PS4 Monster Hunter World Beta Now Available To Pre-Load

Monster Hunter World's free PlayStation 4 beta takes place this weekend, but players who are looking forward to trying the monster-slaying action game can start preparing for it now (you can also read our Monster Hunter World review). The beta is available to pre-load from the PlayStation Store, provided you have a PS Plus subscription.

The beta kicks off on Saturday, December 9, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT and runs through the same times on Tuesday, December 12. You'll need to have 5.9 GB of space available on your console to download it and be a PS Plus member to participate. You can download the beta here.

The beta features 14 different weapon types to use, as well as three different quests across two environments: the Ancient Forest and Wildspire Waste. The former is home to the Great Jagras and the Anjanath, while the rock-headed Barroth can be found in the latter. Each quest can be completed either solo or with up to three other players; if you manage to clear all three before the beta ends, Capcom says you'll earn "some useful bonus items" in the full title.

Monster Hunter World releases for PS4 and Xbox One on January 26; the game is also coming to PC later in 2018. So far, Capcom hasn't announced if either platform will receive a similar beta, but we do know the PS4 version will have at least one exclusive DLC weapon set based on Horizon Zero Dawn.