Summary
Starting humbly as a hidden gem from Japan,Monster Hunterhas slowly grown in popularity since its success on the 3DS and Wii U, only bolstered by the release ofMonster Hunter: World,which brought a whole new crowd to what was once a niche grind-em-up boss bananza.
For a lot of players,Worldis their first encounter with the series, while others have been around since the3DS days, and some even longer with the archaic Playstation releases andPSP breakouts. Regardless of where players fit in, there’s a lot to love about the franchise, and a pretty big backlog of under-the-radar games that deserve a lot more love than they found on initial release.
Updated August 09, 2025, by Blaise Santi: Monster Hunter Wilds has been out for nearly a month, giving players both old and new to dive into the grind of hunting monsters and crafting gear online with their friends. It’s about time we look at how the new game stacks up against the previous entries in the franchise, as many of its quality-of-life changes and innovations may attract new fans as much as they could be alienating to longtime devotees of Monster Hunter. Whether you first heard of Monster Hunter when Monster Hunter World took the gaming world by storm in 2018, or you’ve been around since the early days on PlayStation, here’s everything you need to know about the series' ranking from worst to best.
Android, iOS
Genre(s)
Fighting
This is as primitive as theMonster Hunterfranchise has ever been, debuting on iOS and Android in 2011. The familiar gameplay mechanics are much more limited inMonster Hunter Dynamic Hunting: players choose a monster to hunt, tap the screen to attack, block, and evade, and defeat them to gain items and gold, then move onto the next monster.
Some critics felt the game suffered from poor controls and execution of what would otherwise be an interesting concept. Thankfully, theMonster Hunterfranchise has had more successful attempts at transitioning to smartphones in recent years, whileDynamic Huntingis not even available to download anymore through legitimate means.
The original beast was obviously a bit of a hard sell for new audiences, seeing as this is the first installment in a famouslyhard-to-masterseries. However, it also introduced a lot of future staples of the series, from 7 of the eventual 14 weapon types to iconic monsters like the Rathian, Rathalos, Khezu, and Diablos.
With its intense gameplay loop, often clunky controls, and big-time-grind, it’s no surprise that the first entry has its fair share of quirks to work out. Nonetheless, the game has an undeniable charm, and revolutionary mechanics and animations for something of its era.
Monster Hunter Freedomwas the series' first installment on a handheld console, the PSP, which made a huge difference when it came to the games' most core component: multiplayer. The series is now known for highlighting fellowship over all else, bringing players together to hunt the seismic beasts with unadulterated cooperation and team chemistry, andFreedomwas the start of that.
The handheld aspect was a huge influence on this concept, allowing players to bring their consoles with them to group up with friends on the go, without needing to configure complex servers or LAN parties. However, it still remained a primitive iteration of the future best-selling video game franchise.
The sequel to the handheld titleMonster Hunter Freedomonly proved to enhance the experience of the original, bringing more content to the game’s classic formula. The PSP game builds on the PS2’s Japanese exclusive version, adding over 50% more content, with 100% of theaddictive gameplaythe series was becoming known for.
While still relatively low on the critics' list, theFreedomgames remain fan favorites, some still finding ways to play with friends over emulators and ad hoc servers.
As far as the franchise’s survival on smartphones goes,Monster Hunter Nowis simple but nevertheless addictive. The AR game takes real-life map data from players' phones to allow fights against monsters that appear. It’s likeifPokemon GOallowed players to simply just fight monsters rather than catch creatures, which is to be expected given that it comes from the same company, Niantic.
Given how much simpler it is than the mainline series, there’s only nine of the traditional 14 weapon types, but an astounding 40 different monsters that players can encounter. If players are a fan of the world ofMonster Hunter, this is the best way to take it on the go (aside from itsSwitchinstallments).
The first on Nintendo consoles,Monster Hunter Triwas released on the Wii in 2010, the first since the original to launch exclusively on a home console.Tribrings players a living, breathing coastal ecosystem, with new creatures and mechanics to challenge hunters with their AI companion, Cha-Cha, an alternate take on the Felyne companions the series was used to.
Between hunting and trapping, players can join a friend for split-screen co-op, or up to three others online through Nintendo’s servers as they confront some of the most creative and crafty monsters yet. It’s far from the most accessible entry in the series, but it remains an innovative entry in the iconic series.
Monster Hunter Storieswas a point of tension for a lot of players, seeing how absolutely different it is from the rest of the franchise. The series, while cute in its own moments, was never known for being particularly vivid in its presentation. This venture provided an adorably simplified look into the universe, somewhat more akin toPokemonrather than the traditional dragon-slayer style.
Despite its lack of appeal toMonster Hunterseries veterans,Monster HunterStoriesis still regarded by many as one of thebest games on the 3DS, if not the franchise as a whole. For players that have ever desired to fight alongside the monsters of the series rather than hunting them down, then this RPG title is a dream come true.
The first of theUltimateera,Monster Hunter 3 Ultimatewas also the first game to return to the handheld formula, releasing on the 3DS and Wii U and continuing the series' Nintendo exclusivity. As a result,Monster Hunter 3 Ultimatewas a first for a lot of players who might haven’t heard of the series until its new advertising campaigns and more accessibility comparedto the Wii’s controls.
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimatehad an interesting islander charm, challenging both expert players andTrireturners with new underwater monsters, swimming mechanics, and a bigger-than-ever roster of beautifully designed monsters and weapons in the new coastal-themed environment. However, some have chosen to forget about the difficult and often frustrating underwater mechanics.
Monster Hunter Generationswas the 3DS-exclusive predecessor toMonster Hunter Generations Ultimate, and as a result, takes a lower spot on this list simply for a lack of content. However, the game still deserves a ton of respect for its innovations on the classic formula, from introducing special moves called Hunting Arts, a variety of Hunting Styles, and numerous returning monsters and locations.
Additionally, this was the first entry in theMonster Hunterseries that allowed players to control their Felyne companions in the all-new Prowler mode. With this new gameplay mechanic, players could even join friends online while playing as Prowlers, offering a totally new experience to the series that has yet to be outdone in more recent titles.
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimatewas a bit of a disappointment for Switch owners who wanted a brand-new title in the series. Nevertheless, it’s still a fantastic addition to the series, bringing the cross-generational effort to the big screen (as well as an easier-to-control handheld one), with the ability for 3DS players to transfer their save data over to this expansion pack.
Sadly, a lot of players' biggest gripe with this entry is that it wasn’t the far-superiorMonster Hunter World.Classic fans regard this as aSwitch favoritefor its accessibility and gameplay enhancements, but an equal amount found themselves frustrated with thedifferences in difficultybetween this andWorld, finding it a bit more pandering to Western newcomers and PC pro gamers.
