The Monster Hunter Wilds beta will let players try out the game ahead of its release later this year. There’s a variety of missions to take on, from a small slice of a story mission to repeatable monster hunts. All in all, it looks set to give players a good opportunity to experience some of the new weapon mechanics and see the new environments in action.
From what we’ve seen so far, and from what we played in our Monster Hunter Wilds preview, the game is primed to push the series forward, with evolving landscapes and more complex monster behaviors. This time around, you can bring multiple weapons into hunts with you, a huge change that’ll likely allow for more build experimentation. It’s changes like these that make us hopeful that Monster Hunter Wilds will end up on our best crossplay games list by the end of the year.
Here’s when you’ll be able to play the Monster Hunter Wilds beta, whether that’s as a PS5 player, an Xbox player, or someone playing on PC. We’ll also detail what to expect from the beta, including rewards that’ll transfer over to the full game at launch.
Monster Hunter Wilds beta release date for PlayStation, Xbox and PC
The Monster Hunter Wilds beta starts on Thursday, February 6, 2025 and runs through until Sunday, February 9, 2025. This is the first open beta period, available for those on PlayStation, Xbox and PC. This will then be followed by one final test period, also available on all platforms:
- Weekend One (all platforms): February 6 at 10PM ET / 7PM PT (February 7 at 3AM GMT) – February 9 at 9:59AM ET / 6:59AM PT (February 10 at 2:59AM GMT)
- Weekend Two (all platforms): February 13 at 10PM ET / 7PM PT (February 14 at 3AM GMT) – February 16 at 9:59AM ET / 6:59AM PT (February 17 at 2:59AM GMT)
Monster Hunter Wilds beta rewards
There are two main Monster Hunter Wilds beta rewards that can be transferred to the full game at launch:
- Open Beta Test Bonus Pendant (Pictured above)
- Open Beta Test 2 Bonus Item Pack: Raw Meat x10, Shock Trap x3, Pitfall Trap x3, Tranq Bomb x10, LargeBarrel Bomb x3, Armor Sphere x5, Flash Pod x10, Large Dung Pod x10
Note that in order to redeem the rewards at launch, you will need to be playing on the same platform where you played the beta.
Monster Hunter Wilds beta – what to expect
The Monster Hunter Wilds open beta will feature a character creator, as well as two main missions to take on. The first mission is the Story Trial, where you’ll experience the opening cutscene and play the Chatacabra Hunt with some basic tutorials enabled. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the basics, you can take on the Doshaguma Hunt. The goal here is to defeat the alpha of the Doshaguma pack. Explore on your Seikret, and switch between two different weapon types on the fly.
As part of open beta test 2, which starts February 9, 2025, the Gypceros Hunt will be available, in addition to everything that was included in the first test. There’s more to be announced soon as well, so we might see another monster or two.
Monster Hunter Wilds FAQ
Does progress from the beta carry over into Monster Hunter Wilds?
While main progress from the Monster Hunter Wilds doesn’t carry over into the full game, you will earn the aforementioned rewards for participating. In addition, you can import your Character data over once the game launches. This means your main Hunter design, as well as your main Palico companion.
Does the Monster Hunter Wilds beta feature crossplay?
Yes, the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta will feature crossplay, across PS5, Xbox and PC.
Can you play the Monster Hunter Wilds beta Solo?
You can play the Monster Hunter Wilds beta solo if you wish. There’s also the SOS Flare function, which allows you to call in other online players, or to call for help from NPC Support Hunters.
What is the Monster Hunter Wilds beta file size?
For open beta 2, it’s recommended to have 29GB of space, so expect things to be a bit bigger than last time.
