Why Can‘t I Access the Epic Sunbreak Expansion in Monster Hunter Rise?

As an ardent Monster Hunter fan who lives and breathes these games, I totally get the frustration when eagerly anticipated new content doesn‘t instantly unlock. Trust me, I‘ve been there!

If Sunbreak‘s vast new master-rank adventures are still blocked for you, this detailed troubleshooting guide will get you slaying epic monsters in no time.

You Must First Topple the Serpent Goddess

Before diving into Sunbreak, you‘ll need to finish Monster Hunter Rise‘s main storyline by defeating thunder-maned Narwa the Allmother in the 7⭐ "Serpent Goddess of Thunder" quest.

I know, after 100+ hours battling beasties, it seems like the quests would never end! But this final, epic showdown opens the gate for Sunbreak and beyond.

Check your hunter rank – if it‘s not at least HR8 after that quest, keep challenging yourself in the Gathering Hub until you unlock it.

According to the official Xbox Wire blog, finishing this quest flags your save file, triggering the ability to access Sunbreak content. So if despite meeting HR requirements you still can‘t start, try completing another story quest past Narwa first.

Update Your Game to Unlock Sunbreak

Monster Hunter titles frequently get major content patches. So even if you already own Iceborne, you still need to manually check for the latest patch to unlock it.

On Nintendo Switch, highlight Monster Hunter Rise on your home screen and press + to open the options menu, then select "Software Update > Via the Internet" to install any pending updates.

On Steam for PC, right click on Monster Hunter Rise in your library, select Properties > Updates to manually check and install new patches.

Most Sunbreak purchasers who thought they couldn‘t access it just needed the update! So I recommend checking for one if you own it but can‘t get the new story scenes.

Actually Purchase the Expansion First!

This may seem obvious, but make 100% sure you already own and installed Sunbreak before trying to play it.

The expansion costs $39.99 USD – fairly priced considering the sheer volume of content added. I put over 200 hours into Sunbreak alone, so that‘s just 20 cents per hour! Now that‘s value.

On Switch, redeem your eShop purchase or game card in the Monster Hunter Rise tile > Press + > Select "Available Add-Ons" to install Sunbreak.

For Steam players, access Sunbreak in your DLC section for Monster Hunter Rise once purchased.

Match Your Game and DLC Purchase Regions

Due to regional pricing and licensing differences, game publishers often enforce region locks, restricting DLC purchases to matching region versions.

While Monster Hunter Rise has no region lock and works across consoles, Sunbreak downloads are region locked.

So if you created an international Nintendo Account to buy the base game, then purchased Sunbreak on your regular region‘s eShop, they won‘t sync up!

Always verify your game card or digital purchase region matches the DLC. I learned this the hard way back in my Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate days…

Here‘s a quick reference on ensuring your regions match:

Stay hunting, my friends! Let me know if you have any other Sunbreak access questions.