Capcom suggests players should begin honing their skills now, as the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion is coming to Steam on January 9th, 2020. It is already available on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. Players on Steam will be able to venture into the new frozen landscape of Hoarfrost Reach just over a week after 2020 gets going. The expansion brings the largest region in the game up to this point, and its inhabited by a bunch of new monsters for players to take on. There are also new settings, and the PC version will have revamped keyboard/mouse controls, a hi-res texture pack, customizable video options, and support for DirectX 12.
Capcom also has several pre-order options. Those who pre-order early can get the Yukumo Series layered armor set. For those who already own the game, the Monster Hunter World: Iceborne expansion can be purchased as digital DLC for $39.99 / €39.99. There is also a Digital Deluxe edition which includes the expansion and the “deluxe kit DLC” containing a few extra cosmetic items. The deluxe edition will set you back $49.99 / €49.99. For those who do not yet own the game, there is the Master Edition, which includes the base game and the Iceborne expansion for $59.99 / €59.99.
To celebrate the Steam release date announcement, a new 4K 60FPS trailer was also released:
Hoarfrost Reach is a snow covered land that progressively builds upon the existing story. The Elder Dragon, Velkhana, claims this place as home, and will likely not be happy to see you. The Iceborne expansion adds the new Clutch Claw game mechanic, and updates all 14 weapon types to create additional combat options for hunters. Players can ride small monsters, and there is a two-player balanced difficulty scale. They’ve also added incentive for experienced players to help lower rank hunters progress. There is also a new difficulty rank, called Master Rank. To reach it you must complete the main story all the way through Hunter Rank 16, and this includes all of the new Iceborne story and quests.
After the Steam version launches, the update schedule for the PC version after that is planned to eventually converge with the console releases. There will be free post-launch support for the expansion. The first post-launch title update for the PC version is planned for early February. “This will include the addition of fan-favorite Rajang, the Raccoon City collaboration with popular survival horror icons Leon, Claire and Tyrant, Your Room updates and more.” The second title update will be in March, adding a new monster to the game.
