Monster Hunter Wilds is all about the grind, and you’ll be able to play it for hundreds of hours if you’d like to. But there are only so many quests for you to complete and only so monsters to unlock, which you’ll do in both the standard and High Rank parts of the game.
In this Monster Hunter Wilds guide, we’ll walk you through how long it takes to beat (according to our various playtime estimates) and how long it takes to really dig into High Rank.
How long to beat the Monster Hunter Wilds main story
The main campaign in Monster Hunter Wilds can be as short as 12 to 20 hours, but that number can vary wildly (even outside of our wide estimation) based on your skill level and familiarity with the franchise. For more details on the mission list, see our Monster Hunter Wilds main story walkthrough.
If you’re consistently clearing hunts in 15 minutes or so, without failing or fainting, you’ll come in pretty close to the 15-hour mark — if you’re just focusing on story content. If you find yourself struggling a bit more, or you’re taking your time with exploration, or with familiarizing yourself with some of the game’s more archaic systems, you’ll likely find yourself brushing against or past that 20-hour mark.
How long to unlock Monster Hunter Wilds High Rank
It took some seasoned hunters at Polygon between 30 and 40 hours total to hunt through the main campaign, climb the Hunter Ranks in High Rank, and stop getting new story quests. Even more so than in Low Rank, that time will vary wildly depending on how much you struggle with the increased difficulty of High Rank.
High Rank is far less structured than Low Rank, which is another reason why the hour count will likely have substantial variations between hunters. Post-campaign, Wilds takes on a less story-focused format, and is more about familiarizing yourself with the grind. As such, this is where you’re going to spend the bulk of your playtime. Each main story quest will unlock a new monster or type of monster (like Tempered or Frenzied), but you’ll need to grind your hunter rank several levels in order to unlock each new story quest after you see the credits.
You can and will go multiple hours between story missions and new monster sightings, so make sure to complete side quests as you go, as they’ll give you a boost to your hunter rank and unlock some new features like layered armor or Palico upgrades.
Our Monster Hunter Wilds guides can outline your progress with our main story walkthrough and monster list ahead of reaching High Rank, help you settle on an armament with our weapons list and best weapons explainers, uncover ores, bones, and monster tails, and teach you how to join friends in co-op multiplayer.
