Numbers first: Capcom has released a free Monster Hunter Wilds demo on Nintendo Switch 2, opened pre-orders on the Nintendo eShop and set the console launch for December 4, 2026. In practice, that means you can test right now how the action RPG, released in February 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series, runs on Nintendo’s hybrid, without spending anything.
What is in the demo
The Prologue Demo covers the whole opening of the game, up to Chapter 1-3, “To the Forest.” It includes the full character creator, so you can build your Hunter and Palico companion, a slice of the story and the first hunts in the Windward Plains. The technical detail that matters: all progress carries over automatically to the full game, so nobody has to replay the start.
The demo is offline only, but it supports multiplayer over local wireless between Switch 2 consoles. Translated from the jargon: you can hunt as a group if your friends are in the same room, each with their own console.
Pre-orders and launch content
Anyone who pre-orders on the eShop by December 3 gets a special discount, the “Guild Knight Set” layered armor and the “Hope Charm” talisman. Capcom did not state the size of the discount in its announcement.
The Switch 2 version launches with every update already released on other platforms: the Grand Hub, the monsters Mizutsune, Lagiacrus and Seregios, the elder dragon Gogmazios, the FINAL FANTASY XIV Online collaboration and extra challenges. It will also support cross-play, with online matches alongside players on other platforms, something the demo does not offer.
There is more on the horizon: the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion arrives in 2027 on Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam. Starting now means reaching the expansion with your hunter ready.
Where to buy
See also our monthly game release calendar.
Source: Capcom.
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