Skip to main content

Slay creatures at high resolutions when ‘Monster Hunter World’ hits PC in August

Monster Hunter: World - PC Trailer

Monster Hunter World is already the best-selling Capcom game in history, with more than 8 million copies sold, and it was only released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in January. Up to this point, PC players have been left out of the action, but they’ll be able to hunt down and mercilessly slaughter monsters like the rest of us when it comes to the platform this August.

Monster Hunter World will release for PC on Steam, and those who pre-order the game will get access to the Origin armor set and Fair Wind Charm. These are the same pre-order bonus items that were available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions earlier this year.

Capcom also released the system specifications needed to run the game on PC, and they’re surprisingly modest. It’s recommended that you have an Intel Core i3 8350 CPU at 4GHz and a GTX 1060 GPU, along with 8 GB of RAM, and the game will only take up 20GB of storage space. If you want to run the game at minimum settings, you’ll even be able to get away with a GTX 760 GPU, a card that came out more than five years ago.

Customization options appear to be extensive, with the ability to change water reflection, foliage sway, subsurface scattering, ambient occlusion, dynamic range, and several other elements. One other feature will be included that players aren’t likely to appreciate — Denuvo DRM. The software is intended to stop players from tampering with the game, but it has been known to cause performance issues in other titles and can typically be “cracked” in a matter of days or weeks.

Monster Hunter World comes to PC on August 9, and Capcom plans to support the game with free content updates similar to those for console versions.

The game isn’t available on Nintendo Switch and it seems unlikely the system will be capable of running it, but you can buy Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for Switch on August 28. An updated version of the 3DS game Monster Hunter Generations, the Switch version supports four-player cooperative play either locally or online, and it should give you your Monster Hunter fix while you’re on the go.

Editors' Recommendations

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak DLC: All new monsters explained
Two hunters fighting a winged monster.

Every new entry in the Monster Hunter series brings a mix of new and old monsters to hunt down, carve up, and craft into your very own armor and weapons. Just like in the Pokemon franchise, it's really the monsters, not your character, that is the main attraction. Monster Hunter Rise started out with a decent-sized roster of massive beasts to keep you occupied through all the various hunter ranks, but eventually, you will become an expert hunter who knows exactly what to expect from each and every hunt.

Capcom is aware of this, which is why DLC for their Monster Hunter games is so important. They bring in even more new creatures to learn, grind, and just marvel at. Sunbreak for Monster Hunter Rise is one of the most extensive DLCs the series has seen yet and is well worth picking up your weapons once again to explore the new environments and see what dangerous predators await you. If you want to get a sneak peek at all the new monsters laying in wait in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, here's a full list with some basic tips to help your first hunt be a success.
All new monsters added in Sunbreak
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak brings in a total of 17 monsters to the roster, seven of which are returning from previous entries. Six are subspecies, and four are completely new, too. Here's the full list, plus their general strengths and weaknesses:
Gore Magala

Read more
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak introduces a vampiric dragon
monster hunter rise sunbreak monsters malzeno

During the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak digital event, Capcom showed off a brand-new trailer featuring older monsters and new ones. The clip included the expansion's flagship dragon, Malzeno.

Malzeno is a vampiric elder dragon that captures monsters and steals their life force. It also has the ability to inflict the Bloodblight status, which causes hunters to slowly lose their HP in a tug-of-war fashion with it. In order for hunters to regain lost HP due to Bloodblight, it seems like they'll have to keep attacking Malzeno. If a hunter succumbs to Bloodblight, then Malzeno will use the life force to evolve into a more powerful form.

Read more
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak refreshes the game in June
Hunters celebrate in the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak expansion.

Capcom finally gave a thorough overview and revealed a release date for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak during a digital event today. This major expansion for the Nintendo Switch and PC Monster Hunter game will be released on June 30. 
Monster Hunter Digital Event - March 2022
As Iceborne did for Monster Hunter World, players can expect this expansion to introduce plenty of new monsters, characters, and other content for Monster Hunter Rise players to sink their teeth into once they've made their way through the main game. Players must complete the seven-star hub quest "Serpent Goddess of Thunder" to access Sunbreak. 
Sunbreak takes place in a new area called The Citadel and gives the player a new base of operations called the Elgado Outpost. From here, players will work with lots of new characters from a distant, Britain-inspired kingdom to take down The Three Lords, the gigantic monsters threatening that foreign civilization.
The Three Lords are Garangolm, a large monster that attacks with both fire and water elements, Lunagaron, an icy fanged wyvern, and Malzeno, an elder dragon. These won't be the only new monsters, as Capcom also highlighted the Blood Orange Bishaten and a new version of Astalosed in the presentation. The expansion will also introduce new Master Rank quests for hardcore players and new wirebug actions.
Alongside the release of Sunbreak, Monster Hunter Rise will receive a massive 13 GB update that will adjust game balance and character edit vouchers in addition to preparing the software for this expansion. Players can also expect amiibo of the "Canyne Malzeno" Palamute, "Felyne Malzeno" Palico, and Malzeno to release alongside the game, these will unlock special armor and let players get items from a daily lottery. 
Overall, Sunbreak is stacking up to be a meaty expansion that will please Monster Hunter Rise players. It will cost $40 for those who already own Monster Hunter Rise, though new players will be able to pick up the Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak Set for $70.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will be released for both Nintendo Switch and PC on June 30, 2022, though Capcom teased that the expansion will get plenty of updates following its release

Read more