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It’s you against the monsters. You may be outnumbered, but you’re a hunter, and fighting monsters is what you do best.

Monster Hunter is a hunting RPG series from Capcom. The franchise began with Monster Hunter, a 2004 PlayStation game. Since then, monster hunting has evolved, with dozens of games on numerous consoles, including augmented reality games, puzzle games, state-of-the-art console games, and more. Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest release in the long-running franchise, pushing the series to new levels. 

Simply put, we’ve been catching monsters for over 20 years, and we’re still having a blast doing it. If you’ve ever wanted to get into Monster Hunter, but weren’t sure how, Popverse has you covered. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to play Monster Hunter. 

How to play Monster Hunter in release order

If you’re looking to play Monster Hunter in release order, here is a list of all the games in the franchise. It’s important to note that some games are ports or re-releases of existing Monster Hunter games. The line between a new game and a re-release can be blurry, and sometimes it’s different on a case-by-case basis. 

In a case where a game is an updated version of an existing game, we’ve listed them together. The year listed next to the games is the year the original version of the game was released. For example, Monster Hunter was released in 2004, and Monster Hunter G is an updated version of the game released in 2009. Monster Hunter Freedom is another port that was released in 2005. As a result, they are listed as Monster Hunter/Monster Hunter G/Monster Hunter Freedom (2004). 

• Monster Hunter/Monster Hunter G/Monster Hunter Freedom (2004)
• Monster Hunter 2 (2006)
• Monster Hunter Frontier Online/Monster Hunter Frontier Z (2007)
• Monster Hunter Freedom 2/Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (2007)
• Monster Hunter 3/Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (2009)
• Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village (2010)
• Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd (2010)
• Monster Hunter Dynamic Hunting (2011)
• Monster Hunter 4/Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (2013)
• Monster Hunter Online (2013)
• Monster Hunter Explore (2015)
• Monster Hunter Generations/Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (2015)
• Monster Hunter: Stories (2016)
• Monster Hunter World/Monster Hunter: World: Iceborne (2018)
• Monster Hunter Riders (2020)
• Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (2021)
• Monster Hunter: Rise/Monster Hunter: Rise: Sunbreak (2021)
• Monster Hunter Now (2023)
• Monster Hunter Puzzles (2024)
• Monster Hunter Wilds (2025)
• Monster Hunter Outlanders (TBA)
  
  

Does Monster Hunter have a chronological order

This is a complicated question. The Monster Hunter franchise has storylines and lore, but each game can almost be considered a standalone adventure. Fans have debated what the chronological order of the games are, but without any guidance from Capcom, it’s all speculation. The general consensus is that the chronological order is the same as the release order, or you can choose your own version of the timeline.

What is the current Monster Hunter game?

Monster Hunter Wilds is the latest entry in the Monster Hunter franchise. It will be released on February 28, 2025, on Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows. The game is set in the Forbidden Lands, a region that has been closed to travelers for the past thousand years. It will be an open-world game with several biomes for players to explore.

When is the next Monster Hunter game coming out?

Monster Hunter Outlanders is an upcoming free-to-play mobile game. The game will focus on hunting (of course) and is expected to be available for Android and iOS devices. Capcom is working with TiMi Studio Group to develop the game. There is currently no release date, but a trailer released in November 2024 stated that the game was “coming soon.” Therefore, we should probably expect it sometime in 2025.

Is Monster Hunter: World the first game?

No, Monster Hunter: World is not the first game. The 2018 game was designed to be beginner-friendly in order to lure new players to the franchise. While the game is set in the same universe as the main series, the storyline is largely unconnected. As a result, some players might feel like it's the beginning of a new series, rather than stepping into the middle of an existing franchise. The first game in the franchise is Monster Hunter, which was released in 2004. 

Can you play Monster Hunter: World without playing previous games?

Monster Hunter: World is a beginner-friendly game by design. The game is set on a continent called New World, far from the action seen in previous Monster Hunter games. It can almost be seen as a soft reboot of the franchise. While playing past Monster Hunter games will give you a deeper appreciation for Monster Hunter: World, you don’t need to have any prior knowledge to enjoy it.

Does Monster Hunter 2 have a story?

Monster Hunter 2 has a storyline, but it’s very bare-bones. Players defend Jumbo Village from monsters, and that’s more or less it. You hunt monsters and thwart the threat of Kushala Daora, the Elder Dragon. The gameplay is similar to the 2004 Monster Hunter game but with new features such as updated weapons, night and day changes, new monsters, and more. 

Is Monster Hunter Now free?

Monster Hunter Now is a free-to-play game. This means there is no cost to download and play the game, however, some of the game’s features require in-app purchases. Monster Hunter Now was developed by Capcom and Niantic, the studio behind Pokémon Go. If you’ve ever played Pokémon Go, Monster Hunter Now has a similar premise. The mobile game uses augmented reality to help players hunt monsters in the real world. In other words, it’s a great way to continue your Monster Hunter fun when you leave home. 

What about the 2002 Monster Hunter game?

In 2002 MonkeyByte Studios and Contraband Entertainment released a Windows game called Monster Hunter. The game takes players through a series of towers where they fight monsters. The game is reminiscent of maze-style games from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Despite its title, Monster Hunter has no connection with the long-running Capcom franchise. If you see a game with an eye-patched character on the cover, then you have the wrong Monster Hunter.

Where else can I follow the Monster Hunter franchise?

If you want to follow the Monster Hunter franchise outside of the games, there are a few ways to do it. Here’s a brief breakdown of the Monster Hunter tie-in media.

• Monster Hunter Orage (2008) – A four-volume manga published by Kodansha and Capcom.
• Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter (2009) – Another manga adaptation.
• MonHun Nikki Girigiri Airū-mura Airū Kiki Ippatsu (2010) – A series of anime shorts based on the franchise.
• MonHun Nikki Girigiri Airū-mura G (2010) – Another batch of anime shorts.
• Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On (2016) – An anime based on Monster Hunter Stories.
• Monster Hunter (2020) – A live-action film based on the video game franchise. The film follows a group of soldiers from Earth who become trapped in another dimension, where they fight alongside Hunters.
• Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild (2021) – An animated Netflix film about a Hunter trying to defeat an Elder Dragon.
  
  

What is a good Monster Hunter game to start with?

It all depends on what type of gameplay you prefer. If you’re a mobile gamer who went through a big Pokemon Go phase, then Monster Hunter Now is the perfect game to start with. It’s a mobile game developed by Niantic, the studio behind Pokemon Go. If you’re a console gamer who likes exploring open worlds, then Monster Hunter: World will be your next obsession. It’s an action role-playing game that expands the world of Monster Hunter for next-gen console players and acts as the perfect introduction to the franchise.

However, I’m a big fan of trying with the latest entry, since it gives you the opportunity to see the franchise in its most advanced state. Monster Hunter Wilds releases on February 28, 2025 for Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows. Either way, there are plenty of Monster Hunter games to choose from.

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.