Capcom Tackles High PC Specs for Monster Hunter Wilds

As the release date of February 28 for Monster Hunter Wilds approaches, Capcom is actively considering lowering the recommended GPU requirements to broaden the game's accessibility. This news was confirmed by the official German Monster Hunter X/Twitter account, which also mentioned that Capcom is exploring the development of a standalone PC benchmarking tool to help players assess their system's compatibility.

Currently, Capcom suggests a minimum GPU of an Nvidia GTX 1660 Super or AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT to achieve 30 FPS at 1080p. These minimum settings are set to an internal resolution of 720p, with graphics upscaled using DLSS or FSR at the "lowest" setting. For those aiming for a smoother experience, the recommended settings target 1080p at 60 FPS, utilizing upscaling and Frame Generation technologies. Suitable GPUs for these settings include the RTX 2070 Super, RTX 4060, or AMD RX 6700 XT. Notably, only the RTX 4060 supports Nvidia Frame Generation, while the other two rely on FSR 3, which experienced ghosting artifacts in the previous Monster Hunter Wilds beta.

However, targeting 60 FPS with Frame Generation enabled might not be optimal. According to Digital Foundry, a baseline of 40 FPS is recommended for third-person titles to ensure a responsive and tactile gaming experience. Running below 60 FPS with upscaling can introduce noticeable latency, impacting gameplay feel.

During the open beta test, players with lower-end hardware, including those with mid-range GPUs like the RTX 3060, faced challenges. A prevalent issue was a low-LOD bug that prevented the game from loading fully detailed textures for characters and monsters, affecting the visual quality.

Monster Hunter Wilds is built on the RE Engine, which made its debut with Resident Evil 7 in 2017 and has since been used in titles such as Devil May Cry 5, Monster Hunter Rise, and Street Fighter 6, known for their smooth performance across platforms. Yet, the RE Engine has faced criticism with larger, open-world games like Dragon's Dogma 2, which have encountered performance issues on both consoles and PC. This raises concerns for Monster Hunter Wilds, especially with an early February open beta and a late February launch on the horizon. Capcom's efforts to reduce GPU requirements could be crucial for the game's success on PC.