Summer Game Fest 2026 just closed the curtain on another successful event, and there was no shortage of announcements to get those gamer senses tingling. In fact, there were so many announcements that many gamers don't know where they're going to find the time to play them all—me included!
One announcement that I will definitely be making time for, however, is the "massive" Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance DLC that's set to release in 2027. Capcom has not forgotten about Monster Hunter Wilds and plans to follow in the footsteps of previous installments by releasing a huge expansion introducing a whole new area with brand-new monsters to hunt.
What Will the Monster Hunter Wilds Expansion Contain?
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance was announced alongside a trailer that was packed with information, including new story snippets, the confirmed presence of Elder Dragons, and a brand-new area to explore.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance will take place on a series of floating islands in the sky, called the Skybound Eyrie. Taming your own Seikret is a major milestone in Monster Hunter Wilds, and players will be able to use their loyal steeds to hitch a ride up to this new area. The trailer is only a few minutes long, so we didn't get to see that much of the Skybound Eyrie's wildlife, but there are bound to be fresh monsters to tussle with in this vast new area.
We also managed to catch a glimpse of an Elder Dragon in the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance trailer. Elder Dragons are rare and mystical beasts that defy scientific understanding in the Monster Hunter franchise. Rather than living in groups or herds like most other monsters do, they are legendary and solitary beasts that truly test the mettle of any Monster Hunter. The trailer showed at least two of these infamous beings: Lao-Shan Lung and Kushala Daora, but our fingers are crossed for even more.
In addition to the new area, new monsters, and Elder Dragons, Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance will also introduce Master Rank quests and some new and improved Hunter abilities to tinker with.
How to Start the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Expansion
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance is an expansion, so having access to the base game is an obvious must. You will also have to play for a while before you can get stuck in to the new content. To start the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance expansion, you'll have to complete the 7-star assignment: Awaking From a Dream. This mission is unlocked during Chapter 6, so the expansion will not be accessible in the early game. Expect to invest around 20 hours to get to that point.
When Will the Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Expansion Release?
Unfortunately, we didn't get a solid release date for Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance. What we do know is that it will come out sometime next year, in 2027. That's it, though. We don't have a hint as to what quarter it might release in, or even what half, for that matter. We can only cross our dual blades and hope for more news soon.
If you're a Nintendo fan and simply can't wait for the DLC to release, you can play Monster Hunter Wilds on your Switch 2 when that port comes out! Monster Hunter Wilds releasing on the Switch 2 was another one of the Summer Game Fest announcements. But with the sheer number of PC players who experienced performance issues with Monster Hunter Wilds when it released, the jury's still out on what the experience will be like on the Switch 2. We don't have a release date for the Switch 2 port, either.
Monster Hunter Wilds
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89/100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- February 28, 2025
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence, Blood, Crude Humor
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure
