‘Monster Hunter’ Returns With Its Wildest Game Yet

We’re slowly getting a better picture of what the biggest games of 2025 will be.

The very long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI is an obvious headliner. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is going to be a can’t-miss game for anyone who loved Pokémon Legends: Arceus half as much as I did. We’re already getting our taste of an unfinished Hades 2, and the finished version can only be better. But the “current highlights of 2025” wouldn’t be complete without the highly-anticipated Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter Wilds is the fifth game in the current run of Capcom’s beloved (and critically acclaimed) Monster Hunter series. The thrilling fights against big beasties have been enthralling players ever since the first Monster Hunter game dropped on PlayStation 2 in 2004. The previous entry, Monster Hunter: Rise, made a huge splash upon its release in 2021. It was exciting, addictive, and a blast to play. Rise also served as an entry point to the series for a whole new legion of fans.

Needless to say, Monster Hunter fans old and new have been eagerly awaiting Wilds. As the Monster Hunter series celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024, here’s everything we know so far.

First gameplay trailer

While Monster Hunter Wilds was announced during the Game Awards in 2023, we didn’t get a proper trailer until the PlayStation State of Play on May 30, 2024. The trailer is three minutes of pure Monster Hunter glory.

We get our first look at the game’s setting, an explored place tantalizingly called the Forbidden Lands. The first place you’ll land is the Windward Plains, which has a couple different ecosystems. Most excitingly, there’s a vast desert here, which even offers the occasional punishing sandstorm. The desert seems to eventually turn into a more forgiving grassland setting. In either case, you can expected to see the Windward Plains populated by entire herds of monsters.

We also get to see two new monsters in the trailer. First is the Doshaguma, with its lion-like mane, scary face, and imposing fangs. The game’s high-quality graphics really give you the opportunity to see every contour of the Doshaguma’s saliva in crystal-clear HD as it tries to swallow your player character whole. Hooray?

The second new monster we’re introduced to is called the Chatacabra. It’s an imposing amphibian whose giant tongue would put even Lickitung to shame. Seriously, the trailer shows the player character having to actively dodge a swipe from that tongue. That gigantic, thicc tongue is probably going to make its way into my nightmares.

You’ll play as a hunter (male or female) assigned to the Forbidden Lands Research Commission. The trailer also introduces us to some of our future allies. There’s the aptly named Palico, a Felyne in a cute hat; the quietly nerd-coded Alma, the team’s Handler; Gemma, the smithy with the bomb-ass ponytail; and a quiet, mysterious young boy named Nata.

What do we know about gameplay?

The gameplay showcased in the trailer looks gorgeous and even more ambitious than previous Monster Hunter entries. The official website notes that Wilds will offer players “the most evolved action and improved immersion in any Monster Hunter to date.” Slightly bizarre syntax aside, the Wilds trailer certainly makes it seem like the game will deliver on that promise.

Going between the Forbidden Lands’ desert and the Windward Plains seems to be key to the game’s new mechanics. The introduction of herds is also intriguing—because it’s not just the smaller monsters who stick together. Some of the big guys form packs as well, which means leading a big guy away from his herd will be strategically important.

You’ll be traversing all of this on a lovely bird-lizard mount called a Seikret. As if to trigger some of my fondest memories of Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom, you can use your long-range weapon while on your Seikret. Alas, it doesn’t seem you can use a melee weapon. Wilds will make up for that with the option of inserting an extra weapon into your Seikret’s “weapon sling,” which sounds fun as hell.

Obviously, the cornerstone of every Monster Hunter game is the hunting. The official website promises “new moves, a huge variety of weapons and equipment, and more ways to use monsters and the environment to your advantage.” Combat itself seems like it will be incredibly dynamic. The game will offer a new “focus mode” to more precisely aim your attacks (and your guards).

Each of the classic 14 weapon types from the series are confirmed to return in Wilds. They’ll all have new moves and new action features to spice things up a bit. For example, the new Hook Slinger can be used while mounted on your Seikret to gather items while on the run.

When will Monster Hunter Wilds come out, and on which platforms?

All we know for sure at the moment is that Monster Hunter Wilds will come out sometime in 2025. Many in the games world are guessing that Monster Hunter Wilds will be a Q1 release, which means it would drop sometime between January and March. That information is pure conjecture, not official, but wouldn’t it be lovely and convenient if it were true?

Now, here comes the more interesting part if you’re a geek like me. The previous game, Monster Hunter: Rise, was native to the Nintendo Switch. In fact, you could make a solid argument that its incredible success was due in large part to the Switch’s ridiculously large player base.

But when it was announced at the Game Awards in 2023, Monster Hunter Wilds listed its platforms as the PlayStation 5, XBox, and PC. The Switch, you’ll notice, was conspicuously missing. What’s more, at the current moment, the official website only connects to the game’s PS5 and Steam pages. Since the first trailer dropped during a PlayStation State of Play, Wilds seems to be touting itself as primarily a PS5 game.

The omission of the Switch is incredibly surprising. One explanation could be that Nintendo plans to announce the Switch’s successor before the end of the year, and Wilds is planned to be a launch title for the unannounced new system—but won’t appear on the Switch at all.

In any case, as we get closer to 2025, we’re sure to learn much more about Monster Hunter Wilds (and the Switch successor).