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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →On the Windows PC version of Monster Hunter: World, go to the title screen and select Options → Display → Screen Mode/HDR Setting → Borderless Window. Confirm the change if prompted. This is a PC display setting; it is not a normal option on the PlayStation or Xbox versions.
How to switch MHW to borderless windowed mode
- Launch Monster Hunter: World through Steam and stop at the title screen. The setting is in the title-screen options, rather than the usual in-hunt pause menu.
- Open Options, then choose Display.
- Select Screen Mode/HDR Setting and choose Borderless Window.
- Confirm or apply the change if the game prompts you. If the display does not update immediately, restart the game.
- Load a save and check that the image fills the intended display without visible window borders. Try Alt+Tab, switching to another monitor, and opening the Steam Overlay to see whether the behavior suits your setup.
Capcom documents the title-menu route through Options → Display → Screen Mode/HDR Setting. The Borderless Window choice is also identified in Steam community discussion; Capcom’s support page does not enumerate every display-mode label in English, so wording can vary by language or build.
What borderless mode changes—and what it does not
Borderless Window fills the desktop area without the visible frame of an ordinary window. It is often more convenient for Alt+Tab, multiple monitors, overlays, capture software, and streaming than exclusive fullscreen. It is not the same as ordinary Windowed mode, which has a visible frame and can generally be resized or repositioned.
Borderless is not a universal performance fix. Frame pacing, input latency, V-Sync, HDR, and variable-refresh behavior can differ by Windows configuration, GPU driver, overlays, monitor setup, and the game’s rendering API. It also will not fix low frame rates caused by graphics settings, hardware limits, or loading and shader stutter.
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- Introduces Kirin, a lightning-charged elder dragon mega boss that delivers one of the most demanding and strategic hunts in Monster Hunter World: The Board Game.
- Expands campaign depth with branching quests, rare loot rewards, and powerful crafting paths that reshape how hunters prepare for future encounters.
- Features escalating difficulty as Kirin grows more dangerous, forcing players to adapt tactics, optimize builds, and master risk-reward decisions.
- Includes a highly detailed Kirin miniature with commanding table presence, enhancing immersion and visual impact during epic boss battles.
- Designed for experienced tabletop players seeking intense cooperative gameplay, advanced strategy, and meaningful long-term progression.
Borderless Window vs. fullscreen vs. windowed
| Mode | Appearance | Switching and monitors | Performance and display considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borderless Window | Fills the desktop area without visible window borders. | Often makes Alt+Tab and moving between applications or monitors less disruptive. | Performance, latency, V-Sync, HDR, and VRR behavior depend on the system; it is not guaranteed to match fullscreen. |
| Fullscreen | Uses the game’s fullscreen presentation mode. | Can make application switching or focus changes more disruptive on some systems. | May be preferable when minimizing latency or when HDR/VRR behaves better in fullscreen on your setup. |
| Windowed | Runs in a framed window. | Can be useful for repositioning the game or diagnosing display problems. | Useful as a troubleshooting fallback; results still depend on resolution and desktop configuration. |
Check resolution, refresh rate, and monitor selection
Before judging borderless behavior, set Windows to the monitor’s intended resolution and refresh rate, and match the game resolution to the display where possible. Do not assume Borderless Window automatically uses the monitor’s maximum refresh rate: check the game’s displayed settings or a display/GPU overlay. On multi-monitor systems, confirm that the game opens on the intended display; mixed resolutions or refresh rates can make results less predictable.
If you change Windows HDR, refresh rate, GPU scaling, or monitor arrangement, test the game again. On a handheld such as Steam Deck, native resolution, scaling, HDR availability, and frame-rate caps can affect the result; behavior may differ from a desktop PC.
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- Includes pre-coloured Azure Rathalos and Black Diablos miniatures that visually match their legendary variants, enhancing immersion and table presence.
- Designed to pair seamlessly with existing Monster Hunter World quests and cards, allowing hunters to experience encounters with accurate monster representation.
- Features large, highly detailed PVC figures that command attention during hunts, painting projects, or display collections.
- Ideal for collectors, hobbyists, and experienced players seeking elevated aesthetics without replacing existing gameplay components.
- Enhances cinematic impact and thematic authenticity during battles against two of the most iconic Monster Hunter adversaries.
If Borderless Window is missing
- Check the menu location. Return to the title screen and look under Options → Display → Screen Mode/HDR Setting, not only in Advanced Graphics Settings or the in-hunt pause menu.
- Confirm the platform. This guide is for the PC version; consoles do not normally expose a borderless desktop-window mode.
