When is the Monster Hunter Wilds release date? With the recent resurgence of Monster Hunter World and Rise in late 2023, there’s naturally a bit of a buzz regarding the first sixth-generation Monster Hunter. The first trailer had a hunter riding his bird friend as they desperately tried to escape a horde of armored beasts like Simba weaving between the stampeding wildebeest in The Lion King.
However, this tease is all we’re getting for now, and we will be waiting a long time to play Monster Hunter Wilds. That said, we’re already seeing some big changes to the RPG game series, not least of which is the sheer level of mobility the mount offers. With the power offered by new-generation consoles, perhaps this will be the first in the series to properly embrace a fully open-world game concept. We can all but estimate here, but here is everything we currently know about the Monster Hunter Wilds release date, and all the game features shown off so far.
Monster Hunter Wilds release date estimate
We estimate that the Monster Hunter Wilds release date is Q1 2025, and it will be the first game in the mainline series to come to PC from day one. It is also coming to both Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on the same date.
However, we reckon there’s a trend on when Monster Hunter games release. Capcom usually releases a game during the first quarter of the year, and historically, those games have been mostly brand-new Monster Hunter games: World, released on consoles in January 2018, and Rise, released on Switch in March 2021. The last game to be released in the second half of the year was Generations on the 3DS. We wouldn’t be surprised if Monster Hunter Wilds follows this trend and releases in Q1 2025.
Monster Hunter Wilds was first announced during the Game Awards 2023 show, but we also got a post in the New Year on X (formerly known as Twitter) from series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto, who states that the team “is deep in development and working diligently towards release in 2025.
Monster Hunter Wilds news
During the same video from the New Year post, Ryozo Tsujimoto also confirmed that “The next announcement for the game is planned for Summer 2024”, adding that “we hope you look forward to it.”
The first trailer gives us an early look at Monster Hunter Wilds’ new mount and potentially a gameplay variant. The mount is very similar to Monster Hunter Rise’s Palamutes; only it’s a feathered creature with wings. It can also glide for a short time and is a bit more nimble, able to hop between crags.
The trailer primarily shows a herd of smaller herbivorous monsters being pursued by three bear-like sand-dwelling large monsters right as a sandstorm hits. Inside the sandstorm, we see a storm erupt as the bears begin to tear apart their armored prey. We also see a similar sand cloud at the end of the trailer transform a barren wasteland into rich plains with flowing rivers and lush grass.
All known monsters in Monster Hunter Wilds
Historically, there are three different types of monsters in the series: small monsters, large monsters, and Elder Dragons. Typically, Elder Dragons are late-game bosses that are kept as a surprise until the game’s release, though the likes of Nergigante and Velkhana from Monster Hunter World and its Iceborne expansion were flagship monsters.
New large monsters
The only one of these we’ve seen so far is the bear-like beast that chases the pangolin-like herbivores as the player flees the oncoming sandstorm. They have big red faces and lion-like bodies that most closely resemble Goss Harag, a monster first introduced in Monster Hunter Rise. However, they seem more beast-like, with behaviors similar to Arzuros – the badger-like monster last seen in Rise.
Returning large monsters
So far, the only returning monster that we’ve seen so far from the trailer is none other than series staple Rathalos, who we see swooping across the plains at the end of the trailer. Rathalos is generally considered a mid-late campaign boss and regularly uses rather chaotic fire attacks. He’s also been known to poison with his claws and swipe would-be hunters with his tail.
Small monsters
The small monsters shown in the trailer are brand new and resemble Pangolins. They are a dimorphic species as the males have massive spikes erupting through their backs, while the females keep a more streamlined appearance. This is similar to Kestodons from previous games, where the males are noticeably larger than the females.
Alongside them, there are some very small lizard-like monsters, also fleeing the large beast-like enemies. Early shots also show small birds resting on top of the Pangolin-like monsters and a single flying Winddrake variant (it’s unknown if this is a brand new small monster or an existing Winddrake). At the very end of the trailer, we also see some bipedal grazers toward the left side of the screen. However, due to being very far away from the main shot, it’s unclear if these are returning creatures or brand-new ones.
It’s going to be quite a wait before we learn the Monster Hunter Wilds release date, so until then, here’s a list of the best games like Monster Hunter if you want to scratch that particular itch. Otherwise, there are also lists of the best upcoming games of 2024, as well as the best PC games of the past year.