Monster Hunter Rise error code 2003-0013 causing hard crashes on Switch

Nintendo Switch error code 2003-0013 has been making the rounds since the release of Monster Hunter Rise, but curiously, it's not listed in the official Nintendo Switch support archives. Based on our own experience and many player reports, this error code is unique to Monster Hunter Rise, but its exact cause is still something of a mystery.

We've personally encountered this error code a few times while playing Monster Hunter Rise. In all cases, the Switch hit a black-screen hard crash and required a manual reset. Fortunately, there were no lingering effects from the crash – nothing like the obscure save-locking bug which has also hit Rise – and Monster Hunter Rise auto-saves frequently, but the disruption itself is obviously annoying.

We reached out to Nintendo support to see if they knew anything about this error code, and the representative we spoke to couldn't find anything similar in the company's logs. They were also unsure what may be causing the crash, but they did offer a suggestion: play, and stay, in online mode in the game itself. I've personally hit this error code in offline mode (at the gathering hub while speaking to the blacksmith), so I don't know whether maintaining an online connection would've helped me there, but I'll try anything once.

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Players around the world have encountered this crash during loading screens, in the middle of quests, in both local and online multiplayer, while navigating NPC menus, and after using the in-game camera. The sheer variety of reports suggests that there's no definitive trigger, so unless Nintendo support is right and it is connection-related, there doesn't seem to be a way to completely avoid it.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.