The developers of Monster Fantasy have addressed comments that its upcoming title is perhaps a bit too similar to Capcom's Monster Hunter series.

Last month, the reveal trailer for Monster Fantasy was revealed from Jotoyo. The game is described as an action RPG with life sim elements, however, the trailer caught the eyes of many for another reason, that being some striking resemblances to another game with Monster in the title.

Now, the gaming community does have a bit of a tendency to be quick to label things a "ripoff" at the slightest similarity. Most new indie farming sims will be dubbed a Stardew ripoff (even if Story of Seasons heavily inspired Stardew), and we can even look as far back as the likes of Uncharted being dubbed a Tomb Raider ripoff and Digimon being called a Pokemon ripoff. However, I absolutely see the similarities when it comes to Monster Fantasy.

The game's trailer opens up with some landscape shots of biomes that look strikingly similar to the biomes from Monster Hunter Rise, and the music feels a few notes away from being the Capcom series theme song Proof of a Hero – with a similar build up to its main melody – as a Rathalos lookalike emerges. Fans have even noticed similarities with some of the weapon animations, specifically the bow and sword. The comments on the trailer aren't exactly shy about it either, with the refrain of "we got monster hunter at home" being a common comment.

In a Steam FAQ (via Automaton) posted by the developers, the team is facing the comparison head on, with a question titled: "The game looks very similar to Monster Hunter. Does it have its own unique features?" The developers respond: "Monster Hunter is indeed one of our sources of inspiration, and our core creators are big fans of the series. However, Monster Fantasy places greater emphasis on the new experiences created by the interaction between different gameplay systems."

It continues, "We understand that some of the combat demonstrations in the trailer may remind players of Monster Hunter. However, once players actually try the game, we believe they will find that the overall experience is quite different."

The post claims that the hunting "is only one part of our gameplay" and the developers really want to present "a fantasy world where, beyond hunting and combat, players can truly immerse themselves: building villages, enjoying a relaxed life, and forming friendly relationships with villagers."

The devs add, "Of course, the content we have shown so far is still from an early stage, and we understand that some footage may have given players the impression of a high degree of similarity. We have taken this feedback seriously and are already adjusting and improving the design."

Obviously, there's nothing wrong with games taking inspiration from others, we wouldn't have most of the games we love if not for that, but sometimes the similarities are a touch too blatant to ignore. Especially when we've seen instances like the Pokemon Palworld alleged patent infringement lawsuit, even when the survival game is a different experience than Pokemon, it maybe wore some of its inspirations a little too much on its sleeve for The Pokemon Company to ignore – and the massive success probably didn't help.

Monster Hunter Wilds fans collectively sigh as Ascendance expansion brings back hated elder dragon Kushala Daora: "I'm just really tired of seeing him."

Capcom says Steam accounted for almost double the amount of revenue than PlayStation in its previous fiscal year.

If you're old enough to remember the time before PC gaming was as big as it is today, you'll no doubt remember how much of a flip of the coin it would be whether Japanese companies would release their games on the platform. And typically, if they did, it would end up being significantly later than those on console. For example, Final Fantasy 13 took almost five years to release on PC. And it's not even too far in the past either; Monster Hunter World, Persona 5, and the Yakuza games all took a while to make the jump to PC. Hell, Vanillaware is bringing one of its games to PC for the first time next year. But thankfully, we're mostly in an era of day-and-date releases. And this is something that is definitely working out for Capcom specifically.

In Capcom’s securities report (spotted by Automaton), the company revealed that, through Steam, it generated 40.383 billion yen (approximately $252 million USD), accounting for 20.7% of its earnings between April 2025 and March 2026. For comparison, PlayStation accounted for 10.6%, with 20.741 billion yen (approximately $129 million USD).

Granted, this isn't exactly a surprise, given that Capcom announced earlier this year that PC sales make up about 50% of its game sales, with the other 50% split between PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles. So it's pretty natural that it is making a lot of money from Steam, as the leading PC storefront. Even so, PC sales doing that well in a year where Monster Hunter Wilds' PC port was a well-known disaster is somewhat impressive.

Devil May Cry and Bayonetta creator says he'd rather have a game canceled than release "something subpar"

Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance has the fanbase hyped, but the return of the elder dragon Kushala Doara has them rolling their eyes.

Monster Hunter Wilds's "massive expansion" was finally announced at Summer Game Fest last week, with Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance set to launch in 2027, which will undoubtedly bring back the Master Rank quests and introduce new and returning monsters. Given that Monster Hunter Wilds' base game brought back some long-time series absentees – with a ton of love being shown to Monster Hunter 4's roster – we can't wait to see all the returning monsters we'll have a chance to hunt for the first time in years… wait, it's Kushala, isn't it? It's gonna be Kushala.

Yes, the Steel Dragon, Kushala Daora debuted in Monster Hunter 2, and – aside from the third generation – has appeared in every single major Monster Hunter title to date. Kushala Doara may be metallic, but its main issue is its ability to manipulate the wind, which makes the fight against this massive Elder Dragon quite tedious.

Reaction to the trailer itself had fans gutted over its return – at least in lieu of announcing other monsters we haven't seen for a while – with one user in the Reddit announcement thread saying, "Looks beautiful, but I died inside a little when I saw Kushala."

Capcom has decided to poke the bear with a Twitter post about the monster. And the fans responded in kind, with multiple posts comparing his constant appearances to The Deep from The Boys, while another responds, "Kushala is more of an Elder that I want you to make tolerable rather than one I expect you to make enjoyable."

Although others are on the defensive for this Elder, with plenty pointing out that, with weather effects being a big focus in Wilds, it makes total sense. Plus, most of Kushala Doara's hate comes from World, but people are pointing out that fighting it in Rise was way better. Although even with those caveats, it's as simple as "I'm just really tired of seeing him is all" for some.

At the very least, everyone is pretty hyped to see the return of another Elder Dragon, the original Monster Hunter's Lao-Shan Lung who – aside from a return in the Smash Bros-style celebration that was Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate – hasn't appeared in the series since the second generation of games.

Monster Hunter World has sold over 30 million copies, further cementing its lead as Capcom's best-selling game and leaving Wilds in the dust after a year of performance woes

Capcom has announced that Monster Hunter World has sold over 30 million copies, further cementing its lead as the company's best-selling title of all-time.

Monster Hunter Wilds had a banner week last week with the announcement of Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance and confirmation that a Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game is in development. But it's hard to ignore that Wilds isn't exactly doing quite as well as Capcom probably hoped. While it became Capcom's fastest-selling game almost instantly, with over eight million copies sold within its first three days, since then, sales have not been able to keep that momentum off the back of what was basically a year of performance issues. Throughout 2025, we saw Monster Hunter Rise perform better than the new flagship title.

But one monster's loss is another's gain, as Capcom has announced that 2018's Monster Hunter World – which was already the company's best-selling game since 2019 – has now sold over 30 million copies (or an entire Persona series' worth of sales). Capcom's last update to the game's numbers said it had sold 22.1 million copies, but with the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne Master Edition it was at 29.6 million, so presumably it's the latter that has helped it pass the new benchmark.

It's hard to overstate just how big of a deal Monster Hunter World was for the franchise. Before then, it was a somewhat niche (albeit, huge in Japan) series that was putting out bangers near constantly, but being confined to the 3DS's uncomfortable control scheme really held it back. World allowed Capcom to bring people in and show them what the fuss was about, and now we're at the point where World and Rise sit firmly at the top of Capcom's best-sellers list, ahead of every Resident Evil game.

After Monster Hunter Wilds' performance struggles, Capcom says it'll apply the lessons it's learned to future games.

Monster Hunter Wilds is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch 2, and we've got all our fingers and toes crossed that it'll turn out better than the game's initial PC port.

Hot off last night's Summer Game Fest show, Capcom announced that Monster Hunter Wilds is now in development for the Switch 2. There's no release date or even release window to look forward to, but we should learn more in the months ahead.

The Nintendo Switch 2 news follows right on from the big reveal of Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendence, the action game's first massive Iceborne-sized expansion that fans have been waiting for since launch.

Ascendence brings multiple new and returning monsters into the fold, new weapon, tricks, and a brand new region that's seemingly a collection of floating islands in the clouds. Neat! That's all coming sometime in 2027, so it wouldn't surprise me to see a Switch 2 port around the same time.

Still, the worry on everyone's mind is whether or not Monster Hunter Wilds will run better on Switch 2 than it did on PC. Folks playing on their personal computers had a notoriously wonky time with Monster Hunter Wilds, to put it mildly, for an entire year. Capcom's crown jewel had to claw its way out of the 'Overwhelmingly Negative' pit of Steam reviews, and it wasn't because the game was badly designed, it was just poorly optimized.

After multiple patches aimed at fixing its performance woes, Monster Hunter Wilds players were finally impressed with a few updates that came earlier this year. And determined to look on the bright side, Capcom recently said it's learning from the debacle to address potential "performance challenges" in the future, painting a brighter picture for Monster Hunter Wilds' Switch 2 version, perhaps.

Monster Hunter Wilds also recently sold over 11 million copies total. Good news. The bad news, for Capcom, is that the game's commercial momentum looks like it's trying to bike through 12 inches of snow, as 2021's Monster Hunter Rise and its expansion have been outselling Wilds for at least the last two fiscal quarters. A Switch 2 port should give the game's sales a boon, however, especially in Japan.

For now, here are the 10 best Monster Hunter games of all-time, ranked

Capcom announced Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance at tonight's Summer Game Fest live showcase, finally revealing the Iceborne-sized expansion that fans have been waiting for.

Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance will arrive in 2027. The "massive expansion" will introduce multiple new monsters, give our weapons some new tricks, and seemingly bring back an Elder Dragon first seen all the way back in the original Monster Hunter: Lao-Shan Lung. Oh, and Kushala Daora is back too. Yay?

For all intents and purposes, this expansion ought to be the second half of the game, if only because Master Rank hunts and gear will move the whole game up a notch. The Ascendance reveal trailer shows a new environment of floating islands, and features several special attacks seemingly tied to a new hunting gadget – a flaming gauntlet of sorts.

The greatsword lover in me immediately clocked the explosive parries and quick attacks provided by this new gauntlet gizmo, and gunlance also seems to have yet more ways to sling explosives around.

Another new Wilds monster appears early in the trailer, packing sonic attacks that can summon its smaller companions for dive bomb attacks. It almost looks like an updated, armored Qurupeco

In a Twitter post, Capcom says: "Introducing Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, the massive expansion to #MHWilds. Soar into a land above, wield new abilities, and hunt legendary monsters in Master Rank! Prepare for Elder Dragons. The next era of Monster Hunter begins in 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC."

Resident Evil Code Veronica remake is coming in 2027, Capcom reveals.

Monster Hunter series creator Kaname Fujioka has shouted out The Legend of Zelda series as it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Speaking to GameInformer Fujioka – who directed the likes of the original Monster Hunter through to 4, and was most recently an Art Director on Monster Hunter Wilds – congratulated the developers on 40 years of Zelda, saying "As a fan, I have nothing but gratitude for the Zelda team, who, amidst the industry’s rapid changes, have never given up while carefully building upon a foundation of comfort and wonder."

He adds, "The gaming experience, where freedom gradually expands from small puzzles within vast worlds, is truly unique to the Zelda series." Fujioka says he believes "these past 40 years have been a journey of continually exploring what a Zelda game can be" and adds that he will "look forward to seeing Zelda continue its legacy and evolve in the years to come."

Elsewhere at Capcom, Street Fighter 6 director Takayuki Nakayama recalled working on The Minish Cap and called series creator Shigeru Miyamoto "a North Star guiding all game creators."

Meanwhile, Yonghee Cho – a former Platinum Games staffer who is stepping into the director's chair for the first time with the upcoming Pragmata – called the series "a source of inspiration in countless ways for so many game creators." He adds, "it’s a series that always delivers new discoveries and experiences, surprising us time and again." Cho also included a sketch of Diana from Pragmata donning a Link cap and holding a cake with a 40 on it, in the style of her drawings seen in trailers.

Of course, Zelda and Monster Hunter have had the chance to cross over multiple times during the series' history with a Link-themed armor set and weapons included in Monster Hunter 4, a Toon Link Palico skin in Generations and a Breath of the Wild themed collab for Generations Ultimate. Plus a selection of Zelda characters could scrap with a Rathalos in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake could be launching this year on Switch 2, prominent leaker claims.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 has had the best debut for the series on PC, with almost exactly 20,000 more players at its peak than the previous entry in the RPG spinoff.

While a mainline Monster Hunter release is perhaps the biggest deal when it comes to Capcom's titles, its RPG spinoffs have been quietly leveling up with every release. The original Monster Hunter Stories launched on the Nintendo 3DS back in 2016 and was a fun, novel RPG that felt like a solid Pokemon homage, but not something too intense on the RPG front. Its sequel Monster Hunter Stories 2 felt like a solid, if a bit uneven step up, and from the looks of our Monster Hunter Stories 3 review, the series finally hitting its potential, and the numbers seem to back that up.

