Right now, Monster Hunter Rise is all the rage. It released on Switch two weeks ago and has been no slouch either; Monster Hunter Rise reviews paint the game in a beautiful light, showing how its yet another great entry. However, as the game is exclusive to Switch now with a PC release slated for 2022, many are asking when, and maybe if, a game will release on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

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Monster Hunting Makes Money

What’s worth noting is that Monster Hunter has always had a unique relationship with Nintendo when it comes to exclusivity. Monster Hunter Rise falls perfectly in line with that, but it’s not exactly “exclusive.” That’s to say that, disregarding a ton of variables, nothing is stopping Capcom from making another mainline console game, one to take advantage of all the next-gen tech. In fact, there’s a high chance that something, somewhere is in the works.

The aforementioned sales speak volumes. Of the 15+ games in the franchise, 12 of them have had sales pass the 1 million unit mark, but the combined totals of Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter World Iceborne sales amounts to 24 million (16.8 of which is the base game, again as of December 31, 2020). The next closest so far is Monster Hunter Portable 3/Freedom 3 at 4.9 million sales. Monster Hunter Rise will indubitably filter in somewhere, as its launch has been highly positive, but as it stands, nothing rivals Monster Hunter World. As such, bringing another game of its magnitude to PS5 and Xbox Series X seems like a safe, money-making bet. At the end of the day, it’s a business decision and one that seems wise all things considered.

Future Monster Hunter Games

While this is just speculation, the franchise speaks for itself in a lot of ways. Of course, whatever stage this theoretical Monster Hunter game on PS5 and Xbox Series X is in, it won’t be the next game. Fans already know that Monster Hunter Stories 2 is slated for a summer 2021 release, complete with cross-compat features for Monster Hunter Rise. However, the franchise is not on to rest on its laurels. Since the inception of the franchise in 2004, the franchise has only ever skipped 4 years (2005, 2008, 2012, and 2014).

Now, that does come with a couple of caveats. First off, much like Monster Hunter Rise and Monster Hunter Stories 2, some games released in the same year. Some are only out in Japan, some are mobile, and some are spin-offs, but the fact remains that Monster Hunter isn’t stopping anytime soon. This is especially true looking at how there’s been something since 2015.

The question of when is a different story. It could be as early as 2022 or it could be a couple of years. It’s hard to say, but if there’s one thing that seems undeniable, a Monster Hunter on PS5 and Xbox Series X is out there in some stage of development, even if it’s just in someone’s mind at Capcom. It’s bound to happen, but hopefully, it’ll be sooner rather than later.

Monster Hunter Rise is available now for Nintendo Switch. A PC version will release in early 2022.

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