If you’re a long-time Monster Hunter fan or a newcomer curious about the franchise’s latest open-world entry, you’ve probably asked yourself how much time you need to set aside to get through the game. The Monster Hunter series is famous for its deep grind, challenging hunts, and hundreds of hours of optional content, so it’s normal to want to plan your play schedule ahead. We pulled data from early access playtests, veteran player runs, and our own hands-on time to break down exactly how long to beat Monster Hunter Wilds across every common playstyle, plus what factors will add or cut time from your run.
How Long to Beat Monster Hunter Wilds for Different Playstyles
The first thing to note is that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, because Wilds gives players so much freedom to choose how they engage with its world. For players who stick strictly to critical path main quests, skip all side content, and only craft the bare minimum gear needed to progress, you’re looking at roughly 25 to 30 hours of playtime to roll credits on the main story. That number assumes you’re already familiar with Monster Hunter mechanics, don’t get stuck on any single monster for too long, and don’t spend extra time exploring the open biomes. If you’re the type of player who likes to clear most side quests, collect basic endemic life, and craft a few favorite gear sets as you go, your total playtime will jump to between 50 and 60 hours. This is the most common playstyle for casual fans, and it lets you experience most of what Wilds has to offer without diving into the super grindy endgame. Completionists who want to collect every armor set, max out every weapon type, find all hidden endemic life, and clear every single quest in the game should plan for 120+ hours of playtime, with that number going even higher if you chase top-tier endgame builds and leaderboard rankings.
Factors That Add Extra Time to Your Wilds Playthrough
Most players won’t fall exactly into the ranges we listed above, because there are dozens of small and large choices that will shift your total playtime up or down. The most common time sinks you’ll run into include:
- Repeated hunts for rare monster parts to craft optimal low, high, and master rank gear sets
- Exploring the game’s four massive open biomes to find hidden endemic life, treasure chests, and unmarked side quests
- Co-op sessions with friends where you help them clear their own quest lines or mess around with silly custom hunts
- Experimenting with the franchise’s 14 unique weapon types to find the one that fits your playstyle best
How Co-op Changes Your Total Playtime
Monster Hunter Wilds’ full drop-in, drop-out co-op is one of its biggest selling points, and it can have a huge impact on how long it takes you to beat the game. If you’re playing with a group of friends who are all at the same skill level and working through the same story quests, you can cut your total playtime by 15 to 20% compared to a solo run. Group play lets you split up to target different monster parts, apply more status effects, and revive each other if you take a fatal hit, so you’ll wipe less often and finish hunts faster. That said, co-op can also add a lot of time to your playthrough if you’re not careful. Co-op exclusive quests don’t count towards main story progression, so if you spend a bunch of time running those with friends, you won’t make any progress on the critical path. I played through the first 10 hours of Wilds with two friends who are brand new to the Monster Hunter franchise, and we spent almost double the time I spent on my solo run just laughing and reviving each other when we got hit by the Anjanath’s unexpected fire breath. If you’re playing with newer players, you’ll also have to take time to explain mechanics, help them craft better gear, and carry them through harder hunts, all of which adds to your total playtime.
Tips to Cut Down Unnecessary Grind Without Skipping Content
You don’t have to spend 100+ hours in Wilds if you don’t want to, and there are plenty of ways to cut down on unnecessary grind without missing out on the best parts of the game. Prioritize crafting only the gear you need for the next story monster – you don’t need a full armor set for every single rank, and you can upgrade the pieces you already have with armor spheres to hold you over until you reach high rank. This cuts down on the number of extra hunts you have to run for low rank parts that will become obsolete in a few hours of play. Use endemic life buffs before every hunt to reduce fight time by up to 30% – the open biomes are full of plants and creatures that give you attack up, defense up, elemental resistance, and even temporary health boosts that make even the hardest hunts way faster. You don’t have to collect every single buff, but grabbing 2 or 3 before you start a hunt will save you a lot of time repeating failed runs. Joining random co-op hunts for materials you need is way faster than farming solo, because other players might already have the quest unlocked, so you don’t have to progress through side quests to get to the monster you need to farm. You can also skip most low rank side quests if you’re only interested in core content – none of them lock endgame quests or gear, so you can come back and do them later if you want.
At the end of the day, how long to beat Monster Hunter Wilds depends entirely on what you want to get out of the game. If you just want to experience the main story and fight the new flagship monsters, you can knock it out in a month of casual evening play sessions. If you’re the type of player who loves chasing perfect builds and exploring every corner of the map, you’ll have hundreds of hours of content to keep you busy long after you roll credits. I’ve already put 80 hours into my pre-release playthrough and I still haven’t collected all the hidden endemic life, so I know I’ll be logging in every weekend for months after launch to keep exploring.