A Monster Hunter Wilds review from PCMag Middle East reportedly appeared before its embargo, earning a perfect 5/5 score. Notebookcheck reported the early appearance on February 23, 2025, and said the review page was later removed. The account is a secondary report: the original PCMag page and an official Capcom embargo notice were not independently verified.
What the leaked review reportedly said
Notebookcheck’s February 23, 2025 report, by Adam Corsetti, said Reddit users spotted a PCMag Middle East review of the final PlayStation 5 version of Monster Hunter Wilds. Notebookcheck attributed a score of 5 out of 5 to the review and said its page was later removed. Read Notebookcheck’s report.
According to Notebookcheck’s account, the review praised the combat and described performance as smooth on the reviewer’s PS5 after a day-one patch. The report says the reviewer could choose 30fps or 60fps targets and Fidelity, Balanced, or Performance modes. Those are reported impressions from one PS5 review experience—not independently measured results, and not evidence about PC or Xbox performance.
When was the embargo, and why did the review appear early?
Notebookcheck said the expected review embargo was 7 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on February 24, 2025. It also reported that a ResetEra forum post referred to a February 24 embargo. The report does not establish the official embargo terms or explain why the page appeared early; time-zone confusion was presented only as gamer speculation, not a confirmed cause.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Wild New Adventure – Monster Hunter Wilds follows the story of a special Research Commission investigating the Forbidden Lands. Fully voiced for the first time in the series, the hunter is joined in their journey by a colorful cast of characters, including a Palico partner, Guild-appointed Handler Alma, trusty smithy Gemma, and the mysterious child Nata. Together, the team ventures into an unexplored new frontier where surprises await around every corner.
- A Living World – The Forbidden Lands spans multiple biomes with dynamic identities, such as the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, where the ecosystems shift between vibrant seasons brimming with life, and unforgiving climates where monsters fight over limited resources. Changes in the landscape will impact the creatures that live there and push hunters to adapt as well.
- New Monsters and Wildlife – Monster Hunter Wilds features a variety of new creatures, ranging from herds of small species to large monsters – some of which roam the Forbidden Lands in packs. Every creature hunters encounter in the wild has carved out a special place in its habitat and possesses unique attacks and behaviors.
- Players can also now ride atop the Seikret, an agile new mount enabling hunters to traverse difficult terrain, perform actions like sharpening weapons on the move, and switch between two weapons while out on hunts!
- Evolved Hunting Action – The series’ acclaimed action-packed gameplay is back and more exciting than ever! Hunters can look forward to tracking down monsters with an array of new moves, special abilities, equipment, and more. The action also now flows seamlessly from cutscenes to gameplay, resulting in a new level of immersion.
The timing mattered because Capcom had announced the game’s release for February 28, 2025. The early-review report therefore concerned a page appearing several days before launch, not a current review event. Capcom’s launch announcement lists PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, with cross-play.
What is confirmed about the game since launch?
The reported 5/5 is one review score, not a consensus or a substitute for platform-specific reviews. Later milestones provide context but do not verify the leaked review’s observations: Capcom said worldwide sales surpassed 10 million units by March 31, 2025, and named Focus Mode and cross-play among the game’s features. Capcom’s sales announcement gives the publisher-reported figure.
On June 8, 2026, Capcom announced that the paid expansion Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance was scheduled for 2027. The same announcement said the company was developing the game for Nintendo Switch 2, with further details to follow. These are plans announced on that date, not confirmation of a subsequent release or updated platform availability. Capcom’s announcement has the details.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Wild New Adventure – Monster Hunter Wilds follows the story of a special Research Commission investigating the Forbidden Lands. Fully voiced for the first time in the series, the hunter is joined in their journey by a colorful cast of characters, including a Palico partner, Guild-appointed Handler Alma, trusty smithy Gemma, and the mysterious child Nata. Together, the team ventures into an unexplored new frontier where surprises await around every corner.
- A Living World – The Forbidden Lands spans multiple biomes with dynamic identities, such as the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, where the ecosystems shift between vibrant seasons brimming with life, and unforgiving climates where monsters fight over limited resources. Changes in the landscape will impact the creatures that live there and push hunters to adapt as well.
- New Monsters and Wildlife – Monster Hunter Wilds features a variety of new creatures, ranging from herds of small species to large monsters – some of which roam the Forbidden Lands in packs. Every creature hunters encounter in the wild has carved out a special place in its habitat and possesses unique attacks and behaviors.
- Evolved Hunting Action – The series’ acclaimed action-packed gameplay is back and more exciting than ever! Hunters can look forward to tracking down monsters with an array of new moves, special abilities, equipment, and more. The action also now flows seamlessly from cutscenes to gameplay, resulting in a new level of immersion.
- Crossplay Multiplayer – Alongside the option to enjoy the story of Monster Hunter Wilds solo, hunters can join up to three other players across any platform to explore the world together and take on the game’s challenges as a hunting party or receive aid from notable story characters as Support Hunter NPCs.
Rank #3
- Wild New Adventure – Monster Hunter Wilds follows the story of a special Research Commission investigating the Forbidden Lands. Fully voiced for the first time in the series, the hunter is joined in their journey by a colorful cast of characters, including a Palico partner, Guild-appointed Handler Alma, trusty smithy Gemma, and the mysterious child Nata. Together, the team ventures into an unexplored new frontier where surprises await around every corner.
- A Living World – The Forbidden Lands spans multiple biomes with dynamic identities, such as the Windward Plains and Scarlet Forest, where the ecosystems shift between vibrant seasons brimming with life, and unforgiving climates where monsters fight over limited resources. Changes in the landscape will impact the creatures that live there and push hunters to adapt as well.
- New Monsters and Wildlife – Monster Hunter Wilds features a variety of new creatures, ranging from herds of small species to large monsters – some of which roam the Forbidden Lands in packs. Every creature hunters encounter in the wild has carved out a special place in its habitat and possesses unique attacks and behaviors.
- Evolved Hunting Action – The series’ acclaimed action-packed gameplay is back and more exciting than ever! Hunters can look forward to tracking down monsters with an array of new moves, special abilities, equipment, and more. The action also now flows seamlessly from cutscenes to gameplay, resulting in a new level of immersion.
- Crossplay Multiplayer – Alongside the option to enjoy the story of Monster Hunter Wilds solo, hunters can join up to three other players across any platform to explore the world together and take on the game’s challenges as a hunting party or receive aid from notable story characters as Support Hunter NPCs.
How to interpret the story
- Score: Notebookcheck attributed a perfect 5/5 to the PCMag Middle East review.
- Platform: The review was described as covering PS5; its performance comments should not be generalized to other platforms.
- Provenance: Notebookcheck cited Reddit and ResetEra evidence and said the review page was removed. The original review and official embargo notice were not independently verified.
- Cause: No verified explanation for the early appearance is established.
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