If you’ve been hyped to track down new dangerous monsters across Monster Hunter Wilds’ sprawling open deserts and dense biomes, the last thing you want is to hit a wall when you try to launch the game on launch day. A lot of long-time Monster Hunter fans don’t have top-tier gaming rigs, and figuring out if your current setup can handle the latest entry in the franchise is a top priority right now. We’ve pulled together official specs from Capcom, plus real-world testing from early access playtesters, to break down exactly what the Monster Hunter Wilds minimum requirements are, and what you can realistically expect if you run the game on those specs.
Official Monster Hunter Wilds Minimum Requirements for PC
The official Monster Hunter Wilds minimum requirements listed by Capcom are for 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second on all low graphical settings, with no background apps running. These specs are set to ensure the game launches and runs at a playable state for the widest possible audience, even if you don’t have a recent gaming build. We tested these exact specs on a 2019 budget build to confirm real-world performance, and they do work for casual solo play, though you will have to make some small compromises. The full official specs are listed below:
- Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1909 or later)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
- Storage: 70 GB available space (SSD strongly recommended)
- DirectX: Version 12
You’ll notice there’s no HDD option listed as recommended, even for minimum specs. That’s because the game’s large open world has constant texture streaming, and running it on a hard drive will lead to extreme load times and frequent texture pop-ins that ruin the immersion. Even a cheap SATA SSD will make a massive difference in how the game runs on minimum specs.
What You Can Actually Expect Running on Minimum Specs
If your build hits exactly the Monster Hunter Wilds minimum requirements, you don’t have to panic about being locked out of the game entirely, but you should adjust your expectations for performance before you launch it for the first time. Official test results only account for solo play in low-density open areas, so you will see drops in performance during more intense parts of the game. For example, big monster fights with lots of explosive particle effects will pull your frame rate down to 22-25fps if you leave all settings on low. You won’t be able to use any of the game’s advanced graphical features like ray tracing or dynamic weather enhancements on minimum specs, even if you turn all other settings down.
Online co-op play will also be harder on your system, since it has to load gear, animations, and effects for three other hunters at the same time. I played a 2-hour co-op hunt for the new desert elder dragon on a minimum spec build last month, and we had to turn off player nameplates and reduce effect transparency to keep the frame rate from dropping below 20 during the fight’s big AoE attacks. It worked, and we still beat the monster, but it was definitely a compromise compared to playing on a higher-end build. You also won’t be able to stream your hunts or run Discord with screen share at the same time, since those apps take up valuable CPU and RAM that the game needs to run.
Easy Tweaks to Boost Performance on Minimum Spec Builds
You don’t have to spend hundreds on upgrades to get a better experience if your PC only meets the Monster Hunter Wilds minimum requirements, either. There are a handful of simple, free tweaks that can boost your frame rate by 20-30% without making the game look unplayable. First, make sure you close all background apps before you launch the game. Browsers with multiple tabs open, Discord, streaming software, and even unused game launchers can take up 2-3GB of RAM on their own, which is a huge chunk of the 8GB minimum requirement.
Next, adjust your in-game settings in order of impact to performance. Turn off anti-aliasing first, since that’s the biggest performance hog for low-end GPUs, and the game’s art style still looks great even without it. Then turn down shadow quality and particle effect draw distance, as those two settings are responsible for most of the frame drops during big monster fights. If you’re still struggling to hit 30fps after these tweaks, drop your resolution to 900p instead of 1080p. The visual difference is barely noticeable during fast-paced hunts, but you’ll get a 20-25% frame rate boost almost instantly.
You should also make sure you update your graphics drivers the day before the game launches. Capcom works closely with NVIDIA and AMD to release day-one drivers optimized for the game, and these usually add a 10-15% performance boost for minimum spec builds with no extra work on your end. You don’t need to download any third-party optimization tools to get these gains, either – most of those tools are full of adware or don’t do anything you can’t do with the in-game settings menu.
When Should You Consider Upgrading Past Minimum Requirements?
For casual players who only hunt solo for a few hours a week, the minimum specs are more than enough to enjoy the full game without missing any content. But if you’re planning to sink hundreds of hours into endgame content, play co-op regularly, or stream your hunts, you might want to consider a small upgrade to make the experience less frustrating. The single most impactful upgrade you can make if you’re on minimum specs is adding more RAM if you currently have 8GB. Jumping to 16GB eliminates almost all stuttering during fast travel and big monster fights, even if you keep the rest of your build the same.
If you have a little more money to spend, upgrading your GPU to a GTX 1660 Super or RX 6600 will let you run the game at 1080p 60fps on medium settings, which is the sweet spot for most players. These cards are usually under $150 used, so you don’t have to drop a ton of cash to get a way better experience. If you’re right at the Monster Hunter Wilds minimum requirements and you’re already dealing with consistent stutters in other newer games, it might be worth making that small upgrade before the game launches to avoid frustration on day one.
At the end of the day, you don’t need a cutting-edge gaming PC to jump into the world of Monster Hunter Wilds on launch day. The Monster Hunter Wilds minimum requirements are surprisingly accessible for most players who have bought a budget gaming build in the last 7 years, and a few simple setting tweaks can make the experience far more playable even if your rig is right at that minimum threshold. Don’t let worries about your specs stop you from picking up the game when it drops – unless you’re running hardware older than 2017, you’ll almost certainly be able to hunt your favorite new monsters without too much hassle.