Does Monster Hunter Wilds Have Cross-Play And Cross-Save?

Monster Hunter Wilds launches with cross-play support, a first for Capcom's long-running action game series. The steps you take to join with random strangers or team up with friends are rather different, though, as Wilds makes you jump through several hoops to add friends to your in-game list. Full cross-play might be a big step forward for Monster Hunter, but if you're holding out for cross-progression as well, you'll have to keep waiting.

We've broken down how Monster Hunter Wilds' cross-play works below, including what you need to do to play with friends.

How cross-play support works in Monster Hunter Wilds

Monster Hunter Wilds supports cross-play between PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, and since it has cross-play turned on automatically, you don't have to do anything special to get started. There are separate processes for playing in groups of random players or joining with friends, though. When you join or post a quest, Monster Hunter Wilds puts you in a lobby with up to 100 other players. You can join any posted quest or wait for others to join yours.

Adding friends takes a few more steps. You need to invite friends from your platform's friend list or use a link code Wilds generates for you, and once they've joined your party, you can add them to your Hunter Friends list. The steps involved might change in the full release, but during Wilds' open beta, you could do that by:

• Opening the communications tab
• Choosing Link Party
• Clicking a friend's name in the Link Member section
• Sending a friend request

They'll stay in your Hunter Friends list after they accept the request.

Inviting friends from other platforms comes with additional steps. You can send them your Hunter ID, which lives under the Hunter Profile menu in the Info tab, or invite them using their ID. The steps in the beta were:

• In the Communication menu, choose Player List and Hunter ID Search
• Input your friend's ID
• Choose their name, and send a friend request

The method might change in the full launch version, though.

Speak to Alma, the quest manager, at your campsite to post a quest, and any friend in your party will instantly receive the notification and a prompt to join.

Is there cross-save progression in Monster Hunter Wilds?

Capcom said Monster Hunter Wilds will not support cross-save progression. All DLC, story progress, and character data will remain locked to the platform where you first start playing Monster Hunter Wilds, so if you pick it up on a different platform, you'll have to start over.