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Monster Hunter Wilds preload guide: release date, file size, and more

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Gameplay from Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom

It might only be February but one of the most anticipated upcoming video games of the year is already coming in the form of Monster Hunter Wilds. This latest entry in the hit hunting franchise promises a ton of new features, such as dynamic weather and the ability to swap weapons during the hunt. Thanks to it being a cross-platform game as well, you can even enjoy taking down all the massive monsters with friends on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Veteran hunters will know that preparing for a hunt is the most important part, and the same is true for getting ready for the game’s February 28 release date. Here’s all the preload information you need to be ready to hunt as soon as possible.

Monster Hunter Wilds release date

One of the main characters of Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom

Monster Hunter Wilds will be released on February 28. There are no options to get early access to the game, so hopefully you were able to participate in one of the open betas beforehand if you wanted to try the game out early.

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Monster Hunter Wilds file size

A hunter fighting a fights a beast in monster hunter wilds.
Capcom

According to the PC requirements for Monster Hunter Wilds, the game will need at least 75GB of free space. While that is technically just for the PC version, file sizes tend to be more or less consistent between PC and consoles. If you’re on PS5 or Xbox Series X, you should clear at least that much room on your consoles, if not go up to 100GB to be on the safe side.

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Monster Hunter Wilds preload options

A still from the cinematic trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds at Summer Game Fest 2024.
Capcom

Console players on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S can preload Monster Hunter Wilds starting at midnight on February 26, which will give you two days to get the game installed before launch.

PC players will have less time to preload. On Steam, preloads are set to go live on February 17, just one day before release. Either way, so long as you are able to get the preload started, you should have plenty of time to download the game.

Monster Hunter Wilds preorder details

A hunter dodges a monster in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Capcom

Preorders for Monster Hunter Wilds have appeared on the site since its release date was confirmed. There are three editions for you to pick from, including Standard, Deluxe, and Premium Deluxe but preordering any version will allow you to preload the game. Here’s what is included in each version and how much they cost:

Standard – $70

  • Monster Hunter Wilds base game.

Deluxe Edition – $90

  • Everything from the Standard Edition.
  • Deluxe Pack, which includes layered armor for your hunter and Palico, Seikret decorations, gestures, hairstyles, face pain, stickers, a pendant, and hunter profile.

Premium Deluxe Edition – $110

  • Everything from the previous editions.
  • Cosmetic DLC pack 1 and 2 coming in spring and summer 2025, respectively.
  • Music track of Proof of a Hero.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
How to upgrade armor in Monster Hunter Wilds
A Monster Hunter Wilds character wielding the Lance.

Staying alive shouldn't be a surprising tip or trick you need to learn in Monster Hunter Wilds. While upgrading your weapons comes down to forging new ones with Gemma, which is made all the easier with the wishlist feature, the early hours of Monster Hunter Wilds will force you to make new armor sets if you want to increase your defense. Once you get a bit further into the story, though, you will be able to upgrade your existing armor so you can keep all your favorite perks and skills associated with it. Here is when you can upgrade your armor and how it works.
How to upgrade armor

You won't be able to upgrade your armor until the early parts of Chapter 2. Once you reach the Oilwell Basin region and can access the forge again, Gemma will tell you about armor upgrades.

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Capcom races to fix a game-breaking bug in Monster Hunter Wilds
A haunter and palico in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Monster Hunter Wilds is a runaway success by any metric, shattering previous Capcom records for concurrent players on Steam and bringing loads of new hunters into the fold. Unfortunately, a few players have encountered a bug that halts their forward progress in the main story, and Capcum is rushing to issue a fix.

To simplify the bug, it makes a necessary NPC play hooky. Rather than appearing where they are supposed to, the NPC just...doesn't show up, and without them, you can't progress any further. However, if you've progressed to Chapter 5-3 already, you're in the clear and have nothing to worry about.

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Where to find iron in Monster Hunter Wilds
Gemma working the forge in Monster HUnter WIlds.

Ask any Monster Hunter Wilds player and they will tell you that the most important tip and trick to know is how vital it is to always upgrade your gear. There are no levels like a normal RPG, so the only way to get stronger is to forge better weapons and armor at the blacksmith. Like almost every game, you can't just make better gear for free. It costs you money and the raw materials to make it. One of the early materials you will need to get is iron. Unlike monster parts, you need to go out of your way to find deposits of iron to mine to get your hands on it. If you're at a loss for where to track down this ore, here's where you can find iron in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Where to find iron

Iron is a very common resource in the starting area of Monster Hunter Wilds, Windward Plains, but it also shows up in Scarlet Forest. You can see it as a big blue geode on the ground and a blue icon on your map. The easiest way to locate them on your map is to open your map and open the Filter Icons menu. Turn everything off except for the Mining Outcrop icons. Then, all you need to do is find an iron one on your map, set a waypoint, and have your Seikret take you there.

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