The Complete List of Monster Hunter Games in Chronological and Release Order

From its humble beginnings in 2004 to its most recent entry breaking all kinds of sales and player records, the Monster Hunter franchise has one of the most interesting histories of any Capcom IP. While the original Monster Hunter would largely be a critical and commercial flop in the West, it would go on to endear a cult following in Japan, which helped the series blossom into a full-blown franchise that only became increasingly popular after its shift to mostly handheld entries. But Monster Hunter games’ place as handheld-centric titles would come to a halt thanks to 2018’s Monster Hunter World, which ushered in a new era for the series, both in terms of its gameplay and its success.

The increasing push toward accessibility has helped Monster Hunter grow into one of Capcom’s most important franchises, with the recent Monster Hunter Wilds achieving staggering success as Capcom’s fastest-selling game to date. With more than 8 million units sold in three days, over a million daily players on Steam, and an almost 1.5 million peak player count that doesn’t even factor in console users, it’s safe to say that Monster Hunter Wilds is the true turning point for the franchise, solidifying Monster Hunter as a series on equal footing with other Capcom giants like Street Fighter and Resident Evil. And as most longtime players will attest, it’s success that’s well-earned.

Monster Hunter

• Release Date — March 11, 2004
• Review Aggregate Score — 68% (Mixed or Average)
• Platforms — PlayStation 2

Initially arriving in Japan on March 11, 2004, Monster Hunter would eventually make its way to the West 6 months later on September 21, 2004. Japanese audiences and critics were fans of the title, with Famitsu awarding the original Monster Hunter an impressive 32/40. American audiences, however, were less so, with the title ultimately ending up as both a commercial and critical flop. Thanks to the first entry’s lackluster performance, Capcom would scale back the series’ footprint in North America, resulting in Monster Hunter largely sticking to its native Japan except for the occasional PSP release.

Monster Hunter Freedom/Monster Hunter G

• Release Date — December 1, 2005 (Monster Hunter Freedom); January 20, 2005 (Monster Hunter G)
• Review Aggregate Score — 71% (Mixed or Average)
• Platforms — PlayStation Portable (Monster Hunter Freedom); PlayStation 2, Wii (Monster Hunter G)

Released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 as Monster Hunter G, the first follow-up to the original Monster Hunter is essentially an expanded director’s cut. Monster Hunter G improves several aspects of the first game while also adding some original content. This version would also eventually make its way to the Wii in 2009, but again as a Japan-exclusive release. Western players would receive Monster Hunter G as the PSP-exclusive title Monster Hunter Freedom. Despite the name change, Monster Hunter Freedom is still Monster Hunter G, making it a PSP remake of the 2004 PlayStation 2 game.

Monster Hunter 2

• Release Date — February 16, 2006 (Japan-only)
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — PlayStation 2

The first official Monster Hunter sequel, Monster Hunter 2 is also the first new game in the series to launch exclusively in Japan. While Western players would get their own expanded version of Monster Hunter 2 later on, the game was originally exclusive to Japanese PS2 players, and it also happens to be a major step up from the original in terms of its quality. Not only does Monster Hunter 2 introduce a slew of fan-favorite monsters that would go on to appear time and again throughout the franchise, but it also brought enhancements related to gameplay like a day/night cycle, new weapon types, and upgradeable armor.

Monster Hunter Frontier Online

• Release Date — June 21, 2007 (Japan-only)
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A
• Platforms — PC, Xbox 360

While it was originally released back in 2007 as Monster Hunter Frontier Online, the first fully online MMO version of Monster Hunter would go through several variations and name changes before servers finally shut down in 2019. But for 12 years, Monster Hunter Frontier Online (later, Monster Hunter Frontier Z) would be one of the series’ more popular games, especially on the Xbox 360, which struggled to find a foothold with Japanese players. A lot of the enhancements made possible by Monster Hunter Frontier Online would eventually influence the seasonal content and DLC drops for later Monster Hunter games.

Monster Hunter Freedom 2

• Release Date — February 22, 2007
• Review Aggregate Score — 72% (Mixed or Average)
• Platforms — PlayStation Portable

Similar to the first Monster Hunter Freedom, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 is a PSP-exclusive revision of a mainline Monster Hunter game. Adapting Monster Hunter 2 to a purely single-player experience and adding some new original content designed specifically for its PSP version, Monster Hunter Freedom 2 marks the first time Western players got to experience any content that debuted in Monster Hunter 2, which would ultimately remain a Japan-exclusive title. This second handheld Monster Hunter title would prove to be even more successful than the first, inspiring Capcom to largely transition the franchise to handheld consoles.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

• Release Date — March 27, 2008
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PlayStation Portable, iOS

Just a year after releasing Monster Hunter Freedom 2, Capcom would deliver an expanded edition of that game for PSP with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. Like Monster Hunter Freedom 2, Freedom Unite borrows the majority of its content from Monster Hunter 2 but adds a slew of new original content, quality-of-life updates, and expansions to the base game that are aimed toward increasing replayability. Ultimately, Monster Hunter Freedom Unite would go on to become the 5th-best-selling game on the PSP, moving more than 3.8 million units worldwide and marking the Monster Hunter series’ greatest success yet.

