Unlock Monster Hunter Wilds Early: The New Zealand Time Zone Trick

At long last, Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Friday, February 28th. The game will have a rolling launch, meaning some regions will get it earlier than others. Here’s how to play Monster Hunter Wilds early with the New Zealand trick.

Recommended Videos How To Play Monster Hunter Wilds Early with the New Zealand Trick on Xbox Series X|S

By far, the easiest platform to play Monster Hunter Wilds early on is the Xbox Series X|S. Xbox makes it super easy to change your console’s region, essentially tricking your system into thinking you’re in a different time zone so you can play earlier. Here’s how to change your region on Xbox and start playing Monster Hunter Wilds early.

To use the New Zealand trick and play games early, you’ll need to change the Xbox’s system language and location settings. Navigate to the Xbox settings, go to the System tab, click on Language and Location, and set the Location to New Zealand. After making this change, you’ll need to restart the Xbox for the settings to take effect. Once your console restarts, you should be able to play Monster Hunter Wilds at the same time as the earliest region where it launches.

How To Play Monster Hunter Wilds Early on PlayStation and PC

While it's not as straightforward to use the New Zealand trick on PC and PlayStation, it is still possible despite some complications. Since changing your region won’t work on the PS5 and PC as it does on Xbox Series X|S, you’ll need to create a separate account.

To play Monster Hunter Wilds – or any game – early using the New Zealand trick on PlayStation 5 and PC, you’ll need to set up a PSN or Steam account with a New Zealand address and purchase the game on that account. You’ll also need to buy the game using NZ$, which can be a bit more expensive. While the base edition of Monster Hunter Wilds is around $70 USD, the equivalent exchange rate in NZ$ ends up being around $77 USD. You may need to purchase New Zealand-specific PSN or Steam gift cards from a third-party site as well, depending on how your credit or debit card handles international purchases and exchange rates.

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When Can I Play Monster Hunter Wilds? Regional Rollout, Explained

As the image above shows, there are over a dozen different regions with different release times for Monster Hunter Wilds. The earliest region where the game will launch is Auckland, New Zealand, with a release time of 12 AM NZDT. This equates to 6 AM the previous day in New York and 3 AM on the West Coast. Using the New Zealand trick, players in the United States can get almost an entire extra day to play Monster Hunter Wilds on Thursday, February 27th.

And that’s how to play Monster Hunter Wilds early with the New Zealand trick.