According to the stats over on SteamDB, Monster Hunter Stories 3 hit a peak of 54,778 players on Steam on Sunday, March 15, which already cements it as the highest peak of any of the RPG titles. The original Monster Hunter Stories peaked at 2,001 players when it launched on PC in 2024 – although it was a late port of what was at that point an eight-year-old 3DS game – while its sequel, Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, peaked at 34,995 at its launch back in July 2021.

Of course, none of the Stories games are near the heights found by the mainline Monster Hunter entries, with Rise peaking at 231,360, World at 334,684, and the most recent entry, Monster Hunter Wilds, peaking at 1,384,608 during its opening weekend last year. But regardless, it's an impressive win for a spinoff release.

After Monster Hunter Wilds' performance struggles, Capcom says it'll apply the lessons it's learned to future games

As the Monster Hunter series has gotten more popular alongside a more realistic presentation of its headline wildlife, you might not be alone in feeling conflicted about felling these fearsome yet majestic creations as you get sucked into its compelling loop of carving their parts to fashion into cool-looking and powerful gear so that you can continue working your way up the food chain. In contrast, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, as with the rest of this JRPG spin-off series, takes a more concerted effort to address this imbalance, at least compared to the superficial platitudes served up in Monster Hunter Wilds.

That's arguably been true since the first Monster Hunter Stories spin-off released for the 3DS in 2017. Taking a leaf from Pokemon, instead of playing as a hunter slaying hostile beasts, you're a rider who forms bonds with them so that they fight alongside you as Monsties (a cringe portmanteau of monster and bestie that reminds you that this spin-off was definitely aimed at kids). Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection goes further, where you play as a ranger who's not just surveying the land and investigating abnormalities in the ecosystem but also a conservationist restoring endangered wildlife.

If that sounds like a more involved and grown-up approach, then it's fair to say that this entry is also doing the most to feel more grown-up in both its storytelling and systems. Yet, while a clear improvement from its predecessors, this time releasing for all the current platforms instead of being constrained by handheld hardware, it still sticks to a turn-based combat formula that can feel relatively traditional when even the latest Pokemon games, like Pokemon Legends: Z-A, have opted for real-time action.

Monster royale

The most immediate difference from past Stories games is the presentation. Compared to the shonen anime and Saturday morning cartoon flavor of the original (though that also included some CG cutscenes), there's a more serious tone to Monster Hunter Stories 3's narrative, which has a similar vibe to Fire Emblem. Besides a phenomenon called Crystal Encroachment that's causing turmoil in the land, tension brews between the neighboring kingdoms of Azuria and Vermeil about how to deal with the crystalline threat, which could lead to war.

There's a personal stake since your protagonist happens to be the prince or princess of Azuria, whose mother and queen Amara has been missing for 10 years after fleeing with the Rathalos twin that had been sentenced to death to avert an omen of disaster (the other Rathalos, or Ratha for short, is your starting Monstie). Much like the mainline Monster Hunter Wilds, your customizable protagonist also speaks, but it's more effective here for keeping a consistent dramatic tone where they have their own personality instead of being a silent cypher for the player. Because they're already an experienced ranger once you begin, there's even a nice twist to the game's tutorials where they're the ones showing the ropes to a newcomer of the rangers.

While Ratha is always in your party, you can have up to six to switch between as you explore the world, and it's also here where Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection takes a step up by making riding Monsties a lot more intuitive than before. Rider Actions were introduced in Monster Hunter Stories 2, but were clunky to use as you often had to wait for an input prompt just to be able jump up a platform or climb up a wall. Now, you can just do it as you might in an action-adventure game, seamlessly swapping in Monsties if you need one to climb, or another to swim. It's perhaps tempting to stick with Ratha though since it can take to the skies, which is one of the first things you get to do.

It's bold to give you a previously endgame rider action from the outset, though in practice it's not the same since you're actually only gliding and require using updrafts to raise or maintain altitude. Nonetheless, with more available actions for each Monstie, it feels more fun traversing the map, while you can easily smash through rocks to find materials or take down weak monsters in one hit. You can even stun field monsters with a roar or aim breath attacks that knock flying ones to the ground.

One turn after another

Of course, once you actually engage a monster for real, the battles themselves are the opposite of a mainline Monster Hunter, relying instead on turn-based commands. Having ditched the button-mashing QTE gimmicks from previous entries, these battles feel even more traditional. On the whole, it sticks to the core fundamental system where despite usually just facing one monster, there are multiple parts to target, which you can use weapons with slash, blunt, or piercing attacks to deal the most effective damage. Better yet, if you can break a body part, it will stun a monster as well as stop them from using certain attacks on you. If a monster is targeting you, there's also a rock, paper, scissors approach where by selecting the right attack type, you can win in a head-to-head and deal more damage while taking less.

It's a system that works well enough, as you learn a monster's attack pattern and when they're going to change their behavior and use another attack, which is your cue to swap in another Monstie with abilities to match. On the other hand, you might also be tempted to keep the Monstie you have in the fight as successful actions will continue raising their Kinship gauge. When this is full, you can ride them, giving you access to more powerful actions, as well as a larger unified health bar that helps to withstand tougher attacks. And boy, do some of the monsters you encounter fight dirty, from the feral types affected by crystallization to ones that have been altered through other means.

One welcome improvement is that your choices of companions and their Monsties, from Vermeil's princess Eleanor to Azurian lieutenant Gaul and his band of Felyne ninjas, are a lot more reliable than before, capable of picking the right attack types when needed. More crucially, they don't share your pool of hearts, so if they and their Monstie loses all their health, it's not an instant fail and you can still hold out for a couple more turns before they recover and jump back in. But, when it comes to surviving the meaner fights, it's also vital to engage with all the other systems around building the perfect Monstie, which is going to necessitate grind.

The grind loop of course has always been very compelling in mainline Monster Hunter (indeed, Wilds suffered from this lack by streamlining its campaign a bit too much) but in Stories it's also made up of less interesting elements. As exciting as it is to gain new Monsties, which includes bestiary entries from the most recent games – the Canyne from Monster Hunter Rise being a particular highlight for dashing and climbing around places – the process of poaching their eggs from randomly generated dens is a lot more tedious. When you can only have space for six active Monsties, and you naturally have to grind any hatchling from Level 1, it's a shame that most will end up just sitting in the wings, unless they have unique abilities, or genes, that you can transfer to one of your current roster.

Wild at heart

A more meaningful way to engage with your spare Monsties is however to just release them back to the world. Habitat restoration is one of your ranger's duties, where you can check different areas of the map to identify what species are endangered that you can repopulate. While I did feel conflicted over releasing a rare Monstie (but which I didn't have space or time to level up anyway), the benefit is that this act of conservation also means a better chance of finding even more of the same monster's eggs with potentially rarer properties, and when more are repopulated, you can even get variants appearing in that area.

Then, of course, there is your own personal progression with forging better gear, even if I can't help but find that seeking marginally better weapons often feels insignificant when your Monstie is always going to be able to hit harder. Gear is a little more streamlined since there are fewer weapon types than the mainline games, and you're crafting full armor sets instead of individual pieces – but it will still take time and commitment if you want to upgrade them. You'll often find that you won't know what parts you need, and it won't be revealed until you've managed to discover that material or fought that monster in question.

Even with options to quickly end fights with weaker monsters or speed up or skip animations, the combat can still feel slow and less exciting than the action-based mainline games, which makes many of the fetch quests or challenges to hunt a certain amount of monsters more of a chore. Perhaps a bigger hurdle for me was actually just trying to figure out where I was going. While I loathe unsubtle waypoints and objectives, the Monster Hunter Stories 3's UI could definitely be better, as I occasionally forgot where I was supposed to be going and couldn't see a marker on the mini-map, where objectives not nearby only appear as faint icons, while it took me a while to realize that the reason another objective wasn't visible was because the location was underground with a separate map.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an improvement in the sub-series, and given the number of times I was sent packing with my tails between my legs against the fearsome monsters in its endgame until I leveled up, upgraded my gear, and experimented some more with my Monsties' genes, it's arguably got more teeth than Monster Hunter Wilds' overly streamlined and frictionless campaign. Yet, compared to other similar JRPGs, the evolution still only feels light a small step rather than a generational leap.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2, with a code provided by the publisher.

Check out our best JRPGs ranking for your next adventure!

To say Monster Hunter Wilds has had a rough time on PC since its launch last year would be an understatement, but clearly determined to look on the bright side, Capcom says it plans to apply the "technical expertise gained" from addressing its various "performance challenges" to "future title development."

In Capcom's most recent financial results Q&A from late January (highlighted by @Genki_JPN on Twitter), the studio acknowledges that "we have been addressing various issues, including technical challenges, on an ongoing basis" for Monster Hunter Wilds.

This pre-dates the February title update, as well as the performance patch that came at the end of January that actually left fans impressed, but at the time, it was stated that "we will continue to pursue medium-to long-term sales growth through ongoing improvements and pricing measures."

It later elaborates on this plan, saying that "we aim to maximize both unit sales and profitability" over the course of around five years. "In addition to enhancing satisfaction among existing users by resolving technical challenges the game has faced, we will also focus on attracting new users through pricing strategies. Through these initiatives, we aim to exceed past series entries' sales performance over the medium to long term," it continues.

That first part has already aged pretty well, given that the aforementioned January performance patch has seen the game's Steam rating improve significantly (even if the most recent reviews still highlight that there are ongoing issues).

Capcom goes on to say that, as of its recent quarter (Q3 2025), "PC sales account for approximately 50% of total unit sales," a number it expects to keep rising. "Accordingly, we will further strengthen our PC development framework," it continues.

What's more, it plans to do this by referring back to Monster Hunter Wilds – specifically, the experience gained from rolling out its fixes. "The technical expertise gained from addressing increasing program complexity and performance challenges in Monster Hunter Wilds will be applied to future title development," Capcom states.

Things have certainly improved for Monster Hunter Wilds on PC since this time a year ago, so hopefully the company is able to take some valuable lessons forward. After all, at its core, it's a great game – our Monster Hunter Wilds review even calls it the "new peak of the series."

Be sure to check out our tier list of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons while you're here.

Despite trading action-RPG stylings for turn-based JRPG combat, the Monster Hunter Stories series is very much like its big brother in one major way: it offers an absolute feast of content, particularly for players who want to invest in a meaty endgame grind. It sounds like Monster Hunter Stories 3 will be no exception, but it seems the devs want the main story to be a little more satisfying for players who put the game down after the credits roll, too.

Game director Kenji Oguro told 4Gamer (translated by Automaton) that the main quest of Monster Hunter Stories 3 would take around 30 hours to complete, but that apparently represents a pretty rushed playthrough. Executive producer Ryozo Tsujimoto explained that some playtesters spent over 50 hours finishing the game, with typical playtimes ranging from 40 to 50 hours.

That's in line with previous series entries, according to HowLongToBeat's data. A rushed playthrough of the original game averages 35 hours, with 50 hours for one incorporating more sidequests. Monster Hunter Stories 2 averages between 41 and 61 hours along those same metrics, though either game's playtime might double – or go even further – if you want to truly see everything.

I've no doubt that Monster Hunter Stories 3 will offer similar ways to stay invested – just look at the grind players have already married themselves to in the demo – but the endgame grind won't be a requirement to enjoy the game. Oguro explained that the team wants to be sure "players feel satisfied once they complete the main story,” in contrast to the more endgame-focused Monster Hunter titles that have come before.

I love a good sidequest, but I also generally find myself pretty much ready to shelve a game as soon as I reach credits – particularly if I've spent a full work week or more getting to that point. Monster Hunter Stories 3 sounds like it's sitting right in my own JRPG sweet spot.

These are the best JRPGs you can play in 2026.

Somebody had better check the thermostat in Hell because Monster Hunter Wilds is on the up on Steam. After a year of notoriously bad performance that led to equally dire user reviews, Monster Hunter Wilds has finally reached the promised land: 50% positive lifetime Steam reviews.

Will Capcom be celebrating a "Mixed" Steam score of 50%? Possibly not. I don't think anybody truly aims for a 50. But with 188,162 reviews logged, it's hard to effect any kind of statistical change, yet the game's latest PC performance patch has had a meaningful impact.

Almost immediately, the long-awaited performance bump led to an improvement in the game's recent Steam reviews. At last, this thing would run at a decent frame rate on modern processors that aren't the very top of the line. That positive momentum has now bumped the game's average into the coveted realm of not awful.

It goes without saying that not every single technical snag in Monster Hunter Wilds has been fixed. Negative reviews continue to tumble in, many of them still anchored firmly in performance and crashes, and with several complaining about Wilds falling prey to the out-of-control storage bloat afflicting PC games nowadays.

That said, this is a real sign of a comeback. It's doubly important coming from Capcom since it sets Wilds apart from the terrible PC port of Dragon's Dogma 2, which was basically just left to wither away.

