I’ve been a big fan of the Monster Hunter franchise ever since Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, when I played online on my 3DS while my friend played on their Wii U. The franchise has only grown since then. The array of titles that have come out has only deepened gamers’ love for giant, monster-hunting action and grown the franchise as a whole.
However, it’s always been tied to console and PC players, with no real mobile version in sight for those without either to feast on. Sure, we had Monster Hunter Now, but not a real, bona fide Monster Hunter filled with all the bells and whistles that make the mainline series so fun. That is, until Monster Hunter Outlanders came along.
A Different Kind of Monster Hunter
I’m not really sure what I expected when I first learned about Monster Hunter Outlanders: a mobile adventure you can play with your friends that brings back classic weapons and monsters with brand-new adventurers, classes, and follow-up moves. Ever since mobile gacha games became popular, I’ve realized how much power a phone can hold when it comes to graphics. Still, I definitely didn’t anticipate what I saw when I sat down with TiMi Studio Group at gamescom.
We had the phone the game was running on connected to a TV in the room, and let me tell you, I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a mobile game if I hadn’t known in advance. Sure, there were the telltale signs, like on-screen buttons that allow you to control your character and perform attacks just like you would with a controller. But what really got me was just how great it actually looked.
After explaining the general premise—you’re an adventurer selected from a set of pre-generated characters who each have their own classes (Assault, Disruptor, and Support), fighting and hunting monsters with your friends to get stronger—we dove right in.
New Monsters, New Buddies, Bigger Problems
Monster Hunter games tend to follow a similar formula, with the main differences being new weapons, monsters, etc. Instead of creating your own character in Monster Hunter Outlanders, you’ll be able to choose from a set of adventurer classes that you’ll be able to customize throughout your journey. You’re then whisked away into a vast world of Aesoland in which you can complete varying quests and slice and dice gigantic monsters after choosing whether you’d like to use the less intensive Adventure Mode or more challenging Classic Mode.
I ended up choosing Classic Mode, assuming my previous experience with Monster Hunter titles would help. Adventure Mode is intended for newer players, using fewer on-screen buttons so players can focus more on the slaying.
Here, you’ll be able to invite up to three other people to create four-player hunting squads, but we didn’t get a chance to check this particular feature out. But I thought it was really cool that you can team up at any time, no matter where you are in the game, which is really meaningful to me as someone who doesn’t have a whole lot of time to play games like this but would love to jump in every once in a while with friends. I was then shown the seven starting weapons: Great Sword, Long Sword, Dual Blades, Hammer, Lance, Heavy Bowgun, and Bow, and was told that my personal favorite, the Switch Axe, would be available at some point in the future.
We took a look at some of my favorite monsters, like the Pukei-Pukei, but I also got the chance to see the brand-new Elder Dragon Ruger Aidal in all of its Icarus-posing glory. Seriously, it looks insane. Not only is there a new monster, but there’s also a new way to challenge yourself with Radiant Monsters. Think of them as a monster’s evolution, shaped by Aesoland’s environment and atmosphere, making them far more powerful than you could imagine.
The newness didn’t end there, with two new buddies: the adorable monkey-like creatures, the Rutaco, and the bird-like Trillan. Palicos will serve as assault type companions that your character can use, while Rutacos are disruptors and Trillans are used for support. Of course, we couldn’t check out everything TiMi Studio Group wanted to show us. Still, I was lucky enough to head to a Monster Hunter Outlanders-themed dinner where content creators got a chance to show off their skills (after a little liquid courage).
Congratulations, TiMi Studio Group
It’s clear that TiMi Studio Group is proud of what they’ve achieved, especially after finding success in other IP-adjacent titles like Pokemon Unite and Call of Duty: Mobile. At the dinner, they thanked everyone who attended and shared a brief history of their nearly five years working on the game.
I feel that this is worth mentioning because, even though I understand how stressful an event like gamescom can be, there are some developers or PR personnel who really do make previews feel like business meetings. I love getting into the nitty-gritty of a game and learning what you can do, but seeing a team so gleefully answer questions and passionately respond to new and old fans alike was really special in person.
Monster Hunter Outlanders just underwent its third closed beta in July, so I can only imagine how great it’ll look once Monster Hunter Outlanders officially launches. You can pre-register on the App Store and Google Play to play when it launches in late 2026.
