Monster Hunter World fans hoping for the best but fearing the worst regarding the upcoming Iceborne expansion's PC release date finally have some concrete, if not exactly joyous, news. Capcom has revealed that Iceborne won't be arriving on Steam until January next year.

We already knew there'd be a bit of a wait, of course; Capcom previously announced that PC players would be able to experience Iceborne "this winter", some time after the expansion's 6th September release on PS4 and Xbox One. Most were hoping that would mean a PC launch this side of the new year - but I guess there's some tiny solace in the fact that Iceborne's arrival is marginally speedier than the six tortuous months it took the base game to reach the platform.

It's going to be a difficult wait too, if early indications are anything to go by. Iceborne is a huge offering, said to rival the size of the core game in terms of content. There's a new story, picking up after the end of the main quest, a snowy new biome known as Hoarfrost Reach, and a new, punishingly tough high-level rank known as Master Rank, analogous to previous games' G Rank.

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That's far from everything though; Capcom has also promised a huge number of quality of life improvements, new combat tricks, and a sizeable roster of behemoths not seen in the core game - including both fresh faces and returning foes from previous series entries, such as the Nargacuga, Tigrex, Glavenus, and more.

Our Martin recently sat down with Monster Hunter World's Iceborne expansion (I'm assuming chairs were provided), and came away mightily impressed. "After too many months away it's a joy to get reacquainted in all that's mighty and magical about Monster Hunter," said Martin, "Iceborne puts up a heck of a challenge, but it's one I can't wait to face in a few short weeks time." Or, it now transpires, around five months time for PC players like me. Not that I'm bitter.