Like previous Monster Hunter games, quests in Monster Hunter Wilds are split into two tiers: Low Rank and High Rank. The main story missions in the game basically comprise the Low Rank. These Low Rank missions aren't that difficult, and they serve as a way to teach players the basics of the Monster Hunter gameplay loop. High Rank, on the other hand, is the endgame of Monster Hunter Wilds. Most of the monsters in the High Rank quests are actually the same as the ones in the Low Rank quests, but they are considerably more challenging to defeat.
The overall length of Monster Hunter Wilds differs depending on what type of quests players want to complete. If they simply want to finish the main campaign in the game, it will take them around 15 to 20 hours to do so. If players want to complete all of Monster Hunter Wilds' High Rank missions, however, they will have to spend at least 35 to 40 hours in the game. Obtaining 100% completion of Monster Hunter Wilds will likely take far longer, but at the moment, there isn't enough publicly available data to determine how much time this requires. Monster Hunter Wilds is overall a decently-sized game, but it's surprisingly a lot shorter than most of its predecessors.
Capcom Responds to Monster Hunter Wilds Performance Issues on PC
Capcom issues a response to player reports of Monster Hunter Wilds performance issues on PC, offering some tips for an improved experience.
Monster Hunter Wilds is Considerably Shorter than Previous MH Games
Monster Hunter Games Have Historically Had Long Runtimes
If there's one thing Monster Hunter games are notorious for, it's their lengthy runtimes. Due to their obtuse gameplay systems, the earlier entries in Capcom's long-running franchise were not at all accessible to newcomers and could take countless hours to complete. The main campaign in the original Monster Hunter (2004), as an example, could take upwards of 43 hours to finish, while completing the High Rank content could extend the game's runtime by an additional 30 hours. As if that wasn't enough, getting 100% completion in Monster Hunter (2004) could take an astounding 304 hours, according to How Long to Beat. That is nearly triple the amount of time it takes to experience all the content in Cyberpunk 2077.
As ridiculous as Monster Hunter (2004)'s length may seem, it's nothing compared to some of the later games in the franchise. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, the expanded edition of 2009's Monster Hunter 3, has a campaign that lasts roughly 76 hours and contains 88 hours' worth of side content. Obtaining 100% completion of the game, meanwhile, will take at least 549 hours. Believe it or not, this isn't actually the longest runtime for an installment in the Monster Hunter series. That honor goes to the Nintendo-exclusive Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, which can take a mind-boggling 841 hours to fully complete.
Average Length of All Monster Hunter Games
|
Name |
Release Year |
Main Campaign |
Main Campaign + Side Content |
100% Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Monster Hunter |
2004 |
42 1/2 hrs |
76 1/2 hrs |
304 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter G |
2005 |
60 hrs |
75 hrs |
300+ hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Freedom |
2005 |
42 hrs |
79 hrs |
409 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter 2 |
2006 |
62 1/2 hrs |
80 hrs |
240 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 |
2007 |
38 1/2 hrs |
72 1/2 hrs |
219 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite |
2008 |
98 1/2 hrs |
197 hrs |
442 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter 3 |
2009 |
61 1/2 hrs |
146 hrs |
387 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village |
2010 |
30 hrs |
54 hrs |
70 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Portable 3rd |
2010 |
33 hrs |
157 hrs |
233 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate |
2011 |
76 hrs |
164 hrs |
549 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter 4 |
2013 |
84 1/2 hrs |
120 hrs |
N/A |
|
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate |
2014 |
76 1/2 hrs |
152 hrs |
377 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Generations |
2015 |
54 1/2 hrs |
127 hrs |
183 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Stories |
2016 |
36 1/2 hrs |
51 1/2 hrs |
94 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate |
2017 |
78 hrs |
172 hrs |
841 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter: World |
2018 |
46 1/2 hrs |
114 hrs |
424 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter: World - Iceborne |
2019 |
37 hrs |
163 hrs |
346 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Rise |
2021 |
23 hrs |
79 hrs |
177 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin |
2021 |
40 1/2 hrs |
61 hrs |
138 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak |
2022 |
32 1/2 hrs |
100 hrs |
368 hrs |
|
Monster Hunter Wilds |
2025 |
15–20 hrs |
35–40 hrs |
N/A |
Monster Hunter World's Campaign is More than Double the Length of Monster Hunter Wilds'
The Monster Hunter franchise has gradually become more newcomer-friendly with each installment, but most of the recent games haven't cut down on the series' long runtimes. Monster Hunter World, for instance, has a 46-hour main campaign, and nearly 70 hours of endgame and side content. In order to complete everything in this game, players have to spend at least 424 hours. That isn't accounting for Monster Hunter World's Iceborne expansion, though, which has its own 37-hour campaign and takes over 340 hours to 100% complete.
Despite adopting an open world gameplay formula, Monster Hunter Wilds' campaign is less than half the length of Monster Hunter World's. In fact, it isn't even as lengthy as the Iceborne expansion, which is especially surprising. Although the shorter runtime of Monster Hunter Wilds may disappoint some, it's important to remember that the game is still at the start of its life cycle. Capcom will likely add tons of new content to Monster Hunter Wilds in post-launch updates, so a few years from now, it could end up being considerably longer than it currently is.
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OpenCritic Reviews
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