Arachnophobia (a fear of spiders) seems to be becoming more and more prevalent in the realm of video games. Earlier this year, BioWare confirmed that Dragon Age: Veilguard will be completely devoid of spiders, despite previous titles in the series featuring eight-legged spiders. Now it turns out Monster Hunter Wilds does include spiders, but there’s an option to replace them entirely.
The Monster Hunter Wilds beta is out now, and as Automaton reports, eagle-eyed players have discovered that it has Arachnophobia support. The game features spiders, including a giant spider that makes boss fights difficult. However, once Arachnophobia support is turned on, all those spiders will disappear.
However, this does not take the player out of the fight. This just means that the spider is replaced by something else. For example, the common spiders in the game become blob-like slime creatures that are just as difficult to fight as spiders. Perhaps the giant spider will also transform when it appears in the game.
Not all gamers suffer from arachnophobia, and some may enjoy the opportunity to battle arachnids in their games. However, the sight of a realistically rendered spider with hairy legs and multiple eyes may be too daunting for some players. Either way, the player gets to decide whether to feel catharsis for those fears or simply flip a switch and pretend the creature isn’t there.
Monster Hunter Wilds launches on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on February 28, 2025. PS Plus subscribers currently have early access to the beta version, which will be extended to non-PS5 subscribers on October 31st. Beta release date for PC and Xbox Series X|S. However, the beta only lasts until November 3rd.
