Monster Hunter Wilds: Switch 2 Launches December 4, Ascendance Expansion Due in 2027

Capcom has lined up two big milestones for Monster Hunter Wilds. The game launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2026, and its major expansion, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance, is planned for 2027. Here is what has been confirmed.

Switch 2 release: December 4

Capcom confirmed the date during the September 9, 2026 Nintendo Direct. According to Gematsu’s report of Capcom’s announcement, the Switch 2 version includes:

• Wireless local play
• Cross-play
• All free title updates released so far

The Standard Edition lists at $39.99 on the Nintendo eShop, matching the permanent price cut the game received on other platforms in August. Digital pre-orders opened on October 19 at 5 PM Pacific (October 20 in the UK) with an early-adopter price of $29.99 until December 3, according to Gematsu and Fullcleared. A free Prologue Demo for Switch 2 went live at the same time, with local play and save data that transfers to the full game, according to God Is a Geek and the official Monster Hunter account.

Ascendance expansion

Capcom revealed Ascendance at Summer Game Fest 2026 as a massive expansion planned for 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Capcom’s Switch 2 announcement says it will also come to Nintendo Switch 2 at launch. Video Games Chronicle reports that familiar characters from Wilds will return in the expansion, changed by the years since their encounter with Arkveld. Capcom had described the project earlier in 2026 as a large-scale expansion on the scale of Monster Hunter World: Iceborne and Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Gaming.net adds that a copy of the base game is required to play it.

No exact release date or price for Ascendance has been announced in the coverage we reviewed.

What has changed on other platforms

• February 18, 2026: the update adding 10-star Arch-Tempered monsters and Arch-Tempered Arkveld was described by Capcom as the end of major content updates for the base game.
• August 4, 2026: Ver. 1.042 made all 26 event quests playable offline and added save data transfer from the new prologue demo.
• August 5, 2026: a free Prologue Demo arrived on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, letting you play the first three chapters and carry your save into the full game.

What it means for players

If you own a Switch 2 and have been waiting, December 4 gives you a full game with every free update, so the base game will be ready before Ascendance arrives. Players on other platforms have the demo and a lower base price to point friends toward, and cross-play means a Switch 2 group can hunt alongside them. See the Monster Hunter Wilds game page on GameGood for more.

Published October 27, 2026.

Sources

• Monster Hunter Wilds for Switch 2 launches December 4, Gematsu (September 2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 Demo Arrives With Save Transfer, Local Co-op, God Is a Geek (October 15, 2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds Switch 2 Release Date Confirmed, Ascendance Expansion Also Due In 2027, Nintendo World Report (September 9, 2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds confirmed for Nintendo Switch 2 this year, Video Games Chronicle (September 2026)
• Capcom Dates Monster Hunter Wilds, RE Remakes for Switch 2, Fullcleared (September 2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance expansion announced for 2027, Shacknews (June 2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Nintendo Switch 2 December 4, Gaming.net (2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds is getting an update and a prologue demo in early August, Instant Gaming News (July 28, 2026)
• Monster Hunter Wilds large scale expansion in the works, new update arrives on February 18, RPG Site (February 2026)