Monster Hunter Now monster list

Monsters in Monster Hunter Now are, as with every entry in the series, the main focus of the game, giving you new challenges to face and weapon and armor types to craft.

Starting with just a handful of large monsters to begin with, the further you progress through the main story quest, the more species you unlock.

For those who prefer to discover these at their own pace, the following page contains spoilers for the monster list in Monster Hunter Now — including whether there are original monsters coming to the series.

Latest update: The arrival of July’s Summer Hunt 2024 sees two new monsters: Mizutsune (an event-only Leviathan appearing in swamp and forest habitats, as well as Hunt-a-thons), and Nightshade Paolumu (temporary exclusive for paid ticket holders of the “Dark Daydreams” July 20-21 weekend event.)

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Monster Hunter Now monster list: How many monsters are there in Monster Hunter Now?

Image: Niantic / Capcom

A total of 29 monsters have been released in Monster Hunter Now, some of which are temporary spawns, or require completing specific storylines or activity types such as Invasions or Elder Dragon Interceptions to unlock.

Complicating things further is the game’s seasonal model, meaning some monsters will only appear at some times of year, or require additional seasonal story complication to access.

Remember, if you come across a monster on the map you cannot fight there and then, using a paintball allows you to save that encounter for later.

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When will new monsters release in Monster Hunter Now?

New monsters — alongside new story quests and weapon types — are introduced to the game as part of a seasonal model alongside a major update each quarter.

The most recent set of monsters arrived on June 13, 2024 as part of the game’s summer update, with the confirmation of the first Elder Dragon in June. The next monster will be the game’s first Leviathan in July:

Image: Niantic / Capcom

How have monsters been rolled out in the game so far? The first seasonal update, “Fulminations in the Frost,” arrived in Dec. 2023, introduced Radobaan, Banbaro, Barioth, and Zinogre. Three new monsters — Odogaron, Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, and Devilijho — were then added in March 2024. Khezu, Basarios, and Elder Dragon Kushala Daora were then introduced to the game in June 2024.

Image: Niantic / Capcom

Outside of these major updates, there are monsters which debut in events, such as Black Diablos during September 2023’s “Diablos Invasion,” and Pink Rathian in October 2023’s “Rathian & Pink Rathian Week.”

These subspecies are more powerful versions of Diablos and Rathian, but since they come with their own armor and weapon sets, can be considered unique monsters in their own right. At first, these monsters only appeared for a limited time, but have since become wild spawns once defeated as part of a seasonal storyline.

We imagine future subspecies will follow a similar pattern — debuting for a limited time with a mid-season event, before appearing as spawns with the rollout of a new season months later.

Image: Niantic / Capcom

For those expecting original monsters which debut first in Monster Hunter Now, so far the roster consists of creatures that have appeared elsewhere in the series. However, the developers have said they would “love to include unique monsters in the game in the future” — so perhaps we can expect something eventually.

This is not the first Niantic game to contribute to the canon of a wider series — Pokemon Go introduced Meltan and Melmetal, for example — and it’ll be interesting to see what impact Monster Hunter Now has on the main series over time.

Until then — looking for more advice? Our Monster Hunter Now tips and tricks page can give you some extra pointers.