinematic trailer post
- It ships alongside Update 2.9
- Developer Livestream on 3 September; Hunt Partners play 2.9 straight afterwards at 20:00 CEST
- No patch notes for 2.9 exist yet. Any list of its weapons, maps or mechanics published before the stream is unsourced
- Road to Hell Chapter 3 is the event running right now — Crytek has not said whether its progress carries past the 8th
What Crytek Has Actually Confirmed
Two posts carry everything that is officially known.
On 26 August, the event cinematic went up with one load-bearing line: “Blood Testament begins on September 8th.” That is the date, from the studio, in writing.
On 2 September, the Partner Preview post added the second half: the Hunt Partners would be playing Update 2.9 live the following day at 8 PM CEST, after the Developer Livestream wrapped. That is the first time 2.9 was named alongside the event, and it puts the update and Blood Testament on the same track rather than treating them as one thing.
Everything else about the event — modes, rewards, duration, whether it is tied to a pass — has not been described in either post.
Where the grind outlasts the interest, Hunt: Showdown boosting picks it up from wherever the account already stands.
What Is in Update 2.9 — and Why Nobody Can Tell You Yet
The Partner Preview is four sentences long. It names no weapon, no map change, no mechanic. There is no patch-note page, no roadmap entry and no developer blog describing 2.9 ahead of the 3 September stream.
Read this before the next tier list
Anything you find this week describing 2.9’s contents — a weapon list, a map rework, a balance pass — is either taken from the partner stream after it airs, or it is invented. Check which before you buy anything, respec anything, or bank anything on it.
The honest version is short: the update exists, it is playable by partners on 3 September, and its contents become public when Crytek publishes them.
What Is Worth Finishing Before 8 September
The event that is live right now is Road to Hell, Chapter 3. Crytek confirmed it was still running on 21 August, when it ran a Double XP weekend for it and described the chapter as ongoing.
Here is the part that needs saying plainly: Crytek has not stated what happens to Road to Hell progress when Blood Testament opens. Not that it resets, not that it carries — nothing either way. That is not a reason to panic, it is a reason to sequence. If there is a reward in Chapter 3 you actually want, the week before a new event is when you take it, because the alternative is finding out the answer after the window closes.
The same logic applies to anything half-finished on your roster. A Hunter you are mid-way through, a prestige you are two levels short of, a weapon unlock you keep deferring — those are known quantities today and an unknown on the 8th.
If you are coming back after a break, Crytek published a New Player Guide on 24 August covering recruitment through your first mission; it is the studio’s own onboarding material rather than a community reconstruction.
Common Misconceptions
Myth: Blood Testament is Update 2.9
The studio’s own wording keeps them separate: partners play “Update 2.9”, and the event “begins on September 8th”. They arrive together. That does not make them the same object, and it means 2.9 can carry changes that have nothing to do with the event.
Myth: the partner stream is the patch notes
A preview shows what partners were allowed to play. It is not a change list, it is not complete, and it is not binding. Patch notes are a separate document that did not exist when this was written.
Myth: the event ends when the next one starts
Also unstated. Blood Testament has a start date and no published end date. Anyone quoting a duration is quoting themselves.
Our Take: Plan the Week Around What Is Written Down
Our Take
Treat 8 September as a deadline for what you already have, not as a delivery date for something you have been promised.
Two facts are solid — the date and the update number — and both are useful. Everything downstream of them is unwritten, and the gap will be filled this week by people guessing confidently. The productive response is to close out the things whose value you can see today: Chapter 3 rewards you want, a prestige you are near, a Hunter you keep meaning to finish.
Come back for the mechanics after the notes exist. We will update this page when they do.
Sources and Confidence
Every claim above is traceable to a Crytek post. Where the studio has not said something, this article says so instead of filling the gap.
| Claim | Where it comes from | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Testament begins 8 September | Event cinematic trailer post, 26 August 2026 | Confirmed by studio |
| Partners play Update 2.9 on 3 September at 20:00 CEST, after the Developer Livestream | Blood Testament — Partner Preview, 2 September 2026 | Confirmed by studio |
| Road to Hell Chapter 3 is the current event | Road to Hell — Double XP Weekend, 21 August 2026 | Confirmed by studio |
| Contents of Update 2.9 | — | Not published at the time of writing |
| Whether Road to Hell progress carries past 8 September | — | Not stated by Crytek |
| Blood Testament end date or duration | — | Not stated by Crytek |
Checked 3 September 2026.