PlayStation Plus subscribers have been surprised with an additional perk of their membership to wrap up the month of October. Outside of granting PlayStation users the ability to play games online, the other primary benefit of PS Plus is the free games for PS5 and PS4 that Sony hands out each month. While those subscribed to PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium have the ability to also play an extensive slate of titles that belong to the PlayStation Game Catalog, this is more or less the extent of what PS Plus has to offer. For those looking to find even more value in their subscription, though, a new benefit will be arriving next week thanks to a deal that PlayStation has landed with one major publisher.
Announced this week, Capcom revealed that it will soon be holding its first open beta for Monster Hunter Wilds soon. Set to release in 2025, the sequel to Monster Hunter World is arguably one of the biggest titles set to launch in the first half of the coming year. Prior to its arrival in February, though, Capcom will be putting MH Wilds through its paces with a beta that will take place across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC to close out October.
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So what does this have to do with PlayStation Plus? Well, Capcom unveiled that those with a PS Plus membership will be the first to gain access to the Monster Hunter Wilds beta. Specifically, the open beta for everyone is set to begin next week on October 31st and will run until November 3rd. For PS Plus subscribers at any tier, though, they’ll be able to start playing the beta on October 28th. This early access phase will then last until the evening of October 30th at which point the beta will go offline and return the following day.
While this likely isn’t going to convince millions upon millions of people to join PS Plus who may have not already been subscribed, it’s still a cool collab between PlayStation and Capcom that adds more value to one’s membership. It also allows you to check out Monster Hunter Wilds for free to see if you’d even be interested in playing it once it launches on February 27, 2025.
To that end, if you’d like to learn more about the latest entry in the Monster Hunter series, you can check out its most recent trailer and official description courtesy of the PS Store attached below.
Monster Hunter Wilds
“The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality.
Fulfill your duty as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong new weapons and armor from the materials you harvest from your hunt as you uncover the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit. The ultimate hunting experience awaits you in Monster Hunter Wilds.
- Story: A few years past, a young boy named Nata was rescued at the border of the Forbidden Lands, an unexplored region the guild has yet to survey. After hearing the boy’s tale of his lone escape from a mysterious monster that attacked his village, the Guild organized an expedition into the Forbidden Lands to investigate.
- A Living World: Environments within the Forbidden Lands can drastically change as the weather shifts constantly and suddenly. During the harsh Fallow and perilous Inclemency periods, ravenous monsters will venture out to hunt in packs, yet during the Plenty periods, wildlife is rich and abundant.
- Monsters: The monsters who inhabit these environments have been forced to adapt to the dynamic changes that occur, using their unique characteristics to survive and thrive.
- Hunting: As the world around them changes, so must the hunters and their tactics. Not only will hunters have a multitude of weapons and armor to choose from, but the art of the hunt itself has evolved as hunters learn to anticipate monsters’ behavior and familiarize themselves with their environment.
- Characters: From hunting partners to fellow expedition members, you’ll encounter plenty of those who will support you on your journey.”