Monster Hunter has an incredibly rich history with Nintendo platforms. The 3DS especially received a healthy bunch of games in the series, including Monster Hunter 4, Monster Hunter Generations, and more. That trend continued with Monster Hunter Rise, which released exclusively for Nintendo Switch at launch. Now, well over a year and a half after launch, the latest mainline game in the franchise, Monster Hunter Wilds, is finally jumping to Nintendo Switch 2.
I had the chance to spend 30 minutes with the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 port of Monster Hunter Wilds at Tokyo Game Show, and it’s safe to say this is more than a worthwhile port for fans looking to take Wilds on the go. I was only able to test out the handheld version of the game, so we’ll have to wait until launch for a look at docked. Personally, though, handheld is where it matters for me, and I was pretty content with what I saw.
I had time to take on two quests, and these both played out just like on any other platform. All the base game content and its updates are included, and Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is planned for release on Switch 2 next year alongside other platforms.
This version of the game targets 30FPS, and it’s surprisingly quite stable. Capcom does give you the option to choose between 30FPS or uncapped, though, which is nice. I appreciate that being there, but the 30FPS cap is definitely the way to go for the smoothest experience, at least in my brief time with the game. If you are not familiar with Monster Hunter Wilds, this game was pretty notorious for performance issues around launch on PC. Many handheld PCs like the Steam Deck could simply not run the game, with the latter not even receiving playable status until earlier this Summer. Therefore, it’s pretty impressive that Wilds runs as well as it does on the Switch 2.
Visually, the port is solid. I noticed a few bits of temporal upscaling artifacting that is far from distracting, especially in handheld mode, but it is present. Still, all of the areas I was able to explore looked good and up to par for the platform. Capcom has been stellar thus far with its Switch 2 support, and I expect Wilds will be no different.
It’s worth noting that both visuals and performance could be improved by launch, as this build is still a few months away from release. Overall, though, I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far of Wilds on Switch 2. It’s definitely more than passable, and players should have no issue hopping in and joining the hunt wherever they are.
Monster Hunter Wilds is set to release for Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2026.
