Capcom Tackles High PC Specs for Monster Hunter Wilds

As the release date for Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28 approaches, Capcom has announced efforts to potentially lower the game's recommended GPU requirements. This news was confirmed by the official German Monster Hunter X/Twitter account, which also mentioned that Capcom is considering the development of a standalone PC benchmarking tool to help players gauge their system's performance.

Currently, Capcom suggests a minimum GPU of an Nvidia GTX 1660 Super or an AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT to achieve 30 FPS at 1080p. This setup requires an internal resolution of 720p and uses upscaling technologies such as DLSS or FSR on the "lowest" graphics setting.

For those aiming for 60 FPS at 1080p, Capcom recommends using an RTX 2070 Super, RTX 4060, or an AMD RX 6700 XT, with upscaling and Frame Generation technologies enabled. Notably, only the RTX 4060 supports Nvidia Frame Generation, while the RTX 2070 Super and RX 6700 XT depend on FSR 3, which had issues with ghosting artifacts during the previous Monster Hunter Wilds beta.

Digital Foundry suggests that for optimal use of Frame Generation technology in third-person games, a baseline of 40 FPS is recommended. Running at under 60 FPS with upscaling enabled can lead to a less responsive gameplay experience due to increased latency.

During the open beta test, players with lower-end and even mid-range hardware, such as the RTX 3060, faced challenges. A common issue was a low-LOD bug that prevented the game from loading high-detail textures for characters and monsters.

Monster Hunter Wilds utilizes the RE Engine, which was first introduced with Resident Evil 7 in 2017. This engine has been successfully employed in 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 limitations in larger open-world games with more NPCs and enemies, as seen with performance issues in Dragon’s Dogma 2 on both consoles and PC. This raises concerns about the potential performance of Monster Hunter Wilds. 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.