Prologue demo for Monster Hunter Wilds arrives on Switch 2 next week

Capcom will let players try Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2 before buying, bringing the fairly generous Prologue demo to the console ahead of the game's full platform release on December 4.

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Capcom is letting players try out Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2 before they buy, bringing a fairly generous demo of Prologue to the console ahead of the game's full release on the platform on December 4th.

Launching on October 19, the demo will allow you to play from the very beginning of the game to the beginning of Seasons 1-3 of "Into the Jungle". It's offline only, so you won't be able to experience the full fun of four-player hunting - but at least you'll get to try out all 14 weapon types and have full access to the character creator. Also, your save data will carry over from the demo to the full game, similar to how the demo path works on PC and other consoles.

However, unlike other consoles, there is an option for local multiplayer with the demo. This means that if someone else nearby has downloaded the demo on their Switch 2, you can play with them - try some of the hunts in co-op (honestly, that's how the game works if you ask me). There's been a lot of speculation about how a game as big as Monster Hunter Wilds - with all the hype we've seen about its performance this year - will run on the Switch 2, so it's great that Capcom is giving you the chance to try it out for yourself.

For my money, many of the early criticisms of Monster Hunter Wilds have been addressed since its shaky launch. Capcom has been diligent in ensuring that complaints about the problem are addressed, and performance has steadily improved, patch by patch. In fact, the developer even mentioned how the Switch 2 version of the game really helps improve all the other versions, noting the "painful and seemingly never-ending process" that brought the game into portable mode on the hybrid console.

The Switch 2 release of the game marks another step in Capcom's journey to make Wilds of the Venerable Worlds even more popular - the publisher's ultimate goal is to "break through" from the dizzying heights of sales and popularity of Monster Hunter World. To that end, Capcom seems to be all set with the upcoming expansion, Ascendance, which we hope to see in due course.