The Culling

The Culling (2017)

by Xaviant
Genres:Indie, Shooter
Themes:Action, Survival
Game modes:Battle Royale
Story:In a remote island paradise, 16 contestants have 20 minutes to explore, scavenge items, craft weapons, build traps, and hunt and kill each other. Only one will be crowned the winner. Do you have the guts to survive? Prepare for the most focused, brutal, and adrenaline-filled battle royale game you've ever seen!Show more
user avatarAdded by @Marco4444
Vote to bring this game to GOG and help preserve it.
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Stories about this game (8)
What’s your memory of The Culling?Share your favorite moments and see what others remember about this game.
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Besides being my favourite game ever, The Culling was the first truly successfull battle royale. It is worthy of being playable despite the issues the game had because of their developers.
There are so many moments in this game worth remembering for the rest of my life: the first time you win a match, the first time you kill someone with a Man Tracker to the dome, the first time you kill Rainshifter and listen to him scream and rage and call you bad. All of these were amazing; and they never stopped being satisfying no matter how many times it happens. This is a unique, beloved, and DIRECT game that deserves to see the light of day; I implore you if you see this, and you haven't voted, choose to resurrect the Culling. I'll see you out in the jungle! (but you won't see me...)
user avatar@mountkiduser avatar@mountkid
February 12, 2025
The culling was peak battle royal gaming. No other game could replicate how the culling felt. Its a shame that this game got destroyed by really bad decisions from the developers. I hope someone will bring this game back someday.
the best battle royale imo, perfect perk system perfect balancing, only melee focused br genuinely 10/10 raaaaaagh bring it back raaaaaagh watch any gameplay and u know its 10/10 the mechanics were so smooth i hate xaviant for changing the game 8 times then killing it how did they consistently make the wrong decision every single time truly blows my mind!!!!!!!!!
I remember saving up money doing surveys online for hours just to play with my friends on Xbox. After finally getting the game I was super frustrated at the difficulty and was mad at my friends for making me buy it. I eventually grinded and fell in love with the game and my first win brought so much excitement I had to leave my friend a voice message on Xbox. I still listen to it every now and again, it's a great memory. Along with many long nights playing the game and trying to get wins with my friend. I would love the opportunity to do it again someday, I hope we can bring it back.
The Culling wasn’t just a game—it was an experience. A raw, pulse-pounding battle for survival where every fight felt personal, every victory hard-earned. It was brutal, it was intense, and for those of us who played, it was unforgettable. But now, it’s gone. Torn apart by bad decisions, abandoned by its creators, and left to rot in gaming’s graveyard. And worst of all? Michael McMain is missing. Where is he? The man who gave us The Culling—the first true battle royale, the game that set the stage for an entire genre—has vanished. We don’t know where he went, but we do know one thing: we need him back. We need him to fix this, to bring it home, to undo the mistakes that buried a masterpiece. Michael, if you’re out there, hear us. The Culling deserves another chance. We deserve another chance. Bring it back.
user avatar@ManeGunner6user avatar@ManeGunner6
February 25, 2025
There is no game, let alone a game in the Battle Royale genre, with combat and gameplay systems as fluid and adrenaline-inducing as this game had, yet the developers saw absolutely no problem tearing all of that down in the hopes of keeping up with 2016-2018 era battle royales. I love this game with all of my heart, but it pains me that it's entirely unplayable. I don't know if releasing this game on GOG will fix any of its problems, but I can live in hope. Xaviant, if you ever read this, fix up the game's bugs, give us an option to disable bots in matches and let what little dedicated community there still is keep your game alive. (There really is a dedicated community, I promise. It's not much, but it's there.)
user avatar@mstaviuser avatar@mstavi
March 24, 2025
That was the best game and the best time ever. No other game has this vibe. The fights were simply unique. I just loved those melee fights. It was just something completely different from all the other battle royale stuff. The Culling forever #1.
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