Monster Hunter makes you a Hunter, sent out to slay or trap large monsters across all kinds of landscapes. Your Hunter has no stats of their own. Their abilities come from the weapons and armor you pick, and you forge better ones from the parts of the monsters you bring down. Rewards are often random, so you may hunt the same monster again and again for the right part. Every main game also lets up to four players hunt together.
The early games sold well in Japan, where ad hoc multiplayer on portable consoles made the series a hit, and Sony's handhelds soon got hunting games of their own. These are the 7 games players recommend most to Monster Hunter fans, ranked by how many different people named each one.
7 Games Like Monster Hunter Where You Hunt Giant Monsters for Their Parts
Toukiden 2 (2017)
Toukiden 2 makes you a Slayer, one of the warriors who hunt the demons called Oni. You wake up after a ten-year slumber to a world shrouded in darkness, with swarms of Oni loose. Defeating them frees Mitama, the souls of fallen heroes based on Japanese historical figures, and you use them to power up your character and your weapons. The blacksmith still upgrades your gear, and the new weapons include the sword and shield and the trick whip.
The big difference is the map. World exploration is open world now, and parts of it unlock as the story moves on. Hunting grounds from the earlier games come back with changes. You also get a Demon Hand that can pulverize the limbs of Oni. Play it on PS4 or Vita. The PS3 version was only released in Japan.
God Eater Burst (2011)
God Eater Burst is set in the year 2071, after monsters called the Aragami have devastated civilization. You play a God Eater, one of the special warriors who fight them. Your only weapon is the God Arc, which can instantly switch between four forms: Blade, Gun, Shield and Predator. In Predator form you devour a beaten Aragami to collect materials, and those materials upgrade your God Arc. Players who love Monster Hunter call it one of the closest matches on the PSP.
The big difference is the speed. You can dash and sprint, and devouring an Aragami that is still alive sends you into Burst Mode, with more speed and strength. Up to three teammates can join you over local ad hoc wireless, or AI teammates fill in. Play it on PSP, or play the remaster, God Eater Resurrection, on PS4 or Vita.
God Eater 2: Rage Burst (2016)
Rage Burst is the expansion of God Eater 2, set three years after the first game, with a new setting and new monsters. You join Blood, a new unit of God Eaters, and the hunt takes you after dangerous Aragami again. Your squadmates invite you on optional side missions, and finishing them pays out materials, items and new Blood Arts.
The big difference is the arsenal. Four new weapons join the God Arc, among them the Boost Hammer and a Shotgun that does more damage the closer you stand. The Long Blade gets a Zero Stance that cancels attack animations, which lets you chain longer combos. Famitsu gave God Eater 2 on Vita a score of 38 out of 40. Play Rage Burst on PS4 or Vita.
Ragnarok Odyssey Ace (2014)
Ragnarok Odyssey is a real-time action RPG in a similar vein to Monster Hunter. It is based on the world of the Ragnarok manhwa and its online game, Ragnarok Online, with plenty of Norse mythology mixed in. You collect and craft items, and there is no leveling system, which is close to how Monster Hunter works. Players who want a Monster Hunter type game on the Vita keep naming it. Ace is the updated version.
The big difference is the class. There are six you can swap between, from the Sword Warrior to the Hammersmith, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. The most positive review came from Destructoid, which called the first version the best looking Vita game to date and praised its tight controls. Play Ace on Vita or PS3.
Freedom Wars (2014)
Freedom Wars takes place on Earth in the year 102014, where most of humanity is imprisoned in city-states called Panopticons. Missions send you against Abductors, giant mechanized weapons, to rescue the civilians they capture. The abductor parts that fall from them go into crafting. Players call it a Monster Hunter style game, and up to eight people can play together online.
The big difference is the thorn, a grappling whip that zips you across the battlefield and pulls giant enemies to the ground. Guns are part of it too. Weapons come in six groups, and the biggest firearms include rocket launchers and flamethrowers. An android called an Accessory fights next to you and follows your commands. Play the original on Vita, or Freedom Wars Remastered on PS4 or Switch.
Soul Sacrifice Delta (2014)
Soul Sacrifice is a concept by Keiji Inafune. You start as a slave of Magusar, a cruel sorcerer who absorbs human sacrifices to stay immortal, until a talking book named Librom lets you relive past fights between monsters and the sorcerer. Up to four players fight together. When an enemy or an ally falls, you choose to save or sacrifice them. Players point Monster Hunter fans with a Vita straight to it.
The big difference is the cost. You can sacrifice a part of your own body to cast a black rite, a powerful spell, but the damage stays: give up your skin and your defense drops by 50%. Delta is the expanded version, released in 2014. Reviewers found the combat addictive and very detailed, though they lamented the AI allies. Play it on Vita.
Toukiden: Kiwami (2015)
Toukiden is a third-person monster hunting game where groups of players or computer partners fight demons called Oni. Tecmo Koei made it for Sony's handhelds because Capcom had moved Monster Hunter to the 3DS, and it believed plenty of Sony players were keen for a hunting game. You choose your weapons and armor, and you "purify" each slain monster to collect items for upgrades. The large oni are the bosses. Players recommend it to anyone into Monster Hunter style games.
The big difference is the setting. You defend Utakata Village, one of the final lines of defense against the demons, and the Mitama you collect give you special abilities. Kiwami has double the size and content of the original, with twice the number of demons. It has a Metacritic rating of 82 on Vita. Play it on Vita or PS4, with cross-play between the two.
Which one to play
There you have it, the whole list of games like Monster Hunter. All seven came to PlayStation consoles, most of them on the Vita.
If you love the classic hunt and craft loop, start with Toukiden: Kiwami. If you love the giant monsters, play Freedom Wars and climb the Abductors with the thorn. If you love a darker story, play Soul Sacrifice Delta. If you love fast combat, play God Eater Burst, then God Eater 2: Rage Burst. If you love exploring, play Toukiden 2 for its open world. If you want to play on Switch, Freedom Wars Remastered is there.