Monster Hunter Wilds started exactly where it belonged: deep in the dumpster of Steam reviews marred by the dreaded, blood-red "Overwhelmingly Negative" text, with performance issues blocking any light that might reach it in the depths. After a year almost to the day, the game's in a decidedly better spot – almost like it probably needed more development time to begin with.

This turnaround couldn't have come at a better time – except, of course, immediately after launch, that would have been better – with Capcom recently confirming a "large scale" expansion in the works for Wilds, on par with Iceborne for Monster Hunter World and Sunbreak for Monster Hunter Rise.

Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 port seems more real than ever, as fans discover what might be the most solid evidence Capcom's action RPG is coming to the Nintendo console yet.

After uncovering potential proof of a Switch 2 port last month, Monster Hunter Wilds fans have come across yet another solid beacon of hope pointing toward a future launch on the Nintendo console – an image that's quite hard to contest.

If you were around for January's big Monster Hunter Wilds update – big, I say, because it supposedly leaked a Switch 2 edition – then you might remember the datamined text strings and UI features fans seemingly unearthed.

We've got another similar situation on our hands now, with a massive thread on Reddit containing images and more players allegedly dug up from within the action RPG's files… and boy, is there a lot to observe here.

From long-awaited new monsters to collaborations with ramen chains in Japan, there's so much to unpack – but the real highlight here is what appears to be a Switch 2 tutorial image of sorts, for Local Communication – something that enables nearby and wireless multiplayer for compatible software, which would be Monster Hunter Wilds in this case.

As the poster points out, though, "Interestingly enough, they scrubbed all the text mentions" of a port.

Tempered Gogmazios and Zoh Shia, SW2 Version, ICHIRAN! and more. from r/monsterhunterleaks

The actual image itself shows a group of four players holding Switch 2 systems, each with a Monster Hunter Wilds scene on-screen. Unsurprisingly, folks are taking this as evidence that an announcement from Capcom about a Switch 2 edition is underway.

"If there's already a picture of a Switch, then it must have been confirmed," comments one fan. Another says, "the Switch 2 version is practically a certainty" now.

They point to other Capcom games, like Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem, as examples of the studio aiming "to support the Switch 2 as much as possible," and even bring up a new Monster Hunter entry, too – Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection.

They've certainly got a point, and I would argue it really does feel like Monster Hunter Wilds is making its way onto the Switch 2… but, I suppose, only time will truly tell.

Capcom knows you don't care about Monster Hunter Wilds' poor Rompopolo, so it's making the sentient bagpipe the star of its own event quest

Konami has confirmed that despite online modes being stripped from Metal Gear Solid 3 and 4's Master Collection editions, Peace Walker will keep its online functions in Master Collection Volume 2.

Metal Gear Solid 4 finally escaping PS3 jail was the headline of last night's PlayStation State of Play for Metal Gear fans. But as an elderly person – aka someone who still has his PS3 hooked up – the biggest deal for me was that Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is back, and I'll be able to play it on Nintendo Switch 2. Not only is it the most underrated of the series canon entries, but having a portable version that doesn't require the dreaded claw hand technique for camera control is a big deal.

When it was confirmed that Metal Gear Online 2 won't be back with Metal Gear Solid 4 I did get a bit fearful, but the PlayStation Blog post about the collection spoke some beautiful words to me: "This title can be played online in CO-OPS, a cooperative mode for 2 to 4 players, as well as in VERSUS OPS, a competitive mode for up to 6 players."

Now I'm a big single-player guy but Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker's co-op is one of the best things about the game. You see, Peace Walker isn't really much of a Metal Gear at all – at least in terms of the games that came before it. No, Peace Walker was Monster Hunter all along.

The game introduced the mission-based structure later found in Metal Gear Solid 5, along with lengthy boss battles akin to Capcom's flagship series – which in turn, encouraged you to play co-op to take down them together. There was even three missions where you actually took down monsters from the series with a Tigrex, Rathalos, and Gear REX – an original monster based on Metal Gear Rex who I desperately want Capcom to add to Monster Hunter Wilds.

This is why, I suspect, it's often not liked as much as the other main entries, hell, even I didn't like it the first time I played it; it took a second playthrough for me to really get that it's a banger, and stands alongside the rest of the numbered entries. And keeping the co-op that makes that experience even better will hopefully give Peace Walker a chance to stick out once more.

Death Stranding 2 PC port out in March with “unlocked framerates” and ultra widescreen support, Kojima truthers rejoice

The developers behind Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection peeked over the shoulders of other modern turn-based RPGs, and have specifically called out the influence that Metaphor: ReFantazio and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had on the upcoming game.

Capcom is once again spinning its big beast battling series off into a JRPG in the form of Monster Hunter Stories 3, but a lot has changed since the last game in the subseries launched almost a decade ago. So, speaking to Automaton, lead designer Daisuke Wakahara says the team studied the "high-profile" turn-based RPGs of recent years "that incorporate unique ideas, such as Metaphor: ReFantazio and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33."

You can see some of that inspiration surface in Monster Hunter Stories 3's new demo in so far as you can now squash low-level enemies in the field, without getting sucked into a turn-based fight, as was the case in Metaphor: ReFantazio. But the duo, which were recently bundled together on Steam, also had a wider impact on Capcom's game.

"We feel there's a clear preference toward games that let players progress smoothly and quickly, without levelling feeling like a chore. The idea that players should receive some kind of reward for specific actions they take has become quite refined across the industry, and we made a point of incorporating that approach ourselves," he adds, before noting that the team still "refused to compromise on making the battles satisfying and challenging."

The Monster Hunter Stories team were supposedly aware that "making things convenient and making them easy are two different things," so combat won't be streamlined or artificially simplified "just to speed up the pace." In fact, in some ways, it sounds like the opposite happened, as game director Kenji Oguro says "the most exciting moment in a game is when you win by the skin of your teeth," and those are the kind of moments the developers "aimed for."

We'll see how it shakes out when Monster Hunters Stories 3: Twisted Reflection launches for PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S on March 13, 2026.

Baffling Capcom once again, Monster Hunter Stories 3 players are taking down superbosses despite being capped at level 10 in the RPG's free demo

Capcom first announced Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection late last year, hoping to focus more on the RPG aspect the spin-off series has to offer – and now, fans have gotten to try it out for themselves via a free-to-play trial.

There's just one catch, though: the trial is a short demo that caps your party at level 10.

It doesn't sound like much, especially when you consider that there are plenty of high-level beasts and bosses to be found throughout the free trial. But as dedicated fans always do, the community has discovered a way to take some of them on and climb the ranks as high as they can, even if it means facing monsters that can apparently reach upwards of level 75 in the full game.

One example of a hardened Monster Hunter fan absolutely killing the demo is Alilatias, as they're known on YouTube. In a recent clip, they manage to take down Feral Brachydios, outlining just how they managed to do it in the video's description.

In short, it takes a bit of grinding and planning ahead, with lots of staggering and a very careful rotation to boot. The wildest part? Alilatias isn't alone here.

Before they took down Feral Brachydios, another fan did the same: a Reddit user who goes by OfficialC768, as you can see in their post from a few days ago.

They first describe their methods – the very same ones that inspired Alilatias – before admitting, "I wasn't even planning on this being the run." Attached is proof that the run did indeed end up being "the run," with the massive monster lying dead in the background.

Never give up lads from r/MonsterHunterStories

There's Redditor Usual-Difficulty1474, too, who has also taken the menacing beast down, as per their own thread online.

So, that's three known players who have achieved the seemingly impossible in the Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection trial, tackling the most fearsome foes while unable to surpass level 10 themselves. Could I do it? No, probably not – but witnessing others do so instead will never cease to be mind-blowing.

I'm certain we'll see even more creative, out-of-the-box solutions to fights after the game's full launch next month on March 13 – but until then, I'd suggest keeping an eye on the web, particularly Monster Hunter forums and the like.

Need something else to look forward to while you wait for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection? Browse through our roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond for more.

Capcom has revealed that the poisonous brute wyvern Rompopolo is the least-popular monster in Monster Hunter Wilds, so it's creating a special quest dedicated to it to entice you with new rewards.

In the Monster Hunter Wilds 1st Anniversary Message video posted on YouTube, where Capcom confirmed the development of a "large-scale expansion" for Wilds, producer Ryozo Tsujimoto outlined some of the event quests coming to the game in the months ahead. These include a crossover with Monster Hunter Stories 3 and an event to get the winners of the weapon design contest: the Shatterseal great sword and SOS Meating Pendant.

Between February 28 and March 19, 2026 a new quest will emerge. "After analyzing player data, we determined the least hunted monster, and prepared a limited-time quest for it," Tsujimoto explained, with Rompopolo being the recipient of this esteemed reward. Clearly, the monster is unhappy about this distinction, as Tsujimoto warns, "Don't let your guard down, since this monster has been tuned to be especially challenging just for this quest," with the quest showing it as a 10-star mission.

The Rompopolo is a big, bird-like thing that inflates itself (and, by extension, can be deflated) and, frankly, looks quite horrifying. As such, completing the quest will nab you some unique items with Capcom showing off a lantern, some balloon-looking items, and most cursed of all, a Rompopolo hat which comes in both inflated and deflated flavours.

Monster Hunter Wilds Steam reviews on the mend following Capcom's latest performance patch.

Monster Hunter Wilds producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has confirmed that the monster-slaying RPG is indeed getting an expansion, but it won't be announced in full until summer.

Since Monster Hunter arrived on the scene, it's customary that it gets an expansion, adding Master Rank (or G Rank) to the game. Typically, these manifested in re-releases like Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (for Monster Hunter 2) or the "Ultimate" editions of Monster Hunter 3 and 4. However, since Monster Hunter World, these have instead been expansions, with World's Iceborne and Rise's Sunbreak both releasing just a year after their original release.

So it wasn't a matter of whether Monster Hunter Wilds would get an expansion, but when. And while I expected it to show up in flashy trailer form at this week's PlayStation State of Play, it was just confirmed in the most low-key way possible.

In the Monster Hunter Wilds 1st Anniversary Message video posted on YouTube, Tsujimoto confirmed "We are currently at work on a large scale expansion – similar to Monster Hunter World: Iceborne and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak – for Monster Hunter Wilds." And while there was no flashy trailer or monster announcements to go alongside it, Tsujimoto adds, "we plan to share more information with you this summer," presumably pegging it for a Summer Game Fest or PlayStation Showcase spotlight this June.

Obviously, this was inevitable, but I can't say I expected such a low-key confirmation of the expansion. Sunbreak was the opening act of a Nintendo Direct with a big, flashy trailer. However, with how much of a mess Wilds was, I wouldn't be shocked if the expansion was running a little bit behind schedule while Capcom figured out how to fix the game. And with the latest patch finally making the PC version good, I'd say now is a good time to take the victory lap.

Monster Hunter Wilds Steam reviews on the mend following Capcom's latest performance patch.

They said it couldn't be done, but Monster Hunter Wilds' Steam reviews are turning around following Capcom's latest performance patch.

Last year, Capcom confirmed that three more updates would be coming to Monster Hunter Wilds to address its performance issues. And when December's patch really did not impress and fans figured out there was a DLC-related bug affecting performance, all eyes were on the second patch to bring some hope back to the community. And despite many thinking it seemed impossible, Monster Hunter Wilds' latest PC performance patch has seemingly actually fixed the game.

And that's been reflected over on Steam, where the game has seen a massive uptick in positive reviews following the release of the latest patch, with Monster Hunter Wilds now sitting at a "Mixed" rating on the platform, with 57% of reviews over the last month being positive.

Player reviews have been commending Capcom on finally fixing the game, with one user saying, "Great game before optimize patch, Super Smooth Great game after optimize patch," with another adding, "Very good game with some of the best combat out there and now that there is no more optimization issues I can only recommend!"

However, others are praising it while acknowledging that it really should have always been like this, with one review reading "The performance should have been like this at launch, But better late than never. The game is much more enjoyable now that it runs well" while another user says the game is "Finally at a point where I can recommend the game to others." They add that they hope Capcom "prioritize performance for the expansion to avoid another PR nightmare like Wilds had for a year" – we can only hope.

Monster Hunter Wilds players were right; buying $500 of DLC unintentionally made the game run better, so Capcom has fixed it

Monster Hunter Wilds has received a new patch on PC, and it looks like this is finally the one that does the trick.

Capcom detailed the new patch in a post on the Monster Hunter Wilds Steam news page. Firstly, Capcom acknowledged the bug that caused the game to run better in base camp when a player owned all of the game's DLC, saying, "After receiving user reports, our internal testing confirmed that CPU load could increase around the Support Desk at Base Camp or the Grand Hub" and that "This is an unintended bug and will be resolved with this update."

The fixes include adjustments to both texture streaming and the high-resolution texture pack to reduce VRAM usage and a reduction to "shader warming processes performed outside the shader compilation screen to lower CPU load." Capcom also introduced new options, with a CPU tab allowing for adjustments of settings related to CPU load and new graphics settings and adjusted presets.

