The Case for Monster Hunter Wilds to Get the ‘Ultimate’ Treatment, Not DLC

Capcom’s monster-slaying epic, Monster Hunter Wilds, has unsurprisingly been one of 2025’s most successful games so far. Following the lucrative launches of Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter Rise, most fans predicted that Wilds would be an easy slam dunk for Capcom, from both a critical and commercial standpoint. Luckily, the action RPG did not disappoint. Monster Hunter Wilds sold over 8 million copies just three days after its February release, making it Capcom’s fastest-selling game of all time. Although the game got a mixed reception on Steam due to technical issues with its PC port, Wilds received glowing reviews from most major gaming publications.

With how successful Monster Hunter Wilds has been for Capcom, many fans are wondering what’s next for the game. Capcom has already announced a few Monster Hunter Wilds updates, some of which will feature additional monsters, collaborations, and seasonal events, but it hasn’t revealed any DLC plans yet. The last few installments in the Monster Hunter series got major expansions shortly after their release, so some fans are expecting Capcom to do the same thing with Wilds. As great as a DLC would be, however, it might be best for the company to give Monster Hunter Wilds the ‘Ultimate’ treatment instead.

Early Monster Hunter Games Often Received Expanded, ‘Ultimate’ Editions Shortly After their Launches

Back in the day, Monster Hunter games often received expanded re-releases shortly after their initial debuts, which sometimes came out on other platforms. This trend originally began with the series’ first installment, 2004’s Monster Hunter. After being released on the PlayStation 2 worldwide, this game got an upgraded edition on the PS2 and Wii in Japan about a year later. Subsequent entries in the franchise, like Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, also received the same treatment. It wasn’t until the release of 2009’s Monster Hunter 3, however, that Capcom started giving these expanded editions the ‘Ultimate’ moniker.

Three Nintendo-exclusive Monster Hunter titles were given expanded re-releases by Capcom during the 2010s. The first of these, 2011’s Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, added some major new features to the base game, such as underwater combat, new monsters, and a G-Rank level. 2014’s Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, meanwhile, contained a similar amount of new content. It included over 30 new monsters, new Palico skills and equipment, and an all-new Dunes area. Last but not least, 2017’s Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate featured two new Hunting Styles, a revamped weapons upgrade system, and a new Deviant monster type.

Starting With Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom Stopped Making ‘Ultimate’ Version of Its Games

After several years of making ‘Ultimate’ editions for its games, Capcom decided to shake things up with Monster Hunter: World. Rather than giving it a traditional re-release, the company launched a massive paid expansion for the game, called MH World: Iceborne, in 2019. Iceborne featured a lot of the new content that Capcom’s ‘Ultimate’ editions would typically include, such as a Master Rank difficulty level (also known as G-Rank) and loads of new monsters. However, much like its 2022 successor, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, this expansion largely focused on a new storyline instead of modifying the game’s main campaign.

If Capcom Does Make a MH Wilds Ultimate Edition, It Could Release it Alongside a Switch 2 Port

Since Monster Hunter Wilds is still relatively new, it’s missing a lot of the features that often get added to Monster Hunter games post-launch, such as the Master Rank levels. Capcom could include some of this content in a Monster Hunter Wilds Ultimate edition, which it could release alongside a Nintendo Switch 2 port of the game. That way, the company could give Nintendo players the opportunity to experience Monster Hunter Wilds in full without having them pay an additional $30 for DLC, while also making adjustments to some of the problems that people had with the base game.