Capcom Tackles High PC Specs for Monster Hunter Wilds

As the release date of February 28 for Monster Hunter Wilds approaches, developer Capcom has announced they are actively exploring ways to lower the recommended GPU requirements for the game. This news was confirmed by the official German Monster Hunter X/Twitter account, which also hinted at the potential release of a standalone PC benchmarking tool to help players assess their system's capabilities.

Currently, Capcom suggests an Nvidia GTX 1660 Super or an AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT for achieving 30 FPS at 1080p. These minimum requirements specify an internal resolution of 720p, with the graphics upscaled using technologies like DLSS or FSR on the "lowest" graphics setting. For those aiming for 60 FPS at 1080p, the recommended GPUs include the RTX 2070 Super, RTX 4060, or AMD RX 6700 XT, with upscaling and Frame Generation technologies enabled. Notably, only the RTX 4060 supports Nvidia Frame Generation, while the other two rely on FSR 3, which encountered ghosting artifacts during the previous Monster Hunter Wilds beta.

Digital Foundry advises that for optimal performance with Frame Generation, a baseline of 40 FPS is recommended in third-person titles. Running at under 60 FPS with upscaling can lead to increased latency, potentially making the gameplay feel less responsive. During the Monster Hunter Wilds open beta, players with lower-end hardware, including those with mid-range cards like the RTX 3060, faced challenges. A significant issue reported was a low-LOD bug, preventing the game from loading fully detailed textures for characters and monsters.

Monster Hunter Wilds is developed on the RE Engine, first introduced with Resident Evil 7 in 2017. This engine has powered several successful titles like Devil May Cry 5, Monster Hunter Rise, and Street Fighter 6, delivering smooth performance across various platforms. However, the RE Engine has shown its limitations with larger open-world games featuring numerous NPCs and enemies, such as Dragon's Dogma 2, which experienced performance issues on both consoles and PC. As Capcom works to mitigate GPU requirements with the early February open beta and late February launch on the horizon, these efforts could be crucial for Monster Hunter Wilds' success on PC.