At long last, Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Friday, February 28th. The game will have a rolling launch, meaning some regions will get it earlier than others. Here’s how to play Monster Hunter Wilds early with the New Zealand trick.

Recommended Videos

How To Play Monster Hunter Wilds Early with the New Zealand Trick on Xbox Series X|S

The easiest platform to play Monster Hunter Wilds early on is the Xbox Series X|S. Xbox allows you to change your console’s region effortlessly, tricking the system into thinking you're in a different time zone so you can play earlier. Here’s how to do it:

To use the New Zealand trick, navigate to the Xbox settings, go to the System tab, select Language and Location, and set the Location to New Zealand. After changing this, restart your Xbox for the settings to take effect. Once restarted, you'll be able to play Monster Hunter Wilds at the same time as the earliest region where it launches.

How To Play Monster Hunter Wilds Early on PlayStation and PC

While using the New Zealand trick on PC and PlayStation is more challenging, it's still possible despite the complications. Since changing your region directly isn’t an option on PS5 and PC as it is on Xbox Series X|S, you’ll need to create a separate account.

To play Monster Hunter Wilds early on PlayStation 5 and PC using the New Zealand trick, set up a PSN or Steam account with a New Zealand address and purchase the game on that account. You’ll need to use NZ$ for the purchase, which might be slightly more expensive. The base edition of Monster Hunter Wilds is around $70 USD, but in NZ$, it equates to about $77 USD. You may also need to buy New Zealand-specific PSN or Steam gift cards from a third-party site, depending on how your card handles international transactions and exchange rates.

Related: How To Shatter the Bloodstorm One Statue in Marvel Rivals (Ruined Idol Achievement)

When Can I Play Monster Hunter Wilds? Regional Rollout, Explained

As the image above shows, there are over a dozen different regions with different release times for Monster Hunter Wilds. The earliest region to launch the game is Auckland, New Zealand, at 12 AM NZDT. This translates to 6 AM the previous day in New York and 3 AM on the West Coast. By using the New Zealand trick, players in the United States can enjoy almost an entire extra day to play Monster Hunter Wilds on Thursday, February 27th.

And that’s how to play Monster Hunter Wilds early with the New Zealand trick.