Capcom also released some details about the next patch, which is set to arrive on February 18, 2026, saying, "we are currently verifying measures to reduce GPU processing load by adding quality levels (LOD) to the polygon mesh for 3D models. This may help to reduce processing load by swapping to low-resolution models for objects farther away from the camera."

And despite last month's update falling short of impressing players, reception to Monster Hunter Wilds Ver.1.040.03.01 has been mostly positive.

Monster Hunter fan account MidnightBoshi on Twitter posted "this game runs like BUTTER its impressive how much more fun this game can become once it can actually runs with decent graphics! My graphics are on High and for the first time ever it was a Steady 60 to 70 frames the entier [sic] hunt!" adding, "THEY DID IT!"

Another fan, called @0RO_KUR0, adds, "I'm actually glad Capcom continues to give this game support in spite of everything. "

While a recent Steam review says "main problem with the game was poor performance, new update really improved it. Nearly doubled my fps from about 40 to 70." Another user reports that the game is "actually playable on my Steam Deck now," which is wild to think about considering the best PCs were struggling with it all year. So hopefully by the time the eventual G Rank expansion drops the performance issues will be a distant memory.

Monster Hunter Wilds has sold 11 million copies, Capcom says, but it's barely clinging to the best-seller list thanks to the likes of Resident Evil and Devil May Cry.

Despite terrible performance, Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Wilds has sold over 11 million copies, but its momentum seems to have stalled somewhat.

Monster Hunter Wilds issues are well-known at this point. While the game itself suffered from some difficulty balancing issues, that's been overshadowed by the game's terrible performance – especially on PC. This has included updates that still fell short of impressing the RPG's fans, and a bizarre DLC bug that allowed certain areas of the game to run better when someone had all of the game's DLC installed

In the company's latest financial results, Capcom confirmed that Monster Hunter Wilds has breached the 11 million units sold mark. This has allowed it to overtake Devil May Cry 5 and become Capcom's eighth-best-selling game of all time.

However, despite that new milestone, the latest Monster Hunter release is barely clinging on to the company's top 10 best-sellers of the last quarter. Both Monster Hunter Rise and its expansion, Sunbreak, outperformed Wilds. This was the case in the last quarter too, so it seems like Rise is picking up wins while Wilds continues to struggle.

The rest of the top 10 was mostly made up of Resident Evil titles with Street Fighter 6 crossing the 6 million sold mark, although it and Resident Evil 7 were switched on the document, listing the fighting game as having sold 16 million. Meanwhile, Devil May Cry 5 has sold a further 2.4 million copies since April 2025, so even if the quality of that Netflix series was somewhat dubious, it's clearly done a lot for the games.

Monster Hunter Wilds dataminers allegedly uncover evidence suggesting a Switch 2 port is on the way

One Monster Hunter Wilds player reckons they've found the key to its performance woes, as they notice improved performance when all the DLC is enabled.

Monster Hunter Wilds' PC performance (and really, performance in general) has somewhat killed the momentum of Capcom's latest. And while the company has been taking steps to fix it, it's still not in a great place. However, fans have also been searching for ways to get to the bottom of the game's issues, and one Reddit user seems to have uncovered something bizarre.

In a post on Reddit, user de_Tylmarande – who claims to have discovered a similar performance issue in Dragon's Dogma 2 – shared an extensive writeup detailing their discovery. It's a massive post that goes into a ton of detail, but the key is that they noticed a discrepancy in performance when logging into their friend's account to play the game versus their own, and soon realized that the only difference was that their friend owned all of the game's cosmetic DLC.

Clocking this, de_Tylmarande then modded their own game to make the game think they owned all of the DLC content (without actually unlocking the DLC content, to avoid piracy), and their own game suddenly performed much better, with the user releasing a video showing the difference in performance, with FPS in towns jumping up significantly, with the claim being that the performance issues are down to extensive checks from the game to see if players own DLC.

And while "you need to buy all $500+ DLC to make the game run better" is a horrible look on paper, de_Tylmarande says they don't believe Capcom did this on purpose; rather, it seems like a bug in the code that the company needs to fix. However, they did say that "if Capcom don't fix this mess," they'll look into releasing the mod that they used to bypass the DLC checks.

Multiple independent outlets have tested this since, with Digital Foundry and Rock Paper Shotgun reporting FPS gains in multiple situations and on varying GPUs after purchasing a whole load of DLC. This isn't a night-and-day fix that doubles your FPS and solves all the game's processing issues, but potentially boosting your frame rate by upwards of 10% for buying Gemma skins sure is something.

Monster Hunter Wilds dataminers allegedly uncover evidence suggesting a Switch 2 port is on the way

Evidence for a Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Monster Hunter Wilds has reportedly been found within the files of the game's latest PC update.

As seen on the Monster Hunter leaks subreddit, players have seemingly uncovered text strings and UI features that would point to a Nintendo Switch 2 version. Most notably, this includes a Local Communication option which has the description that mentions "up to 4 people with their Nintendo Switch 2 consoles in proximity." There are also DLSS presets labelled with NSW2 further pointing to a possible Switch 2 version.

The group responsible for datamining the info has also allegedly uncovered graphic presets for the Switch 2 edition (as spotted by VGC) and released a short clip of what a potential Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Monster Hunter Wilds could look like, with the predicted specs being 1080p in docked mode with fidelity above the PC's "Very Low" preset.

Given that Monster Hunter Wilds' performance woes have overpowered the conversation around the game – with the PC version still being in a rough state almost an entire year after it was released – I can't say that I have especially high hopes for a Switch 2 version.

However, given how popular handhelds are in Japan and Monster Hunter being massive in the region, hopefully that means Capcom would do the work to make it run well, which could hopefully give the game the second chance it deserves. Plus, Capcom is supporting the system with day-one launches for the likes of Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem.

Of course, there's also the chance that this is just some testing on Capcom's part for a potential Switch 2-led Monster Hunter game. The series has two teams, one producing the main titles while another produces what used to be the "portable" editions. We saw this with Monster Hunter 4 and Generations making up generation 4, while World and Rise made up generation 5 of the series.

If it does come to Switch 2, be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review to find out why we think it's the "new peak of the series," as well as our guide to the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons.

Capcom has released comparison videos showcasing its new PC performance updates for Monster Hunter Wilds, but some feel it's not enough to justify the 10-month wait.

In another world, Monster Hunter Wilds probably would've been right up there as a major competitor at The Game Awards last week, but the game's major performance and technical issues – mostly on PC – have hampered it massively over the course of the year, to the point where 2021's Monster Hunter Rise has outsold it since April. And while Capcom is dedicated to fixing it with a three-step plan releasing from now until February, the fact that it'll have taken a year to be good on PC potentially is a massive issue for some.

The first of these updates was released today, and Capcom has released two videos showing the performance differences between Title Update 3 and Title Update 4 – one for Nvidia/Intel and another for AMD/Radeon. Both videos show the game running at upscaled 1080p, "Medium" settings, and with frame generation disabled. Both Title Update 4 clips show a bump in framerate, albeit only by about five or six frames each, while the game looks a bit crisper, but not noticeably so.

Over on ResetEra, some are happy with this change, with one user saying, "Those look like significant improvements." However, the general sentiment is a bit less enthused. One user adds, "After 9 months of the game being a mess Capcom is finally giving us...an average of 5-8 FPS boost how generous of them." While another has lost hope for Wilds to turn it around entirely, saying, "You would have to literally remake the game to fix its performance issues, they are part of its foundation. Capcom went from a day one, to a wait for sale or frankly straight up avoid now with some of the recent PC port performance."

Frankly, I'm holding out hope that the eventual G-Rank expansion for Monster Hunter Wilds – which based on previous releases, should arrive sometime this year – fixes everything and makes it the game it was always meant to be. It's a fantastic game despite the lack of difficulty and terrible performance. And Capcom finally nailing open-world performance with the RE Engine would be fantastic for future releases.

Monster Hunter Wilds mods "are not guaranteed to work and could cause compatibility issues" Capcom warns ahead of update.

Capcom has issued a warning ahead of the new Monster Hunter Wilds update that their mods are not guaranteed to work upon its release.

Obviously, in the era we're in, game updates are a thing you have to deal with no matter if it's a single-player RPG or a multiplayer shooter. But when PC gaming is as popular as it is now, that in turn makes mods more popular than ever. The issue then arises when the two intersect, with game updates either breaking mods – as we saw with Fallout 4 Anniversary Edition, which in turn led to the delay of Fallout: London – or the mods being installed breaking the game itself when a new update is released.

In a post on Twitter, Capcom warns Monster Hunter Wilds players, "If you have installed unofficial programs, such as Mods, these are not guaranteed to work and could cause compatibility issues, preventing you from launching the game or triggering game crashes." It requests, "If you encounter problems, please completely uninstall any Mods, recheck the integrity of the game files, and then start the game."

Capcom also asks that players install graphics drivers, namely NVIDIA GeForce: 581.57 or AMD Radeon: 25.9.1 or higher (but warns that AMD Radeon version 25.10.2 has "some issues").

Hopefully, this is a great update when it comes to performance, because Monster Hunter Wilds could really use it after the year it had. However, Capcom confirmed earlier this month that the performance fixes will be rolled out in three phases between now and the update in February, so I don't have my hopes entirely up that this will be the one. But if Capcom has it sorted by the time the game's G-Rank expansion comes out, then all is forgiven.

"We apologize": Monster Hunter Wilds to get "Steam-specific stability patch" in January, nearly a year after launch, as Capcom ends major updates.

After a delayed presentation, Capcom has detailed everything coming in Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 4 next week.

The next Monster Hunter Wilds update is just under a week away and Capcom has given all of the details about the update which is set to launch on Tuesday, December 16. Of course the main event is the brand new monster (for Wilds, anyway) Gogmazios, a massive Elder Dragon that first debuted in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – and given how much of Monster Hunter Wilds is a love letter to the fourth generation, it's an incredibly fitting end.

Capcom has also announced that you'll be able to take on Gogmazios as a party of eight, with the standard four-player parties being able to bring in four support hunters to help out on the quest. And once you do take it down, you'll be able to create some Rarity 8 Gogma Artian Weapons, which should allow you to bonk monsters with even more force.

However, even though Title Update 4 is the "final large-scale update" for the game, next week's update isn't the end of it, as one week later on Wednesday, December 24, you'll be able to fight Arch-tempered Jin Dahaad, and a further update on February 18, 2026 will add Arch-tempered Arkveld and some new quests – plus a collab with Monster Hunter Stories 3. And, of course, I wouldn't be shocked if we get a hint at the game's major update at The Game Awards.

Of course, you can't talk about Monster Hunter Wilds without mentioning its performance woes, and Capcom has detailed its planned PC fixes too. Over the course of the next three months, Capcom is releasing three optimization updates aimed at optimizing the game's CPU and GPU usage.

Capcom's committed to returning to JRPGs in a big way with Monster Hunter Stories 3: "As Capcom developers, we're able to add our interpretation of what a JRPG is today."

Capcom has set a showcase dedicated entirely to its big creature-bashing, leather outfit-making action series, focused on Monster Hunter Wilds' new big update coming later this month and next year's turn-based spin-off RPG Monster Hunter Stories 3. A series this – ahem – monstrously big deserves its own show, after all.

The Monster Hunter Showcase airs next Monday, December 8, at 2pm PT and 10pm GMT on YouTube. Capcom promises "all the info on Monster Hunter Wilds Free Title Update 4," which is dropping on December 16, alongside more details about Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, which has a release date of March 13, 2026 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PS5.

So far, we already know Wilds' fourth free title update sees the return of the Giant Halberd Dragon Gogmazios for the first time in over a decade. It'll also include new seasonal events, endgame content, weapon tweaks, and performance improvements. Those performance woes, specifically on PC, have been a thorn in Monster Hunter Wilds' side since release, so much so that the new blockbuster is actually being outsold by older Monster Hunter games.

Just don't go into the showcase expecting any expansions or beefier announcements related to Wilds, as Capcom clarifies it'll "focus solely" on the upcoming update.

As for Monster Hunter Stories 3, the JRPG might be carrying the name of the 3DS' cheery spin-offs, but it's also pivoting into slightly darker territory with a story about warring kingdoms. Capcom's committing to return to JRPGs in a big way with the game.

After Monster Hunter Wilds' year of performance woes, Capcom says Resident Evil Requiem won't share the same fate: "At present, we do not anticipate similar risks."

Monster Hunter Wilds director Yuya Tokuda has admitted that the game was perhaps a little too easy, while series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto says there are no plans to stop the series here.

Now that The Game Awards list of 2025 Game of the Year nominees is out, if you'd have shown it to me at the end of 2024, I'd have questioned the lack of Monster Hunter Wilds (well, after freaking out that there's a new Donkey Kong game). Capcom's latest felt like it had all the momentum in the world going in, but a year filled with performance issues has significantly lowered the game's standing since launch, with it selling less than Monster Hunter Rise during the company's last quarter.

