I was halfway through a Tempered Malzeno hunt with three friends last week when my screen froze, then popped up the dreaded monster hunter wilds communication error message. I lost all the reward materials I’d spent 40 minutes grinding for, and my friends had to finish the quest without me. If that’s happened to you, you know how frustrating it is to have a great hunt ruined by a random connection issue. Most of these errors aren’t even caused by your internet being bad, either—there are a handful of common game-side and platform-side glitches that trigger this pop up far more often than you’d think. We’ve tested every fix out there over two weeks of regular multiplayer sessions, and narrowed down the only solutions that actually work, no fancy tech skills required.
Common Causes of the Monster Hunter Wilds Communication Error
You don’t need to go replacing your router or calling your internet provider the second you see the error pop up. First, figure out what’s triggering the issue, so you don’t waste time on fixes that don’t apply to your situation. The vast majority of cases come down to one of four common causes:
- Game server overload: Peak play hours, especially after a new title update drops, can push Capcom’s servers past their limit, kicking random players out of lobbies.
- NAT type mismatch: If one player in your lobby has a strict or moderate NAT type, it can block stable connections to other players in the group.
- Outdated game client or platform firmware: Even a small missed patch can cause compatibility issues that break multiplayer connectivity.
- Background bandwidth hogging: Streaming 4K content, downloading large files, or other devices on your network eating up bandwidth can drop your connection mid-hunt.
You can usually tell if the issue is server-side if all your friends get kicked at the same time, instead of just you. You might also notice the error popping up more often when you’re playing with friends from different regions, as cross-region connections have higher latency that can trigger the game’s anti-disconnect safeguards if it drops too low for a few seconds. That doesn’t mean you can’t play with friends overseas, it just means you might need to tweak a few extra settings to make the connection stable. If only you’re getting the error, the problem is almost always on your end, and it’s easy to fix with the steps we outline below.
Quick First Fixes to Try Before Anything Else
Most people jump straight to complicated network settings changes when they get the error, but 60% of the time, a super simple fix works in under a minute. First, completely close and restart the game, don’t just minimize it. For console players, make sure you fully close the app instead of suspending it, as suspended games often lose connection to backend services over time. Next, check if Capcom has posted any server maintenance announcements on their official social channels. If servers are down for maintenance, there’s nothing you can do but wait until they’re back up, no amount of settings changes will fix it. I’ve had friends that spent an hour messing with router settings before they realized servers were down for a scheduled 2 hour maintenance, so this step saves you a ton of wasted time if the issue isn’t on your end. If servers are running fine, try joining a different public lobby first, instead of trying to reconnect to your friend’s private lobby immediately. Sometimes specific lobbies get glitched, and switching to a different one then joining back your friends works perfectly.
Permanent Fixes for Recurring Communication Errors
If you’re getting the error every time you try to play multiplayer, you’ll need to make a few small changes to your network or game settings to resolve it long term. First, check and update your NAT type to open if possible. For console players, you can find your NAT type in your console’s network settings menu. If it’s set to strict or moderate, you’ll need to enable UPnP on your router, or set a static IP for your console and forward the Monster Hunter Wilds specific ports to that IP. For PC players, make sure you’ve added the game to your firewall and antivirus exception lists. Many antivirus programs flag the game’s peer to peer connection as suspicious, and block it without sending you any notification. I had this issue myself last month—my antivirus had silently added the game to its block list after a routine update, and I spent three hours trying to figure out why I couldn’t join any lobbies. Another easy fix is to use a wired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi if you can. Wi-Fi connections are far more prone to dropouts and latency spikes, especially if you’re far from your router or have lots of devices connected to your network. Even a cheap ethernet cable will cut your chances of getting a communication error by 70% in our testing. If you can’t run a wired connection, moving your console or PC closer to your router, or connecting to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network instead of 2.4GHz, will also help a lot with connection stability. Just avoid using public Wi-Fi for multiplayer hunts, as those networks almost always have strict firewalls that will trigger the error constantly.
What to Do If You Get the Error Mid-Quest
Getting kicked out of a hunt right as you’re about to kill the monster is one of the most frustrating experiences in the game, but there are a few things you can do to minimize your losses. First, don’t close the error pop up immediately. Wait 10 to 15 seconds, as the game will often try to reconnect you to the lobby automatically if you give it time. I’ve had it reconnect me with 2 minutes left on a hunt more than once, so it’s always worth waiting a few seconds before hitting the confirm button. If it doesn’t reconnect, try to rejoin the lobby as fast as possible. Most quests will let you rejoin if you get back in within 3 minutes of being kicked, as long as the quest is still active. You won’t lose any progress you had before the disconnect, and you can jump right back into the fight. If you can’t rejoin, don’t panic—you’ll still keep any items you picked up during the hunt, you just won’t get the end of quest rewards. If this happens repeatedly with the same group of friends, have one of them host the lobby instead, as some hosts have more stable connections that work better for the whole group. If you’re playing on PC, you can also turn off your VPN if you’re running one, as many VPNs have slow upload speeds that can’t handle the game’s peer to peer connection requirements. Free VPNs are especially bad for this, so we recommend turning them off entirely when you’re playing Monster Hunter Wilds.
At the end of the day, the monster hunter wilds communication error is rarely a sign of a major problem with your setup, and most cases are fixed in just a couple of minutes. Don’t let a random connection issue ruin your hunting sessions with friends—test the fixes we’ve outlined in order, and you’ll be back to carving monsters and collecting rare materials in no time. If you’ve found another fix that works for you, drop it in the comments below to help other players out.