For the past couple of years,Monster Hunter Risehas been supplying theMHfan base with all of their titan-hunting needs. First released in March 2021 for Nintendo Switch, the game served as an experimental counterpart to the more groundedMonster Hunter World. The franchise’s low fantasy setting was bolstered by a colorful oriental aesthetic, and major new mechanics like monster riding were introduced. Thanks to fan demand and the success ofMonster Hunter World’s PC port,Monster Hunter Risemigrated to computers in January 2022, with theSunbreakexpansion releasing in June 2022 for both platforms.
While not reachingMonster Hunter Worldnumbers,Monster Hunter Risehas led a fairly successful era for the franchise. There were some issues with the game lacking a proper ending or endgame at launch, but both have since been addressed. WithSunbreakand the title updates rolling out on both platforms, thefuture looks bright forMonster Hunter Riseplayers. Those unable to try it are about to get another chance, as Capcom just announced that the game is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in January 2023. Not only is this good news for players, but it also marks a surprising first for theMonster Hunterfranchise.
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Monster Hunter Games Are Often Trapped In One Place
From its inception, Capcom seemed committed to releasing at least oneMonster Huntertitle on every popular game system, and often played favorites. This trend started with the firstMonster Hunter, which was initially released for the PS2 in 2004. It was re-released asMonster Hunter Gthe following year, and that version was upgraded further intothe PSP titleMonster Hunter Freedom. Finally, Japan got a Wii port ofMonster Hunter Gin early 2009, which was packaged with a demo for the upcomingMonster Hunter Tri. This is a microcosm of howMonster Hunterbehaved untilWorldarrived in 2018, and certainly didn’t make it any easier to jump into the series.
PC and Xbox got their time to shine with the launch of the MMORPGMonster Hunter Frontier Online. This eroded as expansions came out, eventually spreadingMonster Hunter Frontierto the PS3, PS Vita and Wii U. Tragically, even though this level of availability was a major first for theMonster Hunterseries,Frontierwas only available in Japan and ended service in December 2019. Similarly, many olderMonster Huntertitles that used online services have had their plugs pulled, though dedicated fans have resurrected popular entries such asTriandFreedom Unite.
Monster Hunter Rise Is The Most Accessible Monster Hunter Yet
One side ofMonster Huntercontinued on PlayStation systems,Frontierran in the background on everything, and the mainline games jumped to Nintendo devices for several years. The 3DS was where the biggest games in the franchise would release for quite some time, causing the E3 2017 announcement ofMonster Hunter Worldfor PS4 and Xbox Oneto come as a surprise. Even more shocking for North American fans was its PC release a few months after its initial launch.Monster Hunter Risereturned to Nintendo handhelds via the Switch a few years later, but the swift announcement of its own PC port indicated something was different.
Risehas now followedMonster Hunter Frontierin becoming available on every platform, making it the firstMonster Hunterto reach worldwide audiences on all major concurrent game systems. Thelack ofRise’s cross-play and cross-progressionis sorely felt, but at least these new versions take advantage of their powerful hardware. This could mark the beginning of a new era forMonster Hunter, with the next main title potentially launching on every available platform. If it can accompany that first with the addition of cross-play, thenMonster Hunterwill have truly entered an era of universal availability.
Monster Hunter Riseis available now for PC and Nintendo Switch with PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X versions launching August 02, 2025.
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