However, performance wasn't the only criticism levelled at the game; the fact that it was extremely easy was the other hot topic. At the PlayStation Partner Awards 2025 Japan Asia – where the game picked up the Grand Award and User's Choice Award – IGN Japan was on hand as the game's director and producer spoke to the press.

Tokuda explained, "This time, as a result of making the game easy to beat even for new players and players who could not clear it before, I think the difficulty curve was a little lacking for existing users."

However, he notes that that worked in the team's favor in the end, saying, "Monster Hunter has the characteristics of a title that gets regular updates, but player opinions were very helpful during the update process, and in order to make Monster Hunter Wilds better, the fans’ voices gave us power." He urges, "If you beat the game immediately after its release and stopped playing, I would appreciate it if you could pick it up again."

Meanwhile, the series producer Tsujimoto said even with the issues this game has faced, don't expect Monster Hunter to go anywhere. "Of course, we don’t intend to stop the series here. We plan to continue, and we want to let more people play," Tsujimoto said, adding that the team would also "like to think about things beyond the games so that we can further expand the potential of the Monster Hunter IP." So expect a sequel to the 2020 Monster Hunter movie any day now… or more likely just more weird collabs like that guitar.

After Monster Hunter Wilds' year of performance woes, Capcom says Resident Evil Requiem won't share the same fate: "At present, we do not anticipate similar risks."

Capcom seems to think that Resident Evil Requiem won't face the same fate as Monster Hunter Wilds when it comes to PC performance.

At the start of 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds seemed like a shoe-in for game of the year contention based on our Monster Hunter Wilds review, but now I'd be shocked if it gets more than one nomination for Best RPG to fill space in the category that Expedition 33 might win anyway. And even while Monster Hunter Wilds has some gameplay issues, the game's frankly terrible performance issues have really taken the wind out of its sails across the year. Given Capcom's attempt at a 2024 game of the year, Dragon's Dogma 2, also faced similar performance woes on PC, some are worried that this will be the usual for the developer going forward.

During Capcom's recent financial results Q&A (spotted by VGC), Capcom was asked if there was a risk Resident Evil Requiem will face similar "technical issues" to those found in Monster Hunter Wilds. The company responded, "Resident Evil Requiem differs from Monster Hunter Wilds in terms of gameplay, system architecture, and network features. At present, we do not anticipate similar risks. We are developing the game to provide a smooth gaming experience across a wide range of PC specifications."

And to Capcom's credit, the RE Engine has been a fantastic engine when it comes to linear single-player titles like Resident Evil 7, 8, and Devil May Cry 5 – and it's even sometimes excelled outside of that genre, like with Street Fighter 6.

The two main offenders in terms of performance issues under the RE Engine are Monster Hunter Wilds and Dragon's Dogma 2 – both massive open-world games. I feel like the RE Engine just isn't entirely suited to larger-scale titles.

Presumably, with each failure, Capcom will continue to improve, especially when Monster Hunter Wilds' sales have somewhat stalled since its massive launch.

Next Monster Hunter Wilds update sets December release date as Capcom promises more needed performance improvements and a monster we haven't seen in over a decade

With performance problems still hurting the experience for many Monster Hunter Wilds players on PC, the game's biggest platform by sales volume, Capcom has finally seen Monster Hunter Rise overtake Wilds in its current sales rankings.

Wilds was barely ahead of Rise on Capcom's list of the 10 best-selling titles as of the previous quarter, which saw Wilds sales crater from 10 million in a month to under 500,000 in three months. Wilds (9th place) had sold 477,000 copies, while Rise (10th place) had sold 389,000.

Capcom released an updated version of this list in its latest financial report. Not much has changed in the rankings overall, but Wilds is now ever so slightly behind Rise in recent sales. Here's how the full list looks now for the current financial year.

• Devil May Cry - 2.134 million
• Resident Evil Village - 1.566 million
• Resident Evil 4 - 1.266 million
• Resident Evil 7 - 1.147 million
• Street Fighter 6 - 1.085 million
• Resident Evil 2 - 932k
• Devil May Cry HD Collection - 754k
• Resident Evil 3 - 697k
• Monster Hunter Rise - 643k
• Monster Hunter Wilds - 637k

There's an incredibly small difference between Rise and Wilds, but the gap has narrowed considerably since Capcom's previous report. There are other factors at play here, but the fact that Wilds is neck-and-neck with an older title like Rise, which has a much more mature install base, speaks to how sales of Wilds have slowed amid protracted issues with the game.

Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto attributed part of Wilds' slowdown to the console audience struggling with the hefty costs of the PS5, the game's second-biggest platform by sales. That may be one factor, but there's no doubt that Wilds' negative Steam reviews and poor PC technical performance have also played a role in its sales decline.

Just this month, a new update gave Wilds a lavish and genuinely fun Final Fantasy 14 collaboration with a fiendish new boss fight, but as is so often the case, Steam reviews for the game actually dropped afterward because worsened and/or unresolved performance issues soured the experience for many. Like clockwork, fans who may genuinely like the game reluctantly agree with the negative word of mouth around it whenever news like this breaks.

Wilds still bears the feared red text, "Mostly Negative," on Steam for recent reviews, and its overall reviews are "Mixed" at 48% positive. These optics have a real impact on Steam user (and algorithm) interest, and with every passing month, the state of Wilds on PC becomes uglier and more unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Capcom is still working toward CPU and GPU optimizations meant to right the long-struggling Wilds this winter, some nine months and counting after launch. There's no doubt that a lot of hardworking people at Capcom are working hard to resolve these issues, but there's also no arguing with the state of the game.

Rise, which was originally a Nintendo Switch exclusive and ran much more smoothly when it came to PC, never had this problem to begin with, hence its markedly more positive Steam reviews.

I would actually rate the core combat of Wilds above Rise – and said as much in our Monster Hunter Wilds review – but it's only becoming clearer that there are real barriers to enjoying that combat. Many people are demonstrably opting to buy Rise, even if Wilds is still significantly more active on Steam according to SteamDB. I can't help but fantasize about a world where Wilds was a good game and had a good PC port. Capcom's list would surely look different.

If those winter optimizations can't work some real magic, Wilds may forever join Dragon's Dogma 2 in the bucket of good games held back by technical issues on PC. That could be a problem as Capcom prepares the inevitable, premium Master Rank expansion for Wilds, and it would definitely be a problem for any future ambitions to reach more PC gamers who are only, with good reason, losing trust in Capcom ports.

Monster Hunter lead producer agrees PC gaming is key for Japanese games: "There are more players than ever playing on PC, including in Japan."

Monster Hunter Wilds might've given players a cool raid boss from Final Fantasy 14, but it's not enough to make up for persistent performance issues that have been with the game since its release - at least, not based on its recent Steam reviews.

The Final Fantasy 14 and Monster Hunter Wilds collab is well underway, adding the Omega Planetes (a variant of the frequent FF super boss), to Capcom's monstrous leather pant-making sim. Cool. But not cool enough to distract from PC performance woes.

On Steam, recent user reviews have taken a nosedive starting from when the crossover update went live on September 29, 2025. At the time of writing, 77% of the almost 5,000 user reviews logged in the last month have been negative on the platform, and 770 of those gave it a thumbs down on the update's release date.

"Unplayable slop, even on the lowest graphic settings, 40 fps is a frickin' miracle," one player with 187 hours in the game said. "The FF collab, I would have loved it, IF IT WASN'T TRYING TO FRY MY PC!"

"It's been eight months since release and the game still suffers from heavy performance issues that plagued it since launch with no major fixes in sight," another fan with almost 50 hours of playtime wrote, "it looks like Capcom are more concerned with paid content/cosmetics than actually fixing the key problems that plague the game."

Just last month, Capcom promised it would tackle Monster Hunter Wilds' wonky performance with a big update in the months ahead: "Although we will continue to implement gradual improvements in the weeks ahead, we are targeting Free Title Update 4 this winter to implement a multifaceted plan, including CPU and GPU related optimizations, followed by a second stage of mitigation measures afterwards," the publisher said.

Capcom warns it "will no longer guarantee" Monster Hunter Wilds, Rise, and World "will run" on PCs using Windows 10 as of mid-October, also advises Wilds players to check your dang drivers

Two truths coexist. The shattered mirror great sword design selected as the winner of Capcom's recent player and dev-voted Monster Hunter Wilds weapon design contest is cool. At the same time, great sword always wins these and the hammer design featuring a fluctuating black hole on a stick was so cool.

At the very least, my GamesRadar+ colleague Scott got his wish. I admit, the Shatterseal great sword by creator Nolan Lu is genuinely inspired, its charged attacks so powerful they crinkle the very fabric of the universe at the point of impact.

Great swords are huge and big weapons give artists more of a canvas to work with – this is one reason I love the great sword, lance, hammer, and charge blade so much – so I'm not shocked by its victory. A great sword also won the Monster Hunter World weapon design contest, blessing players with a Valstrax-esque rocket-equipped blade. In World's Iceborne DLC, we got a fan-made charge blade feathered with inky plumage.

But man, the Singularity Divider, a would-be Wilds hammer packing a caged orb of nothingness adorned with levitating spikes, looked incredible. Its creator, StormriderArt, recently took to social media to thank Monster Hunter Wilds fans for the support that saw the Singularity Divider make it all the way to the final round of voting.

"Since now the contest has ended and I can post about this freely, thank you all so much for the immense support you all showed me these months and still do right now (I see posts pop in and out of the net asking for my design to be used somewhat)," they wrote on Reddit.

"As a Gen 2 hunter, seeing my own design get so close to [being] in the game has been heartwarming to an insane extent, a dream coming true. I was getting into a big creative slump and this whole thing reinvigorated me to no end, I wanna make so much more stuff and hopefully get a shot in the DLC contest if that will happen."

"It's sad to see hammer still get nothing from any design contest," they conclude, "but that means I have to do something even better for the next! I'll try my best to make y'all proud, thank you all again and happy hunting!!!"

It warms my heart to see plenty of hammer and black hole appreciators in the replies. "I wanted this one way more than the great sword. Dammit Capcom, give [us] some variety!" writes Ragnatoa, a true scholar of our time. "Hopefully there is an aspiring modder out there that will see this design and model it," suggests Insanely_Mclean. Don't give me hope.

You could fairly argue that every finalist deserved the win, of course; this hammer design was just especially striking to me, and it felt like the perfect cherry on top following the humongous buffs and changes the hammer received in a previous balance patch. Oh well. Hammer still rules, and the Shatterseal, set to arrive in a future update, is a worthy champion.

Be sure to take a look at our Monster Hunter Wilds review while you're here, as well as our roundup of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons.

While the Monster Hunter series is largely known for its spectacle-driven tactical action with Monster Hunter Wilds and the rest of the mainline entries, developer Capcom has also kept up with its spin-off series Monster Hunter Stories, which brought the over-the-top action into the realm of a turn-based JRPG. With the upcoming third game, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the developers aim to give the side series a larger scope that showcases its grander focus on storytelling.

At Tokyo Game Show 2025, I had the opportunity to get some early hands-on time with Monster Hunter Stories 3, along with speaking with Monster Hunter series producer Ryōzō Tsujimoto and game director Kenji Oguro about the current state of the side-series. The new follow-up not only introduces a more grounded and darker story that feels more in line with the tone of the main series, but also heightens the focus on hunters and monsters teaming up to explore uncharted lands.

Egg-streme consequences

Taking place 200 years after the second game, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is set against the backdrop of a fierce conflict between two warring kingdoms following the discovery of two seemingly extinct Ratholos monsters hatched from a single egg – a sign of a bad omen for the two countries. With the conflict growing, a ragtag crew of hunters and their monsties (tamed monsters) acquire one of the Ratholos and head into the forbidden lands of the world to find a way to stop the conflict.

What's interesting about the Monster Hunter Stories series is that it not only showcases the lore and setting of Monster Hunter within a traditional JRPG story, but it also makes a clever attempt at converting the tactical action into turn-based combat. While the earlier games featured a plot that was more upbeat and for all ages, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection adopts a darker setting with an older cast of heroes, which emphasizes the increased scope of the action and world exploration, focusing more on the political landscape of the Monster Hunter world.

Speaking with Monster Hunter series producer Ryōzō Tsujimoto, he states that the third entry aims to up the scope of the Stories series, while also bringing the focus more towards the dynamic between the hunters and their monster allies.

"The scale of the story and setting of Twisted Reflection is a lot larger compared to the earlier games. We have a new protagonist who is more present in the story, and we get a better understanding of what they're feeling," says Tsujimoto. "The main concept we are putting a spotlight on is the interactions with the monsters and human characters – known as riders in this game. That element of the riders and allied monsters coming together also highlights the RPG aspect of Monster Hunter. We feel like it was a perfect way to show the bonds between the main narrative and the gameplay for the Stories series."