- Allow for label differences. The wording may vary with language or build. Remote play, compatibility layers, and handheld devices may also affect how the option appears or behaves.
- Check whether settings can be written. A read-only or damaged configuration file, cloud synchronization, or another utility may prevent changes from persisting.
Fix a black screen, crash, or setting that will not stick
1. Return to a simpler display mode
If the game still reaches its title screen, go to Options → Display and switch to Windowed or Fullscreen. Restart the game, confirm the desktop resolution, then try Borderless Window again.
2. Verify the Steam game files
- In Steam Library, right-click Monster Hunter: World and select Properties.
- Open Installed Files.
- Select Verify integrity of game files.
This is a general Steam troubleshooting step, not a guaranteed fix for a display-mode problem.
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Rank #3
- Kushala Daora shields itself with fierce winds, preventing anyone from approaching. Its skin — hard, metallic scales — can withstand all but the strongest weapons. You may as well try slaying a hurricane.
- Brace yourself against raging winds with this elder dragon expansion, featuring the colossal Kushala Daora! Towering at more than 255mm tall with over a foot-long wingspan, Kushala Daora is the biggest monster in Monster Hunter World: The Board Game.
- A draconic manifestation of arctic fury, Kushala Daora will force you to fight for every inch of ground you cover, and add a whole new level of difficulty and crafting to your game.
- With new choice-driven adventures to explore, new loot to collect, and rare new weapons to craft, this massive monster will widen your campaigns, changing your approach to core set monsters by opening your world to different paths to success.
- Battle increasingly tougher versions of Kushala Daora, crafting powerful elder dragon weapons to defeat even stronger monsters before you face the final boss!
3. Test without overlays or extra displays
- Temporarily disable Steam Overlay, Discord Overlay, NVIDIA or AMD recording overlays, ReShade, and other injectors.
- Test with one monitor connected and Windows HDR temporarily disabled.
- If you use DirectX 12 and the game crashes during a display change, try DirectX 11 as a diagnostic test, then test again. Do not change the rendering API just because you want borderless mode: the API can affect startup, overlays, and performance, but a DirectX 12 display-mode crash is not established as a universal problem.
Steam’s technical support listing says DirectX 12 requires 64-bit Windows 10 version 1809 or later and a GPU with 4 GB of VRAM. Those are requirements for the PC/Steam listing, not a recommendation to switch APIs for borderless mode: Steam technical issue information for MHW.
4. Update the graphics driver
Install a current driver from your GPU manufacturer and test again. Capcom’s Steam troubleshooting guidance recommends current graphics drivers for persistent issues. Graphics-setting changes may require a restart, and Capcom recommends lowering graphics settings if the PC does not meet the game’s recommended specifications.
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5. Back up and inspect the graphics configuration file
Use this only if the game cannot reach its menu or repeatedly fails to retain the display choice. Capcom’s U.S. guide calls the file graphics_options.ini, while its Japanese support material uses graphics_option.ini; filenames may differ. Capcom lists the default Steam folder as C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonMonster Hunter World, but your Steam library may be elsewhere. See the U.S. guide and Japanese support page.
- Exit the game. In Steam, right-click the game and choose Properties → Installed Files → Browse to open its actual installation folder.
- Find the graphics
.inifile and make a backup before opening it in Notepad. - If you edit it, change only a display-mode entry you can identify in that file; leave resolution and unrelated settings alone. The exact key and value are not established consistently enough to give a universal edit.
- Save, relaunch, and use the in-game menu if the game overwrites the change or becomes unstable. Restore your backup if needed.
Avoid unverified launch options, random multi-value configuration edits, registry changes, and third-party borderless utilities as first-line fixes.
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6. Escalate with diagnostic details
If the problem persists, note your graphics settings and provide a DxDiag report when contacting Capcom support. Its troubleshooting guide requests those details for unresolved issues.
Quick Recap
When should you use borderless mode?
- Choose Borderless Window if you often Alt+Tab, use multiple monitors, stream or capture gameplay, or encounter fullscreen focus and overlay problems. Capcom specifically lists changing away from fullscreen as one option for an unintended Steam Overlay issue; other documented options include disabling the overlay or changing its shortcut (Capcom support).
- Prefer Fullscreen if borderless causes worse frame pacing or performance on your PC, or fullscreen gives better latency, HDR, or VRR behavior on your setup.
- Use Windowed when you need to move or resize the game manually, or as a fallback while diagnosing a display, scaling, driver, or overlay problem.
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