Discover the Monster Hunter Saga: An Epic Journey in Chronological Order

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.

With Monster Hunter Wilds launching February 28th, let's revisit the franchise's history with a chronological look at its most significant titles.

The Monster Hunter Universe: A Vast Landscape

The Monster Hunter series boasts over 25 games, encompassing base titles, spin-offs, mobile releases, and enhanced editions. This list focuses on the 12 most impactful, excluding mobile and arcade exclusives (like Monster Hunter i and Monster Hunter Spirits), defunct MMOs (Monster Hunter Frontier, Monster Hunter Online), and the Japan-exclusive, Animal Crossing-esque 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, allowing flexible entry points. Newcomers in 2025 might prefer to await Monster Hunter Wilds reviews (February 28th release). However, Monster Hunter World (emphasizing exploration) or Monster Hunter Rise (prioritizing speed and fluidity) are excellent starting points.

Out February 28### Monster Hunter Wilds - Standard Edition

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A Journey Through Monster Hunter History: Release Order

Monster Hunter (2004)

Monster Hunter, alongside Auto Modellista and Resident Evil: Outbreak, aimed to test the PS2's online capabilities, according to Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto (Eurogamer, 2014). This foundational title introduced core gameplay: solo or online hunts, material gathering for crafting, and progressively challenging monsters. An expanded Japanese-exclusive version, Monster Hunter G, followed.

Monster HunterCapcom Production Studio 1Mar 11, 2004

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Monster Hunter Freedom (2005)

The PSP's Monster Hunter Freedom, an enhanced Monster Hunter G port, initiated the franchise's portable dominance. Its million-plus sales marked a trend—portable versions consistently outsold console counterparts until Monster Hunter World's success.

Monster Hunter FreedomCapcom Production Studio 1Dec 1, 2005

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(The remaining game descriptions will follow a similar structure, condensing information while maintaining key details and preserving image formatting. Due to the length, I'll provide the abridged versions for the rest of the games.)

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 and TiMi Studio Group are developing Monster Hunter Outlanders, a free-to-play mobile game featuring multiplayer hunts and a vast open world. A release date remains unannounced. Further details on Monster Hunter Wilds can be found through IGN First coverage:

How Capcom’s Belief in the Series Made it a Worldwide Hit How the Monster Hunter Wilds Team Select Their Beastly Lineup Monster Hunter Wilds Developers Talk Weapon Changes Behind Monster Hunter Wilds' New Approach to Starting Weapons and Hope Series Gear Monster Hunter Wilds: The Final Preview

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