What’s the Best Monster Hunter Game?

Originally debuting in 2004 on the PlayStation 2, the Monster Hunter series has since exploded into a worldwide phenomenon. After nearly two decades of titles spanning across multiple platforms, which Monster Hunter game is the best in the Capcom franchise? With the most recent release being Monster Hunter Now in 2023, we wanted to discuss which Monster Hunter titles we love the most.

Monster Hunter World sticks out to me as one of the strongest in the series. The beautiful open world and the fast gameplay made it one of the best ways to experience the series for me. That said, I can’t help but mention my personal favorite, which is the spin-off game Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Turn-based spin-offs of games like Pokemon never get old, and being able to use a Rathalos as my companion is incredible. — Cody

Although Monster Hunter: World is my favorite entry in the franchise and the one I’ve put the most time into, I have to give my vote to Monster Hunter Rise. I didn’t end up gelling with the game as much as I’d hoped, but features like the Palamute, Wirebugs, and Rampage mode made the series feel fresh and inventive. And despite the changes, Rise still felt like a natural continuation of the franchises’s previous mechanics, which was really interesting. Plus, theming a bunch of the monsters on classical Japanese demons was a genius move for the game’s presentation — Elliot

While the game I have the fondest memories of is the Japan-only Monster Hunter Portable 3rd for the PSP, the game that feels the best and most complete in the series is Monster Hunter Rise. For starters, the game is on every platform and has a thriving online community in all of them. Fun new additions to gameplay and a plethora of content keep the game alive years after its release. It’s an almost endless title that plays fantastic on any platform and has a great cast of monsters. — Daniel