Monster Hunter Tri

• Release Date — August 1, 2009
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — Wii

Following several years of the series’ console entries sticking to their native Japan, Capcom would finally bring Monster Hunter back to Western players’ living rooms with the Wii release of Monster Hunter Tri in 2009. Otherwise known as Monster Hunter 3, Monster Hunter Tri represents another major leap forward for the series. Perhaps the most important enhancement made by Monster Hunter Tri is the ability to link up with up to 3 other players for a 4-person co-op, which has since become a staple of the Monster Hunter series. As is the case with most mainline entries in the series, Monster Hunter Tri would eventually see several re-releases as enhanced versions of the core experience.

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd

• Release Date — December 1, 2010 (Japan-only)
• Review Aggregate Score — 97% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3

Monster Hunter Portable 3rd would end up being the last Monster Hunter game to be released on the PSP and is an original revision of Monster Hunter Tri. Notably, Portable 3rd adapts the main campaign of Monster Hunter Tri into a purely single-player experience for the PSP while also adding in new regions, monsters, gear upgrade trees, and an original Felyne combat system. Like previous PSP-exclusive Monster Hunter games, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd would prove to be a massive success for Capcom, selling more than 2 million units in just two weeks and landing the top spot on Japan’s best-selling games list the month of its release.

Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate

• Release Date — December 10, 2011
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — 3DS, Wii U

While Western players did not get Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, they did eventually get a handheld port of Monster Hunter Tri courtesy of Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate. Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate is essentially the localization of the Japan-only enhanced version of Monster Hunter Tri, Monster Hunter Tri-G. As such, it includes a slew of new content updates, including the return of Monster Hunter Tri‘s underwater combat, which was left out of the PSP version of the game, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. In addition to selling millions of units and becoming one of the more popular early titles in the first year of the 3DS’ lifespan, Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate was the first 3DS game to utilize the Circle Pad Pro.

Monster Hunter 4

• Release Date — September 14, 2013 (Japan-only)
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — 3DS

The overwhelming success of Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate would inspire Capcom to develop the series’ next mainline entry specifically for the 3DS, with Monster Hunter 4 arriving as a Japan-exclusive title just two years later. Monster Hunter 4 is notorious for being the debut of several fan-favorite monsters in the series, as well as the game to introduce both the Charge Blade and the Insect Glaive, two powerful weapons with steep learning curves. Additionally, Monster Hunter4 overhauls the series’ combat and traversal, affording greater freedom for 3D movement and adding in abilities like wall climbing. At the time of its release, Monster Hunter 4 was the series’ most successful launch, selling 1.8 million units in a single day.

Monster Hunter Frontier G

• Release Date — April 17, 2013
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360

After several years as the series’ successful MMO spin-off, Monster Hunter Frontier Online/Monster Hunter Frontier Z would be rebranded as Monster Hunter Frontier G following a major update improving several of the title’s core systems. As part of this rebranding, the game also made its way to a slew of new platforms, including PS3, PS Vita, and the Wii U. As part of the massive content update, Monster Hunter Frontier G would receive 10 brand-new monsters, updates to existing hunts, and a plethora of new upgrade paths for gear and weapons. Prior to the game’s servers shutting down in 2019, Monster Hunter Frontier G would end up being one of the series’ more successful entries, with more than 4.5 million players.

Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate

• Release Date — February 13, 2015
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — 3DS

After 2 years of exclusivity as a Japan-only 3DS title, Monster Hunter 4 would finally make its way to the West as Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate. Like Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, the Ultimate version of Monster Hunter 4 introduces several new updates to the core gameplay, including several high-profile crossovers with Nintendo first-party franchises. Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate represents a major turning point for the franchise in the West as the series’ best-reviewed game to date, with many critics going so far as to call it the best game in the series up until that point. Commercial success would be equally as impressive, with Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate going on to sell more than 4 million units worldwide.

Monster Hunter Generations

• Release Date — November 28, 2015
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — 3DS

Initially released in Japan as Monster Hunter X, Monster Hunter Generations is the final mainline entry in the Monster Hunter series to debut on the 3DS. While Generations does carry over most of the gameplay and series innovations brought about by Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate, it is generally considered to be a spiritual successor to the series’ handheld-only titles like Monster Hunter Portable 3rd. Unique to Generations, though, are the Deviant monsters, which are mutations of returning familiar monsters that play a critical role in the crafting of high-level, endgame gear and weapons. Unsurprisingly, Monster Hunter Generations would sell 1.5 million units in its first day of release, moving more than 3 million units before the end of 2015.

Monster Hunter Stories

• Release Date — October 8, 2016
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — 3DS, Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Switch

The first game in the Monster Hunter series’ creature-collecting RPG spin-off franchise, Monster Hunter Stories would originally debut on the 3DS in 2016 before making its way to modern consoles and PC just last year. Unlike the mainline Monster Hunter games, which are third-person action RPGs, Monster Hunter Stories is a creature-taming JRPG similar to Nintendo and Game Freak’s Pokemon franchise. Players team up with iconic monster allies from throughout the Monster Hunter series, dubbed “Monsties”, and engage in turn-based battles against other wildlife across a variety of biomes. While its premise would indicate the game should have been more successful than it was, its critical and commercial reception was strong enough to guarantee a sequel.

