Ever since Capcom decided to throw the entire weight of their marketing machine behind Monster Hunter, the series has exploded in popularity. A series that once spent the majority of its life being the “little franchise that could” over on the DS/3DS, the release of World on the PS4, Xbox One and subsequent PC release has helped the series to become a genuine cornerstone in Capcom’s marketing strategy. Between Devil May Cry, Resident Evil and Street Fighter, Monster Hunter now sits proudly among them.
Keen to make sure that the series remains a success in the long term, Capcom are launching Monster Hunter Rise, a new game in the series coming to the Switch that takes some of the gameplay mechanics seen in World, and adapting them for the handheld platform. The big open areas are back, but there’s more of an emphasis on verticality now, along with the ability to bring cats and dogs on hunts with you.
Of course, Monster Hunter is a complex series with a large history, so you might want to do some prep work before diving straight into the world of Rise. Alternatively, you might love the experience and want to play more like it. In either case, we’ve got you covered. Here’s 5 games to play that are like Monster Hunter Rise.
Games Like Monster Hunter Rise
1. Monster Hunter World: Iceborne
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
When recommending games to play if you like or are interested in MH Rise, you may as well throw some nods to the already released Monster Hunter games, and if you’ve got a PC, PlayStation or Xbox, you may as a well pick up Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. A fresh start for the series, World brought so many new eyes to the series, offering an intricate yet accessible action-RPG that’s endlessly replayable.
While World is a fantastic game in its own right, with plenty of free updates to add to the game’s overall value, the Iceborne expansion includes a whole new campaign, complete with additional monster, gear, abilities and areas to boot, and a suite of free updates for Iceborne specifically.
Be careful dipping your toe into this one, as you might struggle to pull yourself away from it.
2. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): Switch
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne is always a good recommendation for getting into the Monster Hunter series, it won’t give you an idea of how Monster Hunter will work on a Nintendo Switch. For that, we instead look towards Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, a previously Japan-only title that was brought to the Nintendo Switch worldwide in 2018.
A celebration of the Monster Hunter series as a whole before the release of World (the 3DS version launched in Japan in 2017), Generations Ultimate contains a host of features that were present in World, such as Palico companions, along with some aspects that were cut, like Hunting Styles.
Altogether, Generations Ultimate is a completely different game to World and Rise, but if you’re looking to carve up some monsters on the go, this is a good choice.
3. Dauntless
Developer: Phoenix Labs
Publisher: Epic Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Capcom might hold the trademark for Monster Hunter, but that doesn’t mean they hold the monopoly on the virtual hunting of monsters. Phoenix Labs and Epic Games understand this, as Dauntless offers similar kinds of thrills to the Monster Hunter series. Replace monsters with Behemoths and they’re pretty interchangeable from that point on.
Dauntless sees up to four players go out on hunts to take down massive Behemoths, using the loot gained from their slaughter to create better weapons and armour. Overall, Dauntless isn’t quite as complex as Monster Hunter, with gameplay going by at a much faster pace too, but it remains a decent beginner’s alternative to Capcom’s offering. If you’ve ever been intrigued by Monster Hunter, Dauntless is free to play and worth checking out. Either you’ll find you hate the formula, and pay for nothing, or you’ll be graduating to MH soon afterwards.
Or you’ll fall in love with Dauntless and never touch Monster Hunter. It’s possible.
4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Developer: CD Projekt Red
Publisher: CD Projekt Red, Bandai Namco
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
While we’ve tried to include co-op games that allow you to experience the thrill of taking down large monsters with friends, perhaps few games have accurately captured the monster hunting experience quite as well as the The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Sure, there’s a main story about a looming threat that could wipe everyone out, but who cares about that when there are big monsters to kill?
As Geralt of Rivia, you’ll spend a large amount of time when playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt roaming into towns or villages, hearing about some large menace that’s plaguing the citizens before heading out to take that thing’s head.
With the game available on the Nintendo Switch, you’ll be able to take down monsters as Geralt in between waiting for your friends to log on to Monster Hunter for a multiplayer hunt.
5. Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
The Witcher 3 isn’t the only RPG that allows you to hunt big monsters, and while we were going to shout out Skyrim, the real nod should be given to Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, a fellow Capcom RPG that sees players regularly take on huge fabled monsters such as chimera, dragons, giants and more. The combat is rock solid too, making for a highly rewarding RPG to play.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen’s most unique trait is the fact that players are able to create and upload Pawns, AI helpers that will aid you in your adventure. You’ll also be able to download the Pawns of others, making for somewhat of a social experience as you try to create some kind of monster that people will laugh at during battle. Sure, it’s far from a perfect game, but it’s cheap and good for anyone looking for a lengthy, challenging RPG experience.
6. Horizon: Zero Dawn
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform(s): PC, PS4
Monsters aren’t the only things you can hunt in video games, as Horizon: Zero Dawn proves that giant robots are also fair game. If you can’t harm another living thing, but you live in fear of the impending robot uprising, then perhaps Horizon is the game for you. Just try not to take on too many robots in the early going, or you’ll end up with your skull crushed like it’s the future war in Terminator.
The game follows Aloy, one of few survivors of a robot apocalypse that’s dominated the planet. Aloy is a hunter by her very nature, and fortunately for you, there’s plenty of robots roaming the landscape that can be killed by Aloy. She also has plenty of tools at her disposal to accomplish her goal, with her trademark bow and arrow, spear, tripwires and more, all making her a fantastic hunter.
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