Monster Hunter fans are counting down to the release of the next game in the series.

Available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, Monster Hunter Wilds has a February 28 release date. 

The good news for UK fans is that Monster Hunter Wilds will have a midnight release time for PlayStation and Xbox. The game will have a midnight release in all regions, except for the West Coast of America, where it will launch at 9pm PT on February 27.

Sadly, however, PC users will have to wait a little longer to start playing the new Capcom release. Monster Hunter Wilds will have a 5am GMT release time on Steam.

To ensure you can start playing the moment Monster Hunter Wilds goes live, pre-order customers can pre-load the game ahead of launch.

Furthermore, Capcom has confirmed that a day-one patch is required to start playing at launch.

Available now, the day-one patch weighs in at a pretty hefty 15GB, so you may want to download sooner rather than later.

The news was confirmed by Capcom on X: "Picking up a physical copy of Monster Hunter Wilds? Heads up, an update to the latest version of approximately 15GB is required to play. If you've preordered the digital version, you can download the latest update now."

If you haven't already pre-ordered Monster Hunter Wilds, there's good news for PlayStation users. As you can see from the link below, CD Keys is selling £70 PlayStation Store credit for £60.99 (prices correct at the time of writing).

After purchasing a top-up card from CD Keys, the retailer will send you a link with the code that can redeemed on the PlayStation Store.

Once you've added the credit to your PlayStation account, you can pick up the £64.99 Standard Edition of the game, having only actually spent £60.99. You'll also have some spare cash for your account.

Speaking of PlayStation Store credit, it's also worth checking your email to see if Sony has sent free credit for a network issue on Christmas Eve.

In addition to immediate access to Monster Hunter Wilds at launch, pre-order customers will also receive a couple of bonus items.

This includes the Monster Hunter Wilds Digital Mini Art Book, as well as the Hunter Layered Armour Set: Guild Knight and the Hope Charm Talisman.

There are also Deluxe and Premium Editions of the game, which come with even more DLC.

As for the game itself, Monster Hunter Wilds takes place in the Forbidden Lands, where fearsome creatures hunt in packs.

Monster Hunter Wilds features a dynamic weather system, which changes the attributes of some monsters, and what hunters can expect to find.