Prepare for Monster Hunter Wilds with a look back at the series’ evolution on PlayStation

Twenty years ago, the original Monster Hunter first introduced players to its ever-expanding arsenal of weapons and memorable monsters. Since then, the series has grown in popularity around the world, and been refined into one of the finest multiplayer experiences gaming has to offer. There’s still a special satisfaction that comes from taking down an unfathomably huge creature by the skin of your teeth,  coordinating with your fellow hunters, and using everyone’s weaponry and abilities skillfully to topple the most fearsome foes out there.

To celebrate 20 years of the series – and Monster Hunter Wilds’ upcoming February 28 release – let’s examine how the series evolved alongside PlayStation since its 2004 debut.

Monster Hunter | PS2

The biggest behemoths often emerge from humble beginnings. The game that started it all was released in Japan in March of 2004, with a North American release a few months later in September and a European release in March of 2005. It introduced the core gameplay that would define Monster Hunter in the decades to come: quest-driven progression, resource gathering and management, weapon and armor crafting, and the need to approach and attack ferocious monsters with strategy, planning, and perseverance to succeed.

By the series’ current standards, Monster Hunter looks a bit sparse, with only seven weapon types and thirty monsters (including many now-famous creatures like the Rathalos), but the game offered quite a bit of variety in quest types and difficulty. Also, the game was designed around online multiplayer when that was still somewhat of a novelty, even offering special event quests that could only be played online.

Monster Hunter did very well in Japan, and while Capcom worked on the follow-up, they released Monster Hunter G, an upgrade with improvements, new features, more monsters, and higher-difficulty quests.

Monster Hunter Dos | PS2

The true Monster Hunter sequel would emerge late into the PS2 era–and only in Japan. Monster Hunter Dos released for the PlayStation 2 in February of 2006, with new weapons, the additions of subquests, a unique day/night and season system, and the addition of armor upgrades, among numerous other small tweaks and improvements. Monster Hunter Dos was warmly received in Japan, and was the final Monster Hunter game on the PS2. But for the larger global market–and the future of Monster Hunter–Capcom was looking towards the PlayStation Portable.

Monster Hunter Freedom | PSP

Even before Monster Hunter Dos launched, Capcom wanted players to be able to take the hunt on the go. Monster Hunter Freedom, known as Monster Hunter Portable in Japan, launched in December of 2005 in Japan and in May of 2006 for the rest of the world. It was based heavily on the aforementioned Monster Hunter G, offering up both new monsters (including the debut of Yian Garuga) and high-level “G” rank quests for players to enjoy

In retrospect, it’s easy to see why the PSP felt like a true “home” for Monster Hunter: the PSP’s capability for adhoc local network play, along with its advanced graphical capabilities and analog control, fit the gameplay of Monster Hunter like a vambrace. It was followed up by Monster Hunter Freedom 2, which took cues from Monster Hunter Dos by expanding the weapon repertoire (adding series staples like the Hunting Horn and Gunlance to the armory) and revisiting Dos’s various locales.

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite | PSP

“Phenomenon” is exactly the word to describe how huge the follow-up to Monster Hunter Freedom became in Japan. Monster Hunter Freedom Unite released in 2008 in Japan as Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G, expanding on the success of the previous game and transforming Monster Hunter into a household name. Freedom Unite would go on to sell a whopping 3.8 million copies globally, with many of those sales coming from Japan.

Building on Freedom 2, Freedom Unite offered a host of quality-of-life improvements to the core experience while adding more environments, more monsters, additional monster behaviors, and a host of new high-difficulty quests. It introduced the concept of CPU-controlled helper characters by giving solo players use of a Felyne companion to aid in battle–a feature which later games in the series would build upon.

Monster Hunter Portable 3^rd | PSP

Hitting the PSP at the end of 2010, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd is another Japan-exclusive Monster Hunter title–though that didn’t stop it from becoming one of Capcom’s fastest-selling games ever. Portable 3rd pushed the PSP to the maximum, showcasing some of the best-looking visuals on the system and setting a standard for high-quality visual designs that the series would continue in later installments. Portable 3rd also marked the first appearance of Zinogre, a fan-favorite monster to this day.

Monster Hunter World | PS4

If there’s a turning point where the fervor for Monster Hunter became global, it’s probably 2018’s Monster Hunter World. Headlined by the fearsome Elder Dragon Nergigante, Monster Hunter World was a tremendous evolution of the series both graphically and gameplay-wise, using the PS4 to create a seamless hunting experience–in more ways than one. 

Not only were the tutorials and early-game experience improved for series novices, but the various “zones” that made up the large hunting environments (and necessitated transitional load times) were streamlined into one big, open space for an epic monster pursuit. And, for the first time ever, a Monster Hunter game was released simultaneously worldwide, allowing players from all over the globe to team up and experience the thrill of devising new hunting strategies together. True to the name of the game’s setting, it felt like a New World had opened up for the Monster Hunter series.

Monster Hunter World proved to be so successful globally that an expansion, Iceborne, released the next year, reintroducing some of the cold-weather mechanics seen in previous Monster Hunter titles. Monster Hunter World continues to have an active player base to this day.

Monster Hunter Rise | PS5, PS4

Monster Hunter Rise, alongside its main monster Magnamalo, vaulted onto PS5 and PS4 in early 2023. It brought with it a host of unique gameplay additions: the fast-traveling, aerial-launching Wirebugs, a new type of Canyne companion called a Palamute, and “Rampage” battles where hunters were tasked with protecting the village of Kamura from an onslaught of several monsters all at once–including particularly dangerous Apex monsters. Plus, alongside hunting and capturing monsters, you could actually commandeer the huge beasts for a brief time with the Wyvern Riding feature.

The already massive adventure grew even bigger with the Sunbreak expansion, taking hunters to the far-away Kingdom, adding several new monsters (including new leading beastie Malzeno), additional hunting locales, and numerous new skills for all of the weapons.

Monster Hunter Wilds | PS5

The evolution of Monster Hunter from cult favorite to Japanese sensation to global popularity has been quite a ride, and the anticipation for the upcoming Monster Hunter Wilds has already hit a fever pitch. From striking new weather effects to new abilities enabled by a birdlike mount called a Seikret, there’s a mountain of new features for players to consider.

Last year’s closed beta drew plenty of interest from old and new players alike. Fortunately for those of you itching to get that Hunting Horn back out for a trip to the Forbidden Lands, you won’t have to wait too much longer– Monster Hunter Wilds will be releasing on February 28.