Best Mobile Games Like Monster Hunter

Summary

• Mobile games helped make Monster Hunter a popular franchise in the West, starting with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on the 3DS.
• These mobile games provide Monster Hunter-like experiences for players on the go, from hunting to crafting.
• Yeager: Hunter Legend, Every Hero, Botworld Adventure, and other titles offer engaging Monster Hunter-inspired gameplay loops on mobile devices.

The Monster Hunter franchise simply wouldn’t be what it is without mobile games. Although it saw success in Japan since the start of the series on PlayStation 2, its availability on PlayStation Portable starting with Monster Hunter Freedom turned it into a phenomenon. The series didn’t see nearly as much success in the West until it hit the 3DS with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate.

However, if players want a Monster Hunter experience today without having to lug around a Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch, they’re in luck. There are plenty of games where players can re-experience the fun of hunting monsters and crafting armor from their phones, making these titles perfect for long car rides, public transportation, or just a brief check-in once or twice a day.

1

Yeager: Hunter Legend

Weapons Include: Hunting Sword, Force Hammer, And Flux Blaster

If one has ever played a Monster Hunter game and wished that, instead of fighting draconic monsters, they were fighting aliens? Well, that’s exactly what players get in Yeager: Hunter Legend for iOS and Android, an action RPG with graphics that look made for consoles. It offers a similar gameplay loop as Monster Hunter, that is hunt monsters, obtain materials, craft armor, and level up.

Yeager: Hunter Legend also has gameplay mechanics foreign to Monster Hunter, such as Hunting Schools that allow players to prioritize different playstyles. The game itself is free but offers in-app purchases that give out daily rewards and bonuses for subscribers. As far as Monster Hunter clones go, Yeager does a great job capturing the addictiveness of the Capcom franchise!

2

Every Hero

Weapons Include: Over 100+ Unique Heroes

True to its title, Every Hero allows players nearly limitless possibilities as to how they can fight off hordes of monsters in this roguelike RPG. The gameplay resembles Monster Hunter in form and function; players attack and dodge monsters and customize their loadouts before every fight, making every battle a unique experience for players.

The gameplay is a lot simpler than a typical Monster Hunter game, which emphasizes combos, but for mobile games on this list, that’s no outlier. Some players bemoaned the amount of grinding that’s required to level up characters and acquire new equipment, but if fans don’t mind that sort of gameplay loop, then Every Hero might have everything they ever wanted.

3

Botworld Adventure

Weapons Include: Building & Collecting Battle Bots

Just by glancing at the gameplay for Botworld Adventure, Monster Hunter fans might see no similarities. However, look beyond the top-down perspective and art style, and they’ll see quite a familiar gameplay loop to Monster Hunter. In Botworld Adventure, players choose between one of four character species and set out into an open world to build and collect bots to battle with.

Essentially, Botworld Adventure is like if Monster Hunter somehow combined the monster hunting mechanic with the weapon building mechanic. The robots players build will be patchworked from scraps they acquire out on the field, while the battles themselves are more strategic arena matches than action-based hack-and-slashes.

4

Dawnlands

Weapons Include: Swords, Staves, Bows, Shields

Dawnlands is more of a traditional Monster Hunter clone, featuring an expansive open world that’s rather impressive for iOS and Android (though not for PC). Exploring the landscape is akin to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with puzzles and artifacts hidden all around as players travel, battling monsters and gathering materials to build armor, weapons, and even bases.

In a way, Dawnlands is like Monster Hunter with the additional mechanics of Minecraft, making it surprising it hasn’t caught on the way the other two franchises have yet. If fans ever wanted to play a Monster Hunter game that de-emphasizes taking on quests and focuses more on traversing an open world, then Dawnlands is the game for them.

5

Dino Squad: Online Action

Weapons Include: Mounted Dinosaurs, Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers

This is one for the Monster Hunter fans who are frequent users of the Light or Heavy Bowgun. Dino Squad: Online Action combines the action-packed hunting of the Capcom franchise with shooter mechanics, as players battle each other on mounted prehistoric creatures, armed with high-tech weapons and fighting for the survival of the fittest reptiles.

The game has struggled with online connectivity and crashes in past iterations, but after many updates, it’s a fun alternative to the Monster Hunter franchise. The character designs aren’t as inventive as the Monster Hunter games given they’re all real monsters, but hopefully, there are some dinosaur fans out there who will enjoy this for what it is.

6

Monster Hunter Now

Weapons Include: Sword And Shield, Long Sword, Switch Axe, Bow

Although it has the Monster Hunter name and features many monsters from the series’ history, Monster Hunter Now is a much different experience than the mainline series. Taking more inspiration from Pokemon GO, Monster Hunter Now encourages players to hit the streets of the real world to encounter monsters, find gathering spots, and complete quests while growing all the more powerful.

Additionally, Monster Hunter Now not only allows for easy connectivity with players either across the world or in the same room, but most hunts barely go on for longer than a minute, making it a quick and easy play in waiting rooms. However, it’s not the best choice for those who want to hunt on the go, as it will detect fast movement and limit gameplay, so apologies to all inconvenienced passengers.

7

Monster Hunter Stories

Weapons Include: Mounted Monsters, Great Sword, Hammer, Hunting Horn

Monster Hunter Stories may not have originated on iOS or Android, but saw a mobile release in 2017, the same year as its 3DS debut. This RPG spin-off of Monster Hunter is a proper Pokemon clone, allowing players to collect a party of up to six rideable monsters, who they then engage in battle with against other hunters and their steeds.

The gameplay is much more simplistic than even Pokemon, with only four different weapon types, but for the original Stories, there are over 100 “Monsties” that players can ally with, from Barroth to Lagiacrus, to even Elder Dragons. Although its 2021 sequel has yet to see a mobile game release, the original 2017 game is still available on iOS and Android for those who want to check it out.