We’re less than two weeks away from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, but Capcom will let PS4 and Xbox One hunters check out a sampling of the expansion early courtesy of an open beta. In June, Capcom held two beta periods for PS4 users. The upcoming beta lets Xbox One users get in on the action for the first time. If you want to partake in the monster-slaying festivities — and you should since Iceborne is a ton of fun — here’s when the beta starts and how to jump in.
PS4 users will get the beta first. It’s open to all PS4 owners with a PlayStation Plus subscription.
You can preload the PS4 beta starting August 28. We recommend pre-loading if you want to begin hunting right when the beta goes live.
Xbox One users can jump into the beta after the PS4 beta ends. Though an open beta, you’ll need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play.
Pre-loading for Xbox One will begin August 28. If you own both consoles, you can of course double up if you want to play throughout the entire beta window.
For PlayStation 4 users, the new beta will be pretty similar to the first one. Xbox One hunters, on the other hand, will get their first taste of Hoarfrost Reach, the new snowy landmass that serves as the setting for Iceborne’s storyline. Hoarfrost Reach is the largest locale in Monster Hunter World. For this beta, you’ll get to hunt four of the announced large monsters, either solo or online.
The opportunity to hunt Velkhana, the cover monster and main antagonist of Iceborne is a pretty enticing way to get PS4 users to return to the beta for a second time. While beta progress won’t carry over to the full game, you can earn up to four commendation packs filled with consumable items to use in the full game.
While on the hunt, you’ll get to try Iceborne‘s new mechanics. The Clutch Claw is a grappling hook that lets you easily mount monsters when in range, and the Slinger lets you strategically guide monsters.
We recommend hunting the four monsters in the order listed above. If you’re having trouble, check out our Iceborne beginner’s guide for tips and tricks and our monsters guide for specific tips for Great Jagras, Banbaro, and Tigrex.
Chances are most players who participate in the Iceborne beta already own Monster Hunter World. For those who have played World, you probably want to check your save file to ensure you’re ready for Iceborne when it launches September 6 on PS4 and Xbox One. It’s expected to launch next January for PC. You need to complete the main story and reach Hunter Rank 16 to access Iceborne content come launch.
Those who already have Monster Hunter World can pre-order a digital copy of the Iceborne expansion for $40. Monster Hunter World is Game Pass eligible on Xbox One/PC, so if you have an active subscription, you can also just buy the expansion.
If you don’t already have Monster Hunter World, you can pre-order the $60 Master Edition, which comes with the base game and Iceborne.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can pre-order the Master Edition Deluxe for $80. It comes with a steelbook case and the following pre-order bonuses: Silver Knight armor set, one face paint and hairstyle, two sticker sets, three gestures, and one room decor item.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.