The demo I play focuses on early exploration and monster-slaying battles with the protagonist Captain Leo and his party. Much like previous games, you command hunters and their respective monsties in combat, allowing you to use hunter weapons and gadgets on enemy monsters to break off pieces of their hides for crafting and hitting critical weak spots to stagger them for powerful strikes. You'll also be able to command your monstie to use its special attack in combat, which opens up opportunities to use special team attacks with your squad and even to ride them to execute super attacks.

The Monster Hunter Stories series has really done well with bringing the flow and systems of a Monster Hunter game into a more traditional JRPG format. Just like the main entries, you'll need to assess each monster to see which weapon attack and type (blunt, slash, pierce) will get through their defenses, and which part of their body to hit. Stories 3 maintains the slick blend of action and tactics from previous games, which remains very satisfying to engage with. However, it goes further by placing a greater focus on swapping different monsties in battle to keep up with various foes and to unleash critical attacks. Even from the early demo, I really quickly take to the flow of battle, and toppling an enemy monster gives way to some stylish finishers that really tap into the style of a JRPG experience.

What I especially like in Monster Hunter Stories 3 is the increased focus on exploration in the overworld. While you can go on foot with Leo, the game feels at its best when you're controlling your various monsties – all of which have unique abilities. While you can collect resources and find hidden collectibles, you can also activate a feature known as the athletic ride, which triggers a monstie's ability to climb up walls or even fly. This creates a far more engaging world to explore, almost giving it a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild-like flow, which ultimately conveys a greater sense that you're navigating a lived-in setting.

Breath of fresh air

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection does well to highlight the spectacle and scope of modern Monster Hunter games, while still staying true to the experience of an RPG. It's a very cool blend of the two, and Monster Hunter Stories 3 feels like the sub-series' most exciting attempt at elevating the stakes and scope of its world. Interestingly, developer Capcom has experience making JRPGs in the past, notably with the much-loved yet somewhat forgotten Breath of Fire series, which I noticed bears some similarities to Monster Hunter Stories.

According to Tsujimoto, working on a new JRPG at Capcom has been a challenge, but one that the developers felt was worthwhile for Monster Hunter. The Stories series was intended to attract new audiences for Monster Hunter, but has slowly grown into something more.

"Everybody on the dev team has been playing games throughout their whole lives, especially JRPGs; it has been a very close part of their lives. Many Japanese players have grown up with these types of games," says Tsujimoto. "Capcom is often known for its action games, that's always been very staple for us, but now I think we can proudly say that Capcom can also make JRPGs well. We still have a fondness for the genre, and it still surprises many people that we can do it so well. We're pleased to contribute to the JRPG genre in this way, and this type of RPG has become a truly global genre that many people enjoy."

Kenji Oguro, game director of Monster Hunter Stories 3, also chimes in with his thoughts on how the sub-series has evolved, as well as the ongoing discussions about the current state of JRPGs, given the renewed popularity.

"There have been a lot of debates about where JRPGs are going lately, and we feel that as Capcom developers, we're able to add our interpretation of what a JRPG is today," says game director Kenji Oguro.

"We excel at creating action games, and for Monster Hunter Stories 3, it is an RPG that incorporates action elements into its combat and exploration, making the overall experience more engaging. We're able to contribute to the JRPG genre in our own way, and we're delighted to see it come together, and we hope that this game will appeal to players."

So far, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection feels exactly the step up the sub-series needed, to really reach a new level and make it more than just a Monster Hunter spin-off. It really feels like a promising move forward, and with the main entries having stepped into larger worlds, it's very fitting that Monster Hunter Stories 3 will also explore a larger world in its own unique way.

Check out our best Monster Hunter games list for what to track down next!

With Microsoft's own Windows 10 update support ending October 14, 2025, Capcom says Monster Hunter Wilds, Monster Hunter Rise, and Monster Hunter World players still using this old operating system will essentially be on their own going forward.

In a new Steam notice, Capcom warns that when Microsoft pulls the plug on October 14, it "will no longer guarantee" these Monster Hunter games "will run on Windows 10 systems."

These games won't immediately become unplayable, of course. "However, future system updates or game title updates may make the game incompatible on Windows 10 systems," and Capcom won't be fixing those potential (and, realistically, inevitable) incompatibilities.

"Proper game functionality cannot be guaranteed on operating systems of which Microsoft has ended support," Capcom concludes. "If an issue running the game occurs, support can only be provided based on information from before support for Windows 10 was discontinued. Services for investigating problems regarding running the game on Windows 10 will be discontinued."

In other words, if you want to keep playing, best update to Windows 11.

Just three hours after the Windows 10 post, Capcom issued a Monster Hunter Wilds Steam notice for all players, not just the ones facing OS oblivion, in its latest update on the game's performance issues.

"We have confirmed game crashes and other forced shutdowns affecting users, caused by issues with graphics cards in their systems," Capcom says, advising players to update their dang drivers.

For Nvidia gamers, that'd be driver version 580.88 or later. For folks with AMD GPUs, you're looking for 25.2.1 or later.

Your mileage may vary, but I wouldn't expect a miracle cure out of a driver update. It sounds like the latest Monster Hunter Wilds patch just saw a spike in driver-related issues and Capcom is looking to sand them down.

As a reminder, the larger CPU and GPU improvements planned to improve Wilds' poor PC performance are coming "this winter."

While you're here, be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review, as well as our tier list of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons.

Monster Hunter Stories 3's director has confirmed that the JRPG sequel takes place centuries after the previous entries.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 was only announced around two months ago (much to the chagrin of one fan's underwear) at the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. Following a showing at the Tokyo Game Show, more details have been confirmed about the game, including the appearance of monsters that debuted in Monster Hunter Wilds, and crucially, when the game actually takes place.

During an interview with 4Gamer (translated via machine translation), Monster Hunter Stories 3 director Kenji Oguro confirmed that the subseries' mascot, Navirou, will not appear in the game, nor will anyone else from the original titles. "The timeline is set in a future world more than 200 years after the previous work." This jump in time has allowed the role of the rider (the monster-taming squad separate from the hunters found in the main series) to take a significant place in the Monster Hunter universe, and as such allows the game to delve into the rider society more.

And clearly this is a more confident Capcom as Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto explains a decision was made "to focus more on the RPG aspect," for this entry. Oguro explains that the previous two entries were developed with a mindset of making Monster Hunter into an RPG, whereas this time "we started by asking, 'What kind of RPG do we want to make?'" Which resulted in this "more RPG" approach the developers speak of.

Granted, Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel weren't exactly too connected; some characters appeared in both titles, and the events are referenced, but for the most part, they were individual stories. And while I wouldn't expect there to be absolutely no reference to past games in it, it sounds like Monster Hunter Stories 3 is wholly disconnected from the events of the previous entries, so you don't need to catch up before March if you don't want to.

Capcom adds full-on MMO mechanics to Monster Hunter Wilds in absurd Final Fantasy 14 collab, brings back Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate icon Gogmazios after 10 long years.

The year is 2015. Monster Hunter is riding an uncontested high after the release of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, still treated by many fans as the best game in the series. PC performance? Steam reviews? Lacking endgame? Hunter, what are you talking about? Grab a famously overpowered charge blade and have yourself a party. At the summit, a super-sized Elder Dragon awaits: Gogmazios, best described as a cooler version of Monster Hunter World's Zorah Magdaros that's actually fun to fight. Life is good.

With Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 4, Capcom is taking us back to those halcyon days. Gog is back, baby. As Capcom announced at the Tokyo Game Show, Title Update 4 stars the one and only Gogmazios, back in the spotlight after 10 long years. The update is set for December 2025 and will also include yet more "expanded endgame content" alongside a new festival event and "various improvements."

Ahead of December, on September 29, Title Update 3 will introduce Capcom's latest Final Fantasy 14 collab. We already knew Wilds was getting FF14's Omega Planetes boss as a new large monster, but only today did we learn just how hard Capcom has leaned into MMO mechanics this time around.

Two FF14 jobs, Dark Knight and Pictomancer, have been partially but convincingly recreated. Dark Knight comes with a special greatsword equipped with a unique skill that seems to deal extra damage on charged attacks by adding a purple flare to the swing. Similarly, the new Bale Armor (alpha) set has its own skill called The Blackest Night, modeled after a real action that the Dark Knight uses in the MMO.

Pictomancers essentially summon attacks via art, and the job works the same way in Monster Hunter Wilds. Capcom shows a clip of one hunter using the "Soul of the Pictomancer" inventory item to cast various spells, dealing damage to monsters with that classic FF14 font.

In the Omega Planetes fight itself, we see players create a shell of invincibility to survive the boss's wipe mechanic, just like the good old days. "In order to defeat Omega Planetes, a number of special gameplay mechanics will prove especially effective," Capcom says.

Title Update 3 is rounded out by Arch-tempered Nu Udra, the latest addition to the endgame roster. Thankfully, this one will be part of a permanent event quest (exclusive to HR100+). And from October 22 through November 12, the Festival of Accord: Dreamspell event will bring a host of other event quests.

While you're here, be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review, as well as our roundup of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons.

Although Monster Hunter Wilds boasted a strong start after its release in late February with a whopping 10 million sales in under three months, things have slowed down quite a bit for the action RPG – and Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto cites an interesting potential reason.

At the tail end of July, we reported that Monster Hunter Wilds sales dropped from millions to under 500,000 in mere months. We brought up the game's plummeting Steam reviews, which largely boiled down to poor PC optimization (an ongoing issue as reported by players, sadly) – but that might not be the only reason behind the recent Monster Hunter game's falling sales or longtime series fans' lack of interest in giving it a go.

Capcom lead Haruhiro Tsujimoto says as much in a new interview with Nikkei (translated by Automaton), in which he suggests that Sony's PlayStation 5 console might be to blame due to its lofty price. When accounting for accessories, monthly subscriptions like PlayStation Plus to access online play (a necessity for a game such as Monster Hunter Wilds), and of course, the system itself, comfortably owning a PS5 can cost users nearly $700.

When you factor in Monster Hunter Wilds' own base $70 price tag, too, things get even more expensive – and that's why Tsujimoto believes sales aren't as good as they could or should be for the game. It's cheaper to play one of the older, best Monster Hunter games after all, with titles like Monster Hunter World (an entry that boasts hundreds of hours of content) coming in at just $29.99 full price or dropping as low as $9.89 when discounted.

Thankfully, however, it seems that as Tsujimoto is conscious of the high prices himself, fans may see more Monster Hunter Wilds discounts come in the future as part of a new strategy formulated by Capcom to increase game sales throughout the year. This could mean more significant strikethroughs on the base $70 price point – and not just for PS5 players, but those on Xbox Series X|S and PC as well.

Be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review, or browse through our roundup of the Monster Hunter Wilds weapons while you're here.

A new Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy 14 crossover was revealed during last night's Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 showcase, but actually getting to its content might take players a little while – or so Square Enix's surprisingly simple instructions would imply.

That's right, Capcom is working with the MMO developer on another collaboration with its action RPG series Monster Hunter – this time, Monster Hunter Wilds. The last event to come from both studios was in August of 2018, a whopping seven years ago, when Monster Hunter World and Final Fantasy 14 collided. Although the content is different this time around, with a fearsome Arkveld coming to Square Enix's game, the requirements to get to it are similar.

Last time, fans needed to complete the main story in Final Fantasy 14, including Stormblood – and now, they need to do the same… except three new expansions have launched since the previous crossover, meaning there's way more to trudge through. The official instructions on how to access the Monster Hunter Wilds content are also downright hilarious, as pointed out online by various players, like in this now near-viral post.

"The instructions to do the MH Wilds collab in XIV are killing me," writes the fan, alongside a screenshot attached of the "guide" from Square Enix. The player continues, outlining the steps on "how to participate" in the crossover: "1. Create character, 2. Complete like 500 hours of content." A commenter jokes that, "The emotional vampires are vibrating with excitement at the prospect of hordes of new sprouts."

Elsewhere on Reddit, another thread shares the amusing instructions on how to get to the new Monster Hunter Wilds content in Final Fantasy 14 once it drops. "The length of time between these two steps is hilarious to me," writes its poster. "1. Create a character, 2. Play roughly 600 hours of content… Congrats, you're ready to play!" A response under another Redditor's thread is just as funny – if not even more so.

The length of time between these two steps is hilarious to me from r/ffxiv

"The requirements page is so fucking funny because it's two steps," they say, "and it's literally just… Step 1: Create a character and start your journey! :D Step 2: PLAY THE ENTIRE GAME!" Judging by the last crossover and the fact that Rathalos is still in-game in Final Fantasy 14, it's likely the Monster Hunter Wilds content will permanently be available in the MMO – which should hopefully give players plenty of time to catch up.

The Monster Hunter Wilds x Final Fantasy 14 crossover arrives in the MMO in October, but it's not the only exciting news to come from yesterday's Opening Night Live – there's plenty more to come, as per the Gamescom 2025 schedule. For anyone interested in following along with the full event, be sure to explore how to watch The Future Games Show 2025 and this week's other showcases.

