Capcom is set to releaseMonster Hunter Riseon new platforms in 2023, but there’s a big catch for gamers that prefer to own physical copies of their titles rather than digital.Monster Hunter Risehas been available on Nintendo Switch and PC since it was released back in 2021, but Capcom only recently stated that the title will becoming to PlayStation and Xboxin January.Video game publication Gematsu recently confirmed that Capcom will only be releasingMonster Hunter Risedigitally for the July 27, 2025 release, and no physical copies have been announced. While the lack of a physical copy is nothing new for PC games, Nintendo Switch fans ofMonster Hunter Risemay end up being the only ones with a copy of the title that they can actually hold or put on their shelves. Game releases that aren’t accompanied by proper retail releases have become a hot-button issue among parts of the gaming community asMonster Hunter Risejoins the likes ofFortnite,The Outer Worlds, andOverwatchas opposed to standard releases that include the disc or cartridge.RELATED:Rumor: New Xbox Game Pass Game for January Leaked Online and It’s a Big OneThe Gematsu Twitter account confirmed on December 5 that Capcom isn’t planning to releaseMonster Hunter Risephysical copies for PlayStation or Xbox consoles upon release. Xbox players may be less impacted by this decision asMonster Hunter Risewill be featured as part ofthe Xbox Game Pass lineup on launch day, but PlayStation fans will be left purchasing digital only. Capcom fans that choose not to opt for digital-only games will still be able to buy aMonster Hunter Worlddisc for their libraries in the meantime as they anticipate the possibility of more launches in the future.
Because companies like Limited Run Games sometimes do physical releases for existing games,Monster Hunter Risefans may be able to acquire a disc of their game in the future if Capcom permits it. Since its 2018 cross-platform release,Monster Hunter Worldhas becomeone of Capcom’s biggest success storieswhich may be one of the reasons it’s branchingMonster Hunter Riseout to other consoles. Given thatMonster Hunter Risehas been available on the Nintendo Switch for a year, Nintendo may have had a timed exclusivity deal for the console version of the game while PC players were free to experience it at their leisure and other console gamers had to wait.
Although someMonster Hunterfans have lamented thatMonster Hunter Risewill be like other releases in the franchise in missing an actual disc, Capcom may not even offer a box with the code inside to avoid potential backlash. Some players have noted that they already switched to buying digital copies of gameslike millions of Sony fanslong beforeMonster Hunter Rise, while a few noted that they’ll skip the January release because of the inconvenience.
Monster Hunter Riseis available now for PC and Switch, with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions launching on Jul 06, 2025.
MORE:Monster Hunter Rise on PlayStation, Xbox May Point to a Long Wait for World 2
