Monster Hunter Wilds review

Monster Hunter Wilds takes the No. 1 spot because it pairs the series' hunt and craft loop with ongoing support, and it now costs $39.99 on Steam. Capcom sends you into the Forbidden Lands, an unsurveyed region where the weather shifts between Fallow, Inclemency and Plenty periods, and monsters change how they hunt with each period. Every hunt feeds the loop the series is known for: you harvest materials from what you defeat and forge new weapons and armor from them. Friends can join through online co-op, and the Steam page lists cross-platform multiplayer. A free Prologue Demo runs up to the To the Forest mission and its save carries over to the full game. The catch is hardware: the minimum PC spec is 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1660 and 75 GB of storage, and Capcom has published notices about ongoing optimization work. Capcom has also announced a Ver. 2 update alongside the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion.

Who it is for

players who want a current, fully supported monster hunting game

Price

$39.99 one-time on Steam for the base game; Gold Edition and DLC sold separately.

This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality. $39.99 Buy on Steam
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 11, 2026.

Key features

• Forbidden Lands environments cycle through Fallow, Inclemency and Plenty periods that change which monsters hunt and where
• Gear is forged from materials harvested from the monsters you defeat
• Online co-op with cross-platform multiplayer, per the Steam page
• Free Prologue Demo whose save data transfers to the full game
• Ver. 2 update announced to launch alongside the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: $39.99 on Steam in November 2026, the same price as Monster Hunter Rise
• Strength: Free Prologue Demo on Steam and Nintendo Switch 2 lets you try it before buying
• Strength: Over 204,000 Steam user recommendations, the most of any Capcom game on this list
• Weakness: Minimum PC spec asks for 16 GB of RAM, a GTX 1660 class GPU and 75 GB of storage
• Weakness: Steam minimum spec lists a broadband connection
• Weakness: Capcom posted in December 2025 that it was still working on optimization and stability

Key facts

• Developer: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
• Released on Steam: Feb 27, 2025
• Minimum RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 75 GB
• Demo: Free Prologue Demo, save transfers

Where it ranks

Monster Hunter Wilds is No. 2 in our Best Monster Games verdict.