While you wait to play the big Monster Hunter Wilds x Final Fantasy 14 crossover this fall, browse through some of the other most exciting new games coming in the future to keep an eye on.

Capcom and Square Enix are teaming up yet again for a Monster Hunter Wilds and Final Fantasy 14 crossover – and it's coming this fall.

As revealed during tonight's Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 showcase, Capcom's working with Final Fantasy 14 developer Square Enix for yet another collaboration with its action RPG series Monster Hunter – this time, Monster Hunter Wilds. The last event to come from both studios was in August of 2018, a whopping seven years ago, when Monster Hunter World and Final Fantasy 14 collided.

Much like during the previous crossover, the action RPG and MMO are both receiving new themed content. Monster Hunter Wilds players can expect to ride Chocobos in place of Seikrets and take on some of Final Fantasy 14's fiercest raid bosses, including "Omega Planetes," a take on Square Enix's Omega foe. As a dedicated raider myself, I'm instantly transported to The Omega Protocol (Ultimate) again – and terrified.

Final Fantasy 14 is receiving its own Monster Hunter Wilds-inspired additions to look forward to, too. From colorful Seikrets to ride to a fearsome Arkveld to fend off, there's a plethora of content drawn from the recent action RPG underway. If the past collab between Capcom and Square Enix offers anything to judge by, then it'll be plenty difficult – and plenty rewarding, to boot.

The Monster Hunter Wilds x Final Fantasy 14 crossover arrives in late September and October, but it's not the only exciting news to come from today's Opening Night Live – there's plenty more to come, as per the Gamescom 2025 schedule. For anyone interested in following along with the full event, be sure to explore how to watch The Future Games Show 2025 and this week's other showcases.

While you wait for the big Monster Hunter Wilds x Final Fantasy 14 crossover, browse through some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on.

Monster Hunter Wilds PC performance hasn't been great for months, but the good news is, Capcom knows this. The bad news is that it sounds like these optimization issues will persist for a few more months, as the studio says it has a plan in place that'll address PC-specific issues kicking off this winter.

"To our hunters playing #MHWilds on PC, we're committed to listening to your feedback and improving both performance and stability of the game," reads a tweet from the official Monster Hunter Twitter account. "Although we will continue to implement gradual improvements in the weeks ahead, we are targeting Free Title Update 4 this winter to implement a multifaceted plan, including CPU and GPU related optimizations, followed by a second stage of mitigation measures afterwards."

Monster Hunter fans have been demanding fixes for the PC port of Wilds since February, using Steam reviews to make their message abundantly clear and thus tanking the game's recent reviews rating on the platform to 'overwhelmingly negative'. It's since climbed back up to 'mostly negative', but it's clear there's still work to be done to get Wilds on PC up to par with other platforms, despite numerous patches.

This winter update seems like Capcom's strongest effort yet at doing that, but it's a damn shame that it's probably coming almost a year after the game's launch. And all of this happening less than a year after the whole Dragon's Dogma 2 PC fiasco is just really not a great look for Capcom. Hopefully, there's something to be learned from these PR bruises that can help iron out future PC issues before launch, although minor bugs and optimization problems are inevitable.

What is wrong with Monster Hunter Wilds? Another debate burns besides difficulty and PC performance: has Capcom removed too much of the classic charm?

The latest Monster Hunter Wilds patch is a perfect distillation of everything people like and dislike about the game, with its community appearing split between different fans pushing for different visions.

The patch added yet another difficulty tier, a new endgame grind in the form of talismans with random skills, and a raft of weapon balance changes (that I was a big fan of as a lance main). It is, by and large, good stuff, though we're still severely lacking in increasingly overdue performance improvements, especially on PC.

Because Monster Hunter Rise started as a Nintendo Switch exclusive, Monster Hunter Wilds marks the first time since Monster Hunter World – which dramatically grew the series' audience – that a new mainline game in the series has launched on almost all major platforms (Nintendo is excluded). It's the most accessible, modern Monster Hunter yet, and 10 million people bought it in a month. We see debates about difficulty, style, and variety with every new Monster Hunter game, but those discussions have seemed especially fierce with Wilds.

We're seeing the effects of audience expansion, with different player demands colliding and Capcom struggling to please both sides in patch after patch. If you ask how hard the game should be, how long hunts should take, and where difficulty should come from, you'll get very different answers depending on who you ask.

Capcom seems desperate to add new content to sustain the game's player base until the inevitable Master Rank DLC arrives, as evidenced by the fact that the latest update moved up several features and changes previously planned for a separate, future patch.

The new difficulty tier, for instance, answers requests for more of a challenge. Some people are happy to feel threatened by monsters again, but other people are quickly getting tired of being killed in one or two hits by monsters they previously didn't have much, or nearly as much, trouble with.

This ever-growing tower of difficulty reveals some inelegance in Wilds' post-launch updates. We now have 9-star versions of Tempered monsters outdoing Arch-Tempered variants meant to be special, end-all name-takers. Similarly, is a grade-5, 8-star monster more dangerous than a grade-3, 9-star?

Only a small selection of monsters have 8-star and 9-star versions, and which monsters are available to hunt at any given time is unpredictable – this funnels players into a small pool of hunts that neglect some of Wilds' best original creatures. The strongest monsters are getting stronger, but Capcom seems unable or unwilling to quickly bring a broader variety of monsters and gear up to the level of the current endgame standard, landing the game in a sort of purgatorial, pseudo-Master Rank.

I don't think any previous Monster Hunter game has made such dramatic difficulty leaps within six months of launch, so it sometimes feel like Wilds is a ship being pushed around by waves of community demands.

In another example, the return of random talismans answered cries for more buildcrafting freedom under the new split armor and weapon skills, but it's also torqued the power level of mixed armor sets to 11, devouring would-be design space for future gear and necessitating stronger monsters that can keep up with players.

You also want to hunt the strongest monsters to get the best of these talismans, putting players back on a wheel that sees half their health bar disappear in two frames. One path here is making those monsters so dangerous, you're strongly encouraged to sacrifice some offensive skills in favor of defensive ones. But then we're back to the difficulty debate.

When Monster Hunter Wilds was released – with seamless food buffs and quest joining, readily obtainable rare drops, a full-throated narrative, no guild multiplayer hub (added later), new Focus Mode attacks, and a combat system infused with reactive Offset attacks – many longtime series fans wondered if Capcom had sanded off too much of the friction and charm that gave the series its own identity.

In almost every update since, Capcom has seemingly sought to add some of that friction back in. But this new patch added a lot of it, forcing players to take on brutal monsters if they want to get the very best randomly rolled gear. Some people love the direction Wilds is headed, others find it off-putting, and others still can't play it at all, because it reduces their PC to ashes.

I've been monitoring Monster Hunter discussions across forums, videos, and social media for months, and this tug-of-war feels eternal. Make this harder, make this easier, make this take longer, make this more rewarding. This patch brought it to a boil, so I wanted to dive in.

The backdrop to all this is the unassailable fact that Wilds is a critical darling (our Monster Hunter Wilds review gave it high marks) and became Capcom's fastest-selling game ever. But based on sharply declining sales, it does seem that the optics on the game, perhaps extending beyond its busted PC port, have had an impact.

My mind goes to the devs championing sicko games made for niche communities, trusting that those games can draw outsiders in if they are good enough. Looking at all the back-and-forth in Wilds' post-launch updates, I do wonder if Capcom has perhaps spent too much energy trying to build a game for everyone.

Monster Hunter Wilds 1.021 is already getting a second hotfix just days after launch, as Capcom confirms that stealth Long Sword nerf was accidental.

A new Monster Hunter Wilds update is here, and you know what that means – it's time to start talking about patches for the patch. First in the line of fixes is a pair of tweaks to notable gameplay bugs, including what initially appeared to be a big nerf to the Monster Hunter Wilds Long Sword.

Patch 1.021 went live on August 12 and included, among many other things, a balance tweak for the Long Sword: "Reduced the delay between input and action when chaining into Iai Spirit Slash from Special Sheathe." That essentially made it a bit easier to time the move to counter monster attacks, but players soon noted they were getting hit far more often after the Iai Spirit Slash should have completed.

Now, Capcom says it's a bug. In a new tweet, the developer says it's a "known issue" that "the invulnerability window upon successfully performing an Iai Spirit Slash with the Long Sword is reduced when used against monster attacks that have long hitbox durations." A hotfix is already in the works (alongside an item bar bug), and once it's done a new hotfix will be deployed.

This will actually mark the second hotfix for 1.021 in just a handful of days, with a previous fix targeting crashes and an issue with bringing the Wide-Range buff online to other players. None of this, of course, addresses the standing issues with performance and debate over difficulty, but hey, at least the small things aren't slipping through the cracks.

A bruised Capcom escapes "Overwhelmingly Negative" Steam hell as Monster Hunter Wilds' recent user reviews climb to 20% positive.

Although Monster Hunter Wilds saw a recent uptick in positive feedback on Steam, seeing its reviews rise to "Mostly Negative" just days ago, a new update has left many uncertain about the action RPG – but once again, the community is divided.

Negative reviews regarding poor PC optimization are nothing new to Capcom, with patches like a big update in June addressing some of fans' most common complaints – but each fix seems to miss the mark for certain players, and the latest update is no exception. Although its most significant changes involve expansions to endgame content and balancing adjustments, Ver. 1.021 – which released just yesterday – also targets PC port-specific bugs.

The new update saw director Yuya Tokuda outline planned adjustments and fixes, too, for PC players and the community as a whole – but fans have been divided since its arrival. While due in part to ongoing problems with the Steam edition of Monster Hunter Wilds – with some taking to Reddit to declare how they're hoping developers "fix the poor game optimization" as Ver. 1.021 leaves much to still repair – the division also boils down to difficulty.

Hoping they fix the poor game optimization from r/MonsterHunter

This stems from the new endgame content: nine-star quests, the accompanying monsters, and the talisman rewards. One frustrated player explains why in an online post – things are too grind-y. "Doing a level 5 difficulty 9-star quest just to get all rarity 5 talismans feels horrible," they write, going on to describe how "people just cart left and right failing quests," and actually obtaining talismans is rare.

Admitting that they've got "about 4,000 hours" across past Monster Hunter games, the poster says that, "just because I can do something, and it's hard, doesn't mean it's fun" – but not every fan agrees. Comments see players state, "That's RNG, baby," while others reply that "it's an endgame grinding system" for a reason. A separate thread on Reddit further highlights the split within the Monster Hunter Wilds community.

The latest patch has convinced me players due not know what the fuck they want from r/MonsterHunter

"The latest patch has convinced me players do not know what the fuck they want," exclaims its original poster, detailing how complaints have seemingly shifted from there not being enough to grind to there being too much of a grind with higher-difficulty monsters. "People's current complaint is that they have to grind the game more," they conclude. "It's like the fandom goes in fuckin' circle."

There certainly seems to be a delicate balance that Capcom hasn't quite managed to strike – although it might not ever, as there are always bound to be complaints for one reason or another. Thankfully, developers are at least listening, rolling out a hotfix for Ver. 1.021 to patch some of its most pressing problems. There's plenty to come as well, with new Title Updates and more underway.

Be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review, or browse through our roundup of the Monster Hunter Wilds weapons while you're here.

Monster Hunter Wilds patch 1.021.00.00 is now live on all platforms, introducing 9-star monsters and randomized charms that throw more fuel on the fire of the grind. It's a pretty beefy endgame update, but I'm personally more interested in the raft of weapon balance changes that accompanied the new monsters.

For a few months now, I've been on a bit of a monster hunting sabbatical, opting to save up content to then burn through once Capcom gives us better versions of several weapons. We already got a great hammer rework, and now my two other mains, lance and great sword, have gotten significant changes in the new patch.

Lance is the big winner in my book. It was noticeably weaker than almost all other weapons pre-patch, and while I'd never expect it to be tier zero given its defensive nature, early testing of across-the-board buffs suggests the gap in power has closed significantly. The counterattack-type moves – retribution thrust, payback thrust, and so on – have gotten the biggest buffs according to garrettrenton's breakdown, and elemental damage seems to have benefited from other value changes.

These changes ought to address two of my biggest complaints with the lance: its central guard and counter mechanic was comically weak, and raw damage lances bulldozed all of the more interesting elemental ones.

Capcom's also made changes to animation speed and hitbox size for several lance attacks, ensuring more consistent hits across the board and letting us weave in moves like the wide sweep attack more fluidly. It instantly feels better in your hands, and hunt times reflect the damage bump. I would juice heavy guard and its retribution thrust a little more, but the weapon's in a much better spot than the last time I played.

That probably would've been enough for me, but Capcom's also gone and beefed up the great sword, which already felt pretty top-tier. Damage values were only slightly increased, which is understandable, but changes to some combo routes – like tackling out of moves like strong wide slash or into true charged slash, or side blow cancelling a leaping wide slash – are a welcome quality-of-life boost.

