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Capcom's Monster Hunter franchise, celebrating its 20th anniversary last year, roars back in 2025 with Monster Hunter Wilds. This prolific series, spanning generations of consoles, reached new heights with 2018's Monster Hunter World and 2021's Monster Hunter Rise – Capcom's two best-selling games ever.
Launching February 28th, Monster Hunter Wilds prompts a retrospective on the franchise's key titles, chronologically ordered.
The Monster Hunter Universe: A Vast Landscape
While over 25 Monster Hunter games exist (including base titles, spin-offs, mobile releases, and enhanced editions), this list focuses on the 12 most significant. Excluded are mobile and arcade-only titles (Monster Hunter i, Monster Hunter Spirits), defunct MMOs (Monster Hunter Frontier, Monster Hunter Online), and the Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village.
IGN's Monster Hunter Reviews
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Your Monster Hunter Starting Point
The Monster Hunter series lacks a continuous narrative, offering flexibility in entry points. Newcomers in 2025 might prefer awaiting Monster Hunter Wilds' reception (February 28th release). Alternatively, Monster Hunter World (emphasizing exploration) or Monster Hunter Rise (prioritizing speed and fluidity) provide excellent starting points.
Out February 28### Monster Hunter Wilds - Standard Edition
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A Chronological Journey Through Monster Hunter History
Monster Hunter (2004)
Developed alongside Auto Modellista and Resident Evil: Outbreak to test the PS2's online capabilities (as revealed by Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto to Eurogamer in 2014), the original Monster Hunter established the series' core gameplay. Players, solo or online, undertake hunts, gathering materials to craft and upgrade gear for tougher challenges. An expanded Japanese-only version, Monster Hunter G, followed.
Monster HunterCapcom Production Studio 1
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Monster Hunter Freedom (2005)
The PSP's Monster Hunter Freedom, an enhanced Monster Hunter G port optimized for single-player, marked the series' portable console debut. Its million-plus sales initiated a trend of portable versions outselling their home console counterparts, a trend that persisted until Monster Hunter World's success.
Monster Hunter FreedomCapcom Production Studio 1
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(The descriptions for the remaining games will follow a similar format, condensing information while maintaining key details and preserving the image locations.)
Monster Hunter 2 (2006)
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (2007) & Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (2008)
Monster Hunter 3 (2009) & Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (2011)
Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (2010)
Monster Hunter 4 (2013) & Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (2015)
Monster Hunter Generations (2015) & Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (2017)
Monster Hunter Stories (2016)
Monster Hunter World (2018) & Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (2019)
Monster Hunter Rise (2021) & Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (2022)
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (2021)
Monster Hunter Wilds (2025)
The Future of Monster Hunting
Beyond Monster Hunter Wilds (releasing February 28th for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Capcom, in collaboration with TiMi Studio Group, is developing Monster Hunter Outlanders, a free-to-play mobile title featuring multiplayer hunting in a vast open world. A release date remains unannounced. Further details on Monster Hunter Wilds can be found via IGN First coverage.