Monster Hunter Generations: Ultimate

• Release Date — August 25, 2017
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — Nintendo Switch

After two years as a 3DS-exclusive title, Monster HunterGenerations would finally come to Nintendo’s new hybrid console in 2017. A Nintendo Switch-exclusive title, Monster Hunter Generations: Ultimate is the expanded and improved version of 2015’s Monster Hunter Generations. Players can transfer save data from the 3DS version of Generations, as well as engage in wireless local co-op with players across platforms. The title’s arrival hot on the heels of Monster Hunter World‘s announcement would help it receive a significant boost in sales, with Monster Hunter Generations: Ultimate becoming one of the Switch’s best-selling games for Q3 2017, moving more than 3.9 million units.

Monster Hunter World

• Release Date — January 26, 2018
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Following years of remaining mostly exclusive to handhelds, Japanese audiences, or both, Monster Hunter made its triumphant return to home consoles with 2018’s Monster Hunter World. A major reinvention of the franchise aimed at making the series more accessible, Monster Hunter World represents a massive leap in quality for the franchise that helped it earn its greatest audience. No longer restricted to a single village and mission-based structure, Monster Hunter World allows players to venture out from the game’s hub area into massive, semi-open world environments with dynamic monster hunts. Together with its streamlining of the series’ gameplay mechanics and new online co-op features, Monster Hunter Wilds brought the series impressive success, achieving the series’ highest critical review scores to date and selling more than 24 million units.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

• Release Date — September 6, 2019
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Roughly a year after Monster Hunter World‘s release, Capcom would deliver the game’s one and only major DLC expansion with Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. While Iceborne carries over the core gameplay of Monster Hunter World, it introduces a brand-new hub area, new High Rank quests, a slew of new and returning monsters, and the brand-new Master Rank hunts offering up Monster Hunter World‘s pinnacle challenge. Accordingly, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne would end up being almost as successful as Monster Hunter World, with more than 9.2 million players picking up the sizable DLC.

Monster Hunter Rise

• Release Date — March 26, 2021
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Positioned as a spiritual successor to Monster Hunter World rather than a true follow-up, Monster Hunter Rise is the series’ 2021 entry that originally arrived as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. While many of the core elements of Monster Hunter World‘s gameplay remain intact (including the abandoning of “Zones” in favor of large, semi-open world biomes), Rise does introduce some new gameplay elements thanks to the Wirebug for airborne traversal, the dog-like Palamute mount, and the new Rampage tower defense missions. While Rise didn’t quite meet the critical and commercial praise of Monster Hunter World, it did still achieve considerable success for Capcom, selling more than 13 million units before arriving on PC and modern consoles other than the Switch.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin

• Release Date — July 9, 2021
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch

The PC and Switch-exclusive sequel to Monster Hunter Stories, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a brand-new story set in the Monster Hunter Stories spin-off universe. Like its predecessor, gameplay is more akin to a creature-collecting JRPG than a traditional Monster Hunter game, with players collecting various iconic monsters from throughout the series and fighting alongside them in battle. New to Monster Hunter Stories 2, though, is the “Buddy” system, which allows players to bring in an additional “Monstie” ally for more challenging combat scenarios. The title would end up selling better than its predecessor, moving more than 1.2 million units a year after its release.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

• Release Date — June 30, 2022
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Similar to Monster Hunter World‘s Iceborne expansion, Sunbreak is the single large DLC expansion for Monster Hunter Rise. It adds several new and returning monsters to the list of available hunts, as well as new armor sets and weapons to craft and a Master Rank tier of quests. The arrival of the Sunbreak expansion would signal Monster Hunter Rise‘s breaking free of its Switch and PC exclusivity, with the title arriving on 8th and 9th-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles shortly afterward. Like Iceborne, Sunbreak would prove to be a major success, with more than 6 million Monster Hunter Rise players opting to pick up the expansion.

Monster Hunter Wilds

• Release Date — February 28, 2025
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

The most recent game in the Monster Hunter series is 2025’s Monster Hunter Wilds, and it also happens to be the series (and Capcom’s) greatest success to date. Following the title’s initial reveal at The Game Awards 2023, Monster Hunter Wilds would quickly become one of the most wish-listed games on Steam, ultimately resulting in the title breaking records for the service on the day of its launch. In addition to achieving a staggering 1.3 million concurrent players, Monster Hunter Wilds would sell 8 million units in just three days of its launch, a figure that took Monster Hunter World almost 6 months to achieve. Capcom’s fastest-selling game and the true official follow-up to Monster Hunter World, Monster Hunter Wilds is the series’ first fully open-world entry and makes great strides toward seamless co-op as a cornerstone of the experience.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Monster Hunter 20th Anniversary official artwork.