Insect glaive, light and heavy bowgun, and dual blades also received significant changes in this patch, with a general focus on comfort and consistency with moderate damage boosts to some attacks. Other standouts from the lengthy patch notes include an improved offset attack for switch axe, better enhanced phial damage for charge blade, added hyper armor (interruption resistance) for the hunting horns' hilt stab, and a reverted nerf for the sword and shield's counter slash.

The biggest problem in Monster Hunter Wilds is still the game's performance, especially on PC, and that ought to be Capcom's top priority. But as we wait for planned CPU and GPU optimizations, beefing up the best part of the game – the combat – is a pretty good way to fill time.

A bruised Capcom escapes "Overwhelmingly Negative" Steam hell as Monster Hunter Wilds' recent user reviews climb to 20% positive.

A new Monster Hunter Wilds patch arrives tomorrow with the Ver. 1.021 update, addressing the ongoing negative Steam reviews and adding a plethora of new content to the action RPG.

Fans have been asking Capcom to fix the PC port of Monster Hunter Wilds since February, and although the developers have dropped various patches throughout the months in hopes of resolving the worst problems, including a big update in June, many performance-related issues are still affecting players today. Thankfully, the Ver. 1.021 changes arriving August 13 bring even more fixes for Steam stans – and other long-awaited additions.

As an official letter from director Yuya Tokuda outlines, Capcom is "committed to delivering a more enjoyable and satisfying gaming experience." That's why tomorrow's update "will include expanded endgame content, balance adjustments for weapons, and other adjustments and improvements."

Some improvements, namely those affecting the Steam port and its "game stability," come "in response to numerous player comments" – likely referencing reviews regarding poor PC optimization.

Various bug and crash fixes for PC players accompany the Ver. 1.021 update, but there's more to come. As Tokuda explains, better CPU usage optimization is underway with Title Update 3, but developers do "plan to proceed with caution" while making changes to CPU processing as it "could affect the game's overall performance." Capcom also has tweaks for both CPU and GPU load reduction in the works for "the fourth title update scheduled for this winter."

Ver. 1.021 is packing plenty more than just fixes and optimization for the PC port, though. A new set of high-difficulty quests is coming with nine-star monsters of nine species that appear for players who are HR 100 or above. Tokuda states that such additions will hopefully give "veteran players who have experienced endgame content in previous Monster Hunter titles" more to do, with other adjustments to ensure a "challenging and rewarding" experience.

The update brings better weapon balancing and a new rewards system, too. Following Ver. 1.021, players can "obtain talismans with randomly assigned bonuses, including weapon skills," as rewards for completing the nine-star quests.

Tokuda's letter is worth a read in full as there's quite a bit changing with this patch – with more planned as well. "We will continue to make various fixes and adjustments through future updates," as the lead concludes, "as well as implement additional exciting new content."

Any improvements that aren't going to be launching alongside Ver 1.021 on August 13 will instead drop "in future title updates."

Be sure to check out our Monster Hunter Wilds review, as well as our roundup of the best Monster Hunter Wilds weapons while you're here.

After months of sitting with "Overwhelmingly Negative" reviews on Steam, it seems Monster Hunter Wilds has finally climbed out of the trenches to a "Mostly Negative" recent reception instead – but there's still plenty of room for improvement, especially on the PC port side.

It's no secret that fans have now been asking Capcom to fix the PC release of Monster Hunter Wilds since February, and although developers have dropped various patches throughout the months in hopes of resolving the worst issues, many of the performance-related problems are still affecting players today. The tail end of June saw a big update with fixes for the PC port, but it wasn't enough to change everyone's minds.

The Steam page for Monster Hunter Wilds, albeit slightly improved now in terms of recent reviews with "Mostly Negative" rather than the "Overwhelmingly Negative" feedback the action RPG sat with previously, highlights as much. Some of the newer negative reviews see players remaining critical of the game's performance on PC, with one reporting that it "starts up just fine, but the screen is completely black during cutscenes."

Another features a player joking that it's "a good time to go and play Monster Hunter World instead." There are more positive reviews than before, however, with the game finally peaking its head above the 20% mark." One fan writes that it's "the type of game you can easily sink hundreds of hours into," while also admitting their positive comment applies only "assuming your PC can run the game properly."

Elsewhere amid the positive feedback, somebody exclaims, "Monster Hunter Wilds deserves better reviews" as it's "amazing." It's certainly a mixed bag of reviews overall, but even as the game leans further into a brighter rating, it feels difficult to ignore the ongoing issues some have on PC. Hopefully, upcoming updates will patch out more of the port's problems and perhaps even bring reviews to "Mixed" or "Positive."

After you finish playing one of the best Monster Hunter games to date, here are some of the other most exciting new games this year and beyond to keep an eye on.

Monster Hunter Wilds is getting a few changes that sound like genuine improvements to persisting issues, but with the game's biggest problem by far being its busted PC port, I'm not sure they'll move the needle much in terms of overall perception.

Despite holding its position as one of the best games of 2025 so far amid a year of excellent releases, Monster Hunter Wilds' subpar performance on PC has been a persistent pain point right from launch. Capcom has dropped substantive updates addressing some of the core issues, including a big one related to unusually high CPU load, but "overwhelmingly negative" recent Steam reviews still paint a dire image of the game's performance on PC specifically.

It's with that backdrop that Capcom has announced yet another update with what sounds like some clutch upgrades, but seemingly without any further improvements to the PC version.

Update 1.021 is scheduled to drop Wednesday, August 13, and it'll bring improvements to two categories: general "adjustments" and "world map controls for direction buttons / D-pad."

On that first front, Seikret mounts are getting buffed with "increased turning speed when making 180-degree turns while riding," "faster dismount speed after a successful evasion," and "smoother map opening immediately after mounting."

Great! There's a bit of irony in the fact that Monster Hunter Wilds' poor PC performance has been contributing to some of the issues being addressed here, but it's good to see Capcom taking action regardless.

Meanwhile, when working with a controller's D-pad, "the cursor will now move more appropriately according to the direction of the pressed button for more intuitive navigation," which likewise can only be seen as a good thing assuming the controls will be noticeable tightened.

Still, PC, PC, PC. Until Capcom digs itself out of the Dragon's Dogma 2-sized hole its dug itself with Monster Hunter Wilds' PC port, the platform's performance will likely remain a blemish on an otherwise highly acclaimed game and bonafide GOTY contender.

Alarms must be blaring at Capcom: Monster Hunter Wilds dropped from 10 million sales in a month to under 500k in 3 months, falling behind years-old games as the PC port remains busted

Capcom revealed Monster Hunter Stories 3 during the July Nintendo Direct, potentially causing a particular fan to make an unfortunate mess. Ahead of the showcase, the player posted about being so excited at the prospect of a third installment in the Monster Hunter spin-off, they’d defecate in their pants, leading to serious concern over their laundry situation.

Sure enough, the Direct saw Stories 3 announced for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026. The post, which directly states if this happened, they'd "shit themselves," was already garnering attention by the time the official Monster Hunter account decided to respond.

"Sorry about your pants," the reply reads. I mean, what else needs to be said? Sometimes revealing new games has consequences, and on this occasion, they included one poor player's wardrobe. Alas, all in the name of it being an excellent time to be into Monster Hunter.

Strikingly different from the main games, the Monster Hunter Stories series uses RPG mechanics and has you play a Rider as opposed to a Hunter. As the moniker suggests, that means you spend most of your time riding monsters around instead of hunting them. Through-out each installment, you gather eggs and hatch them, then ride your companions to previously unexplored areas or into battle.

The gameplay is more linear, with a stronger focus on the story than in the namesake, and a cuter aesthetic. Playing it will reward you with more mythology from the Forbidden Lands, if you're into that kind of thing, but these make good stand-alone games regardless.

It's been four years since Monster Hunter Stories 2, hence the anticipation for another. The fourth might come with a little bit of dread now too, for what other bodily disasters it'll bring.

For heading out into the Forbidden Lands, we have a comprehensive Monster Hunter Wilds roster and Monster list to keep you informed.

It was all going so well. For all intents and purposes, Monster Hunter Wilds has been going down extremely well since coming out in February. Millions of players have been decking themselves out in their equipment of choice to tackle the Forbidden Lands, and the huge beasts therein.

Recently, Capcom decided to put the soundtrack up for sale. Neat, right? You can own the glorious music put together by Miwako Chinone, to make every day a good one for finding Arkveld, the White Wraith. Well, not so much.

Not only does the OST cost $75 on Steam, dropping that much money only gets you bog standard MP3. No physical copies, no lossless or other formats to choose from. Granted, there are 126 tracks on offer here, over seven discs, but those options are hilariously poor for the price tag.

All three Steam reviews at time of writing are poor, lambasting the cost and questioning Capcom’s logic. "I don't lack money, but you are highly desperate to sell an OST at this price, keep the negative review," says one user. Another reviewer notes an issue with formatting on iTunes, where the song titles don’t translate properly, a potential annoyance if you decide to invest and it’s still a problem.

With so much good will, this is such an unnecessary and wholly avoidable misstep. The success of Monster Hunter Wilds indicates putting the soundtrack on CD or vinyl (or both) would've been very lucrative, perhaps even selling out among the dedicated fans.

It's important to note, these tunes are all available on streaming services, including Spotify and YouTube. Capcom has gradually put its library up on those platforms for people to access under the Capcom Sound Team. While it's not as convenient as personal ownership, they're definitely more cost effective for the time-being.

Before you step back out for your next hunt, check out our guides to Monster Hunter Wilds crossplay and the best Monster Hunter Wilds armor set.

A fairly throwaway quote from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has somehow gotten stuck in my head. At a recent investor presentation, Guillemot pointed to "a highly competitive environment where players are very sensitive to the quality and content of games," with "bashing" singled out as a risk factor for games. It's a very corporate quote, seemingly deflecting some of the middling to poor reception of some of Ubisoft's recent releases. Players having standards and a voice is not at all a new phenomenon, and it's very much a good thing. But there is something to be said for how games are criticized on the internet today, and how that can affect a game's sales or reputation.

Monster Hunter Wilds comes to mind. Research firm Circana's latest games report notes that Wilds is still the top-selling game in the US for the year, and Capcom previously said it's the fastest-selling game it has ever released. Yet Capcom's latest financial report showed Monster Hunter Wilds sales have gone "soft," plummeting to 500k in three months after shifting 10 million in its launch month, sending stock prices tumbling.

Wilds has become a pariah on Steam, the game's biggest platform in at least the US, for enduring performance problems, and post-launch updates have also given rise to complaints about replayability or game balance.

A good game had a great launch and then fell off a cliff. This is a fairly common situation, but Wilds has taken it to a fairly uncommon extreme, even compared to the once-troubled Monster Hunter World PC release. It's only going to get harder for Capcom, which has largely been enjoying hit game after hit game for several years now, to scrub this stain out of its reputation. The fact that Dragon's Dogma 2, Capcom's previous PC ordeal, is still in pretty bad disrepair certainly doesn't help.

In a recent interview with Circana games executive director Mat Piscatella, I mentioned Monster Hunter Wilds as one topical example of how a game's optics and criticism can have a real, material impact. Piscatella regularly stresses the power of the "Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox" live service giants of the world, and how all other games have to find a way to live in their shadow, and I asked if he feels that this sort of audience black hole is also part of the response in situations like this.

Piscatella says "Wilds is a very interesting case" here. He reckons that in today's market, where so much time and money goes to the same few big games, we can see heightened criticism elsewhere because people have so many other good ways they can spend their time and money. The broader culture around games can also make real or perceived problems (and Wilds' PC problems are extremely real) especially visible.

"It's like the substitution effect, right?" Piscatella begins. "You can go play game A and pay X dollars to get in the door, or you can just fire up the game you're already playing, your forever game that you've been playing for, in some cases, 7 to 10 years, right? That's the choice people are making now.

"Wilds is a very interesting case, because the fan base was so enthusiastic, so dedicated, so loyal, that they really showed up day one. And some of the issues that have been pointed out are kind of seen after the fact, but that was after everyone bought in. And the paths of communication are just so big now. A prominent streamer or YouTuber can single-handedly, by showing one screenshot, really impact what the perception of a game is, right?

A screenshot can do a lot. Monster Hunter Wilds made headlines before and immediately after release for broken textures that could result in horrifying, Nintendo 64-era textures and character models. This was pretty funny in the beta, but it was markedly less funny after the full release, and what was once a fun, origami monster trend began to warp into the face of PC problems as sentiment around the game's performance soured.

"There's all of this communication, there's all of these different ways of getting messages out – a lot of them in good faith, and some of them maybe not in the best of faith – that can influence what a game's perception is," Piscatella says. "And if you have an upfront price on a game to get in it, and you hear streamer X show one screenshot and it's, 'Oh, this game.' It's unfortunate, but yeah, folks are very sensitive to that stuff because they hear it.

"And because the price of entry is what it is, and the substitute options are free, yeah, the stakes are incredibly high."

Most of the best-selling PS5 games of the last few months are actually Microsoft games, with Forza Horizon 5 and Oblivion Remastered leading the way.