God Eater
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
If there is any game that matches up with Monster Hunter, it’s God Eater. The two games share a lot of similarities with each other, seeing as how you’ll be embarking on missions in both games. In God Eater, you will be taking up missions instead of hunts, but everything plays out the same way: get deployed, find the monster (known as the Aragami), hunt it down.
Your main weapon, the God Arc, comes in three forms. The Blade Form is mainly for closed ranged combat, while the Gun Form is for long range shooting. You can also protect yourself from any incoming attacks using the Shield form. God Eater allows you to seamlessly transition between each form in combat, letting players to choose their own preferred play style. The God Arc also allows you to “devour” your enemies, essentially breaking their body parts and taking any useful components and items. If you’re leaning towards a more anime-esque Monster Hunter game, God Eater is right up your alley.
Soul Sacrifice
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
A PS Vita exclusive, Soul Sacrifice is a darker spin on the hunting franchise. Based off of fairy tales, players assume the role of a prisoner who was kidnapped by the evil sorcerer, Magusar. He has enslaved humanity, with the world having already succumbed to madness and destruction. Back in the prison cell, the player discovers a talking book named Librom, who gives them the ability to travel within the book’s collection of stories about magic and dangerous monsters.
From there, you take up the role of a sorcerer and hunt different beasts within the book’s many tales, gradually gaining the experience you need to take on Magusar and save the world. Soul Sacrifice seems to take a lot of inspiration from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, seeing as how most of the monsters you will be hunting are based on twisted versions of fairy tales. Instead of weapons, the game provides different offerings you implant on your arm, allowing you to cast a variety of magic.
Once a creature or another player is dead, you have the option to either save or sacrifice them. The former restores your health, while the latter recharges your different spells. If you save a player, they are brought back to life. Sacrificing them casts a powerful area-of-effect spell, but leaves them as a spectral spectator throughout the fight. Those looking for a darker Monster Hunter World type of game should consider looking into Soul Sacrifice.
Horizon Zero Dawn
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
While Horizon Zero Dawn isn’t a hunting game per se, you will be taking on a lot of mechanical creatures for the most part. In this action role-playing game, you play as a woman named Aloy, an outcast who sets off on a personal quest. Throughout her adventure, players will stumble across different animalistic machines scattered throughout the open world.
Aloy comes equipped with her own nifty weapons and items, and every fight can feel like a hunt in Monster Hunter World because of the sheer intensity. You will have to constantly dance around deadly attacks and set traps around the field, putting your own tactics into play. If you’re lucky, you can even nab a weapon dropped from your prey and use it against them. Horizon Zero Dawn is worth playing for the epic fights alone, but there is also a great story that comes with it.
Freedom Wars
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Another hunting game on the PS Vita, Freedom Wars takes place in an apocalyptic future where everyone is born as a prisoner. You’re assigned a million-year sentence (no joke) and must slowly work it off through contributions they earn after the end of each hunt. If players refuse to comply with the strict rules in the game, they will be penalized and given additional years as punishment.
Combat plays similarly to Monster Hunter as you are given a mission to take down mechanized super robots known as Abductors. As the name implies, some of these missions require you to save civilians who have been kidnapped by these machines, adding a bit of twist to the gameplay. Like God Eater, you have a close and long ranged weapon in your arsenal, as well as a Slinger-type item called a Thorn you can use to reach new locations or pin down enemies. Fight and free yourself from that ridiculous sentence in Freedom Hunters.
Toukiden
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Toukiden is a hunting game that takes a lot of inspiration from traditional Japanese themes. The game is set in feudal Japan, where warriors protect the town by fighting creatures known as Oni (or demons). As one of these warriors, you must enlist in hunts and take down these strange-looking demons.
Like with Monster Hunter, players have an assortment of weapons and armor to choose from, allowing the freedom of customization. Unlike Monster Hunter, though, fights are more streamlined and don’t take as long to finish. Players also have flashy skills they can use to gain an upper hand in battle, such as healing abilities. Toukiden and Monster Hunter Generations share a lot of similarities in terms of gameplay, but the former actually has a proper story mode.
Ragnarok Odyssey
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Unlike other hunting games, Ragnarok Odyssey leans more towards fantasy themes. The game takes some inspiration from Norse mythology, evident by some of the monsters you will face in the game. Ragnarok Odyssey also relies on a class system instead of having players choose their weapon type, and they can upgrade their equipment using cards.
All classes have their own strengths, weaknesses, and abilities, so you can essentially pick which play style suits you the best. Thankfully, the game is pretty lenient when it comes to switching classes, allowing you to take up the perfect rule during any given mission. With its streamlined gameplay, Ragnarok Odyssey is the perfect platform for those who are looking to try the hunting genre.
Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Relive the intense anime experience through Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom. The game narrates some of the key moments early on in the manga while also including some new characters in the mix. You can play as some iconic characters from the franchise, such as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, as you swing around and hunt down titans.
Using your 3D maneuver gear, you can swing across buildings and reach different locations to strike the Titan’s weak points. Flying through the air and performing flips is an exhilarating experience, but you always have to be on the lookout for any stray enemies. Battles in Attack on Titan are much more fast-paced, yet just as deadly as in any Monster Hunter game.
Dark Souls
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Monster Hunter and Dark Souls is the perfect couple when it boils down to just plain, sheer difficulty. Both games can be extremely frustrating, difficult to learn, and highly compelling once you get the hang of it. While Monster Hunter World mainly focuses on one beast at a time, Dark Souls constantly throws merciless opponents your way. This game gives you the option to pick your weapon, but only your survival skills will save you at the end of the day. The key to staying alive in both games is to just learn your enemy’s attack patterns and strike back when you get the chance, nothing else. And even when you’re constantly pestered with the same game over screen, it only pushes you to “git gud” and try again.
Final Fantasy Explorers
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Final Fantasy meets Monster Hunter? Now, this is an interesting mash-up. In this game, you take up the role of an Explorer who travels to the land of Libertas and hunt for crystals, which basically act as the world’s life source. The problem, though, is that these crystals are guarded by Final Fantasy summons, so you’re assigned quests to fight them and take the important life source back to town. Final Fantasy Explorers explains the plot through quests, and if you’re having a rough time advancing, you have the option to adjust the difficulty.
While the game uses a class system, spells and abilities are not locked behind a certain job. Players start out as a freelancer and unlock new titles as they progress through the story or if they clear certain requirements. Similarly, players can also choose from a wide pool of armors and weapons, and they can learn new skills to use in the field. Final Fantasy Explorers is a unique spinoff game in the series that will appeal to any fans who love the hunting genre.
Bloodborne
Games like Monster Hunter World If You’re Looking for Something Similar
Bloodborne might not be a hunting game, but like Dark Souls, each fight feels like you’re hunting a monster. As the Hunter, you mysteriously awaken in a city called Yharnam where all the inhabitants have been inflicted with beastly disease. Of course, finding a cure is easier said than done, especially when you’re forced to face against many dangerous beasts. Bloodborne offers plenty of weapons to choose from, be it a sword or even a wheel, and even has a leveling system that lets players adjust their stats. Monster Hunter fans looking for a bigger challenge should definitely keep Bloodborne on their radar.