Digital Foundry Investigates Monster Hunter Wilds DLC Stutter Controversy, Finds No Pay-to-Fix Scheme
A controversy few expected has emerged around Monster Hunter Wilds, after some players reported that the game appeared to run more smoothly when they owned a large number of DLC items. This led to backlash from the community, with accusations that CAPCOM was deliberately encouraging players to spend more money in order to improve frame rate performance. The situation escalated to the point where Digital Foundry stepped in to verify whether the claims were true.
Richard Leadbetter from Digital Foundry conducted hands-on testing and analysis to identify the root cause of the issue. His initial assumption pointed toward a CPU-related bottleneck. During testing, he experimented with a mod known as “Less DLC Checks” and discovered that the performance problem was not related to the quantity of DLC owned by the player. Instead, it was caused by how the game continuously checks for installed DLC in the background while the game is running.
This constant verification process consumes CPU resources, leading to frame drops and stuttering during gameplay. In short, the issue stems from the game repeatedly scanning for DLC files rather than performing a one-time check at launch. As a result, players who already own DLC experience fewer checks, making the game appear smoother and unintentionally fueling the pay-to-fix rumor.
Leadbetter concluded that this behavior is more likely the result of a bug rather than an intentional design to force additional spending. In most games, DLC ownership is verified before gameplay begins, after which the game runs normally. Monster Hunter Wilds, however, uses an unusual approach by checking DLC availability continuously during play. The advantage of this method is that newly purchased DLC becomes available immediately without restarting the game, but the downside is the unexpected performance hit.
Digital Foundry also noted that Monster Hunter Wilds is currently the only RE Engine title from CAPCOM experiencing this specific frame rate issue. One possible explanation is the game’s always-online elements, which may be tied to real-time item and DLC verification. Whether CAPCOM will revise this system to align with industry standards remains to be seen.
About Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The game continues the franchise’s signature action hunting gameplay, placing players in a research expedition exploring a vast and dangerous wilderness alongside companions such as Alma and the ever-faithful Palico. The game introduces Multi-dimensional Biomes, where environments such as deserts and grasslands can change dynamically and unpredictably, adding a new layer of challenge to every hunt.
