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 (Dec. 12): The Season 4 “Roars from the Winterland” update introduces four new monsters — Tigrex, Lagombi, Volvidon, and Somnacanth — both in the wild and as part of the seasonal storyline.
How many monsters are there in Monster Hunter Now?
A total of 33 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.
Monster Hunter Now monster list
Here is every monster in Monster Hunter Now released to date, including their availability as of the latest season:
Monster |
First appearance |
Availability / unlock requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Great Jagras | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Kulu-Ya-Ku | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Pukei-Pukei | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Barroth | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Great Girros | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Tobi-Kadachi | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Paolumu | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Jyuratodus | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Anjanath | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Rathian | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Legiana | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Diablos | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Rathalos | Launch | Main story unlock |
| Black Diablos | âDiablos Invasionâ event in Sept. 2023 | Hunt-a-thons and rare wild spawn (after seasonal story encounter) |
| Pink Rathian | âRathian & Pink Rathian Weekâ event in Oct. 2023 | Hunt-a-thons and rare wild spawn (after seasonal story encounter) |
| Azure Rathalos | “Descent of the Azure King” event in Jan. 2024 | Hunt-a-thons and rare wild spawn (after seasonal story encounter) |
| Radobaan | “Fulminations in the Frost”” in Dec. 2023 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Banbaro | “Fulminations in the Frost”” in Dec. 2023 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Barioth | “Fulminations in the Frost”” in Dec. 2023 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Zinogre | “Fulminations in the Frost”” in Dec. 2023 | Hunt-a-thons and rare wild spawn (after seasonal story encounter) |
| Odogaron | Season 1 ”“The Vernal Invader”” in March 2024 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Tzitzi-Ya-Ku | Season 1 ”“The Vernal Invader”” in March 2024 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Devilijho | Season 1 ”“The Vernal Invader”” in March 2024 | Hunt-a-thons and Invasions only |
| Coral Pukei-Pukei | ”“Spring forward with Coral Pukei-Pukei”” event in March 2024 | Hunt-a-thons and rare wild spawn (after seasonal story encounter) |
| Khezu | “Season 2 ”“Dancing in the Tempest”” in June 2024 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Basarios | “Season 2 ”“Dancing in the Tempest”” in June 2024 | Not in the wild in season 3, hunt-a-thons and events only |
| Kushala Daora | “Season 2 ”“Dancing in the Tempest”” in June 2024 | Elder Dragon Interceptions (last appearance Aug. 2024) |
| Mizutsune | Summer Hunt 2024: Bubbling Festival in July 2024 | Wild spawn after encountered in seasonal story |
| Nightshade Paolumu | Summer Hunt 2024: Dark Daydreams (paid event) | Rare wild spawn (after seasonal story encounter) |
| Teostra | “Howls of the Flaming King” event in Aug. 2024 | Elder Dragon Interceptions (on-going) |
| Aknosom | Season 3 âCurse of the Wandering Flamesâ in Sept. 2024 | Wild spawn |
| Magnamalo | Season 3 âCurse of the Wandering Flamesâ in Sept. 2024 | Wild spawn |
| Rajang | Season 3 âCurse of the Wandering Flamesâ in Sept. 2024 | Wild spawn after encountered in seasonal story |
| Silver Rathalos | Nov. 2024âs Carnival 2024 (paid event) | Event only |
| Gold Rathalos | Nov. 2024âs Carnival 2024 (paid event) | Event only |
| Nergigante | Nov. 2024âs Carnival 2024 (paid event) | Event only |
| Tigrex | Season 4 âRoars from the Winterlandâ in Dec. 2024 | Wild spawn |
| Lagombi | Season 4 âRoars from the Winterlandâ in Dec. 2024 | Wild spawn |
| Volvidon | Season 4 âRoars from the Winterlandâ in Dec. 2024 | Wild spawn |
| Somnacanth | Season 4 âRoars from the Winterlandâ in Dec. 2024 | Wild spawn |
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.
Image: Niantic / Capcom
For example, the first seasonal update in Dec. 2023, “Fulminations in the Frost”, introduced Radobaan, Banbaro, Barioth, and Zinogre. From there, new seasons have been given three new monsters on their debut; we saw Odogaron, Tzitzi-Ya-Ku, and Devilijho in March 2024’s season 1, and Khezu, Basarios, and Elder Dragon Kushala Daora in season 2.
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.
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.