Capcom Aims to Lower High PC Specs for Monster Hunter Wilds

As the release date for Monster Hunter Wilds approaches on February 28, there’s some buzz from Capcom about potentially easing up on the recommended GPU requirements. This news surfaced through the official German Monster Hunter Twitter account, where Capcom also hinted at possibly launching a standalone PC benchmarking tool.

Currently, Capcom suggests using an Nvidia GTX 1660 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT to achieve 30 FPS at 1080p. However, these settings require an internal resolution of 720p, with graphics upscaled using DLSS or FSR at the “lowest” graphics quality.

For those aiming for the recommended settings, you should be targeting 1080p at 60 FPS. This involves using technologies like upscaling and Frame Generation, with hardware such as the RTX 2070 Super, RTX 4060, or AMD RX 6700 XT. Of these, only the RTX 4060 has support for Nvidia Frame Generation, leaving the 2070 Super and 6700 XT to depend on FSR 3, which previously showed ghosting artifacts during the Monster Hunter Wilds beta.

Using Frame Generation to aim for 60 FPS isn’t necessarily the best approach, as Digital Foundry advises hitting at least 40 FPS in third-person games to ensure smooth gameplay. If your game dips below 60 FPS even with upscaling, it might feel less responsive due to increased latency.

In the open beta test for Monster Hunter Wilds, players with mid-range GPUs, like the RTX 3060, reported issues. These included a low-LOD bug where character or monster textures weren’t displaying at their full detail.

The game runs on the RE Engine, which had its debut with 2017’s Resident Evil 7 and has been utilized in titles like Devil May Cry 5, Monster Hunter Rise, and Street Fighter 6, delivering impressive performance across platforms.

However, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the RE Engine in larger open-world games with more NPCs and enemies. Titles like Dragon’s Dogma 2 faced performance challenges on both consoles and PC, casting a shadow of concern over Monster Hunter Wilds. As we edge closer to an early February open beta and late February launch, Capcom’s efforts to lower GPU requirements might be crucial for the game’s PC success.

Feel free to reach out to Sayem, a UK-based freelancer covering tech and hardware, at @sayem.zone on Bluesky.