Big Preview: Monster Hunter Wilds – Exclusive access and hands-on impressions of Capcom's most ambitious entry yet

I spent 5 hours with a new build of Monster Hunter Wilds and it solved basically every problem I had after playing the beta – now this really feels like Monster Hunter World 2: Those who have been craving a new game in the series to evolve on Monster Hunter World's ambitions need look no further: this is it. While we loved Monster Hunter Rise, this is a different beast entirely, pushing the series forward in new and exciting ways. Quite simply put, it feels thrilling to play, and Capcom have come a long way compared to previous hands-on sessions.

After hours with the new Monster Hunter Wilds build, we already want hundreds more: Again, we came away from our latest play session in Osaka thrilled at how well the game is coming together, making huge strides from its recent open beta, which we had a few quibbles with. Almost as if Capcom took a peek inside our secret diaries (or, I guess, just read our Monster Hunter Wilds beta preview), these have been handily addressed. Thanks to all of its new features, Monster Hunter Wilds is even looking like a great on-boarding point for new players too.

I went all the way to Japan to ask the Monster Hunter Wilds devs what the heck they've done to my favorite weapon, and what do you know, they were prepared: Give lance a chance! That's what we've done during our recent hands-on, where we actually weren't allowed to play around with it. Nevertheless, we decided to pick apart one of our beloved top-tier weapons to ask about the changes. And they are coming, as the staff at Capcom's HQ tell us. But we'll have to wait a bit longer. Read on to learn more.

Capcom wanted to do more with Monster Hunter: World and "didn't give up" on those ideas – now "Monster Hunter Wilds made it possible" to try again: While we did love Monster Hunter Rise, some were understandably disappointed that the move to a Nintendo Switch-first release meant cutting back on some of MH: World's ambition. We speak to the developers about how Monster Hunter Wilds feels like it's revitalizing that promise.

Monster Hunter Wilds director confirms my suspicions: a bug made monsters run away too frequently in the beta and the full game doesn't have this problem: Yep, it wasn't just you, there were some issues with the recent beta that are being ironed out. And we're happy to report from our more up-to-date hands-on and chat with the devs that they're well aware of what's need to improve. It's a great sign that so much has been taken seriously, and that the game has grown so significantly since we last got to play around with it.

Monster Hunter Wilds hitstop feels way better in the non-beta build, and the game's director was happy to juice it back up after overseas players apparently hated it in World: We got a chance to sit down with Monster Hunter Wilds director Yuya Tokuda when visiting the studio in Japan, telling us plenty about the development of the latest in the series, and the way hitstops were handled proved to be a standout topic. "When Monster Hunter World was released, many of the users from overseas commented that the hitstop was way too hard," Tokuda begins, discussing more about the way things have changed this time around.

Monster Hunter Wilds guide: Thumbed through our entire Monster Hunter Wilds Big Preview field guide? Think you're ready to join the hunt? Well, there's still plenty more to learn. Thanks to a very close release date on 28 February, 2025, we've collected together plenty more information to give you everything you need to know. From how hunts have evolved since the last game, to its PC system requirements, you'll find it all here.