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Gameplay & Frame Rate · Nintendo Switch 2

Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2: How the Demo Runs, Handheld and Docked

By Jerry VanOster · Based on the video published Oct 20, 2026
Monster Hunter Wilds on Nintendo Switch 2, handheld and docked gameplay▶Watch on YouTube
Quick take

Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds has a Prologue Demo on Switch 2, and I captured it on launch day, Oct 20, in handheld and then docked with a 4K output, using a lossless capture with a frame-rate and frame-time overlay. There's no commentary in this one, just gameplay, so this is a short look at how the demo looks and runs on Switch 2.

What's in the video

Handheld

I don't have a way to measure frame rate in handheld mode, so the handheld section is the game running on the screen: the desert opening, the camp and the Chatacabra fight. The on-screen label shows Quality mode at 30 FPS for the first part and Quality mode uncapped after that.

Monster Hunter Wilds demo in handheld mode on Nintendo Switch 2, Quality mode 30 FPS
Handheld, Quality mode 30 FPS.
Monster Hunter Wilds demo in handheld mode on Nintendo Switch 2, Quality mode uncapped, Chatacabra fight
Handheld, Quality mode uncapped, fighting the Chatacabra.

Docked (4K output)

All the numbers here are what the on-screen frame-rate overlay read in my docked capture, through the Chatacabra fight.

Prioritize Quality, 30 FPS cap: the overlay reads 30 in every reading, and it came back to a flat 30 again when I switched back to this setting later in the capture.

Monster Hunter Wilds demo docked on Switch 2, Quality mode 30 FPS, overlay reading 30 FPS
Docked, Quality mode 30 FPS. Overlay reads 30 FPS.

Prioritize Framerate, uncapped: the overlay reads between 42 and 48, sitting mostly around 44 to 46.

Monster Hunter Wilds demo docked on Switch 2, Framerate mode uncapped, overlay reading 47 FPS
Docked, Framerate mode uncapped. Overlay reads 47 FPS.
Monster Hunter Wilds demo docked on Switch 2, Framerate mode uncapped
Docked, Framerate mode uncapped, mid-fight.

Prioritize Quality, uncapped: the overlay reads between 32 and 40, mostly 34 to 37 with a few readings at 38 to 40.

Monster Hunter Wilds demo docked on Switch 2, Quality mode uncapped, overlay reading in the 30s
Docked, Quality mode uncapped. Overlay reads in the 30s.

So in this demo, Framerate mode uncapped runs a little over 10 FPS higher than Quality uncapped, while the 30 cap gives the steadiest frame rate. This is the demo, so the full release could change how it runs.

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