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It’s been a minute since we’ve had a heavy-hitter like this drop on PlayStation Plus, and this month’s addition is a big one. Monster Hunter Rise is now available for PS Plus subscribers, and if you’ve been even remotely curious about the Monster Hunter series, this is your sign to jump in.
Whether you’re a long-time hunter or someone who’s only heard the name in passing, Monster Hunter Rise is one of those games that can completely take over your gaming schedule. You sit down thinking you’ll do a couple of hunts. Suddenly, it’s 3 AM, and you’re crafting a new armor set because you’re just one material short of perfection.
Let’s break down why Monster Hunter Rise deserves your attention — especially now that it’s part of PS Plus.
A Fresh Take on the Monster Hunter Formula
The Monster Hunter series has always been known for its depth, complexity, and borderline overwhelming systems. Rise keeps that identity intact but streamlines enough elements to make it more approachable — without sacrificing what makes it special.
Originally launched on the Nintendo Switch and later expanded to other platforms, Rise builds on the foundation laid by Monster Hunter: World. If World was the franchise’s global breakout moment, Rise is the evolution that refines the formula.
At its core, Monster Hunter Rise follows a simple but deeply satisfying gameplay loop:
- Accept a quest
- Prepare your gear
- Hunt a monster
- Carve materials
- Craft stronger weapons and armor
- Repeat
It sounds straightforward — and technically, it is. But what makes it special is how much depth exists within each of those steps.
The Learning Curve: Gift and Curse
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Monster Hunter has a learning curve. A serious one.
The game throws walls of tutorials, menus, and mechanics at you early on. Weapon trees, armor skills, crafting systems, buffs, endemic life, traps, buddy management — it can feel like you’ve enrolled in a semester-long course on slaying dragons. But here’s the thing: once it clicks, it really clicks.
Monster Hunter Rise rewards patience. The first time you perfectly dodge a giant wyvern’s tail swipe and counter with a devastating combo, the adrenaline rush is real. These moments don’t come easily — you earn them through understanding monster patterns, positioning, stamina management, and timing. If you’re new and feel overwhelmed during the first few hours, don’t quit. Push through. This is a series that becomes more fun the deeper you go.
Combat That Feels Earned
Combat in Monster Hunter Rise is deliberate. This isn’t a button-mashing hack-and-slash. Every weapon has weight. Every attack has commitment.
There are 14 distinct weapon types, and each one completely changes how you play:
- Long Sword for fluid counters and precision
- Insect Glaive for aerial dominance
- Switch Axe for hybrid transformations
- Great Sword for massive, slow, devastating hits
- Dual Blades for relentless aggression
Each weapon has its own learning curve, combos, and advanced mechanics. It’s almost like picking a class in an RPG — but deeper.
What makes combat so satisfying is the preparation. You eat before hunts to gain buffs. You sharpen your blade mid-battle. You set traps. You collect environmental boosts like Spiribirds to increase health and stamina. And when you finally take down a monster after a 20-minute battle? It feels earned.
The Wirebug: A Game-Changer for Movement
One of Rise’s biggest innovations is the Wirebug system.
This grappling-hook-like mechanic allows you to:
- Zip into the air
- Dash forward instantly
- Recover from knockdowns
- Perform powerful Silkbind attacks unique to each weapon
The addition of vertical mobility completely changes how hunts play out. You’re no longer stuck fighting on flat terrain. You can scale cliffs, wall-run, and launch aerial attacks in ways that feel dynamic and cinematic.
It adds speed and fluidity to a series that historically leaned into slower, grounded combat.
Palamutes and Palicoes: Your Loyal Companions
Rise also expands on the companion system.
You’re joined by:
- A Palico (cat companion) for support
- A Palamute (dog companion) for mobility and combat
The Palamute is especially game-changing. You can ride it across the map, drift around corners, and even sharpen your weapon while mounted. It makes traversal much faster and keeps the focus on action instead of downtime.
Meanwhile, Palicoes provide healing, traps, and buffs depending on how you build them. And yes — you can pet your Palamute. That alone earns points.
Seamless Biomes and Vertical Exploration
Monster Hunter Rise features several open, seamless maps. While not fully open-world, these zones are large and packed with secrets. The verticality stands out the most. Hidden paths, elevated perches, cliffside shortcuts — it encourages exploration in a way previous entries didn’t emphasize as much.
Instead of slowly tracking monsters like in World, Rise leans into faster engagement. You’re quickly in the action, chasing targets across varied terrain. The snow region, in particular, is a highlight — atmospheric, dangerous, and filled with memorable encounters.
Wyvern Riding: Controlled Chaos
One of the most chaotic — and fun — additions is Wyvern Riding. Instead of monsters simply interrupting your hunt, you can now mount them after dealing enough damage and temporarily control them. Yes, that means you can ride a massive creature across the battlefield and use its own attacks against another monster.
It’s messy. It’s chaotic. And it’s incredibly satisfying. What used to be frustrating multi-monster chaos now becomes an opportunity for strategic domination.
Rampage Mode: Tower Defense Meets Monster Hunter
Rise introduces a new mode called Rampage. Think of it as Monster Hunter meets tower defense.
You:
- Set up turrets
- Deploy traps
- Defend a stronghold
- Fight off waves of monsters
It can get wildly chaotic, especially in multiplayer. While not infinitely varied, it adds a refreshing spin to the traditional hunt structure and provides exclusive rewards and upgrades. For a mode that could have felt shoehorned in, Rampage is surprisingly engaging.
Solo or Social — Your Choice
Monster Hunter has always been designed with multiplayer in mind. Hunting with friends amplifies the chaos and fun. But if you’re primarily a solo player? You’re still covered.
Rise balances difficulty well, allowing solo hunters to enjoy the full experience without feeling punished. That said, the game truly shines when coordinating strategies with others — staggering a monster while your friend sets a trap is peak teamwork satisfaction. Now that it’s on PS Plus, expect active lobbies and a fresh wave of players jumping in.
Visuals and Performance
Originally built for the Nintendo Switch using the RE Engine (the same engine used in modern Resident Evil titles), Rise looked impressive for the hardware. On PlayStation, performance is smoother, and visuals are cleaner. Frame rate improvements alone make combat feel even better.
Even on its original platform, the game proved that complex action RPG systems could work on portable hardware. Now, on PS5 and PS4, it feels right at home.
Endgame and Longevity
Monster Hunter games are known for longevity. Even if you’re just starting out, know this: the real game often begins at High Rank and beyond. Endgame content revolves around optimized builds, rare material farming, and mastering monster patterns to near perfection.
You’re not just finishing quests. You’re refining your hunter. This is easily a 100+ hour experience if it hooks you — and it probably will.
Is It Beginner-Friendly?
Yes… and no. If you’ve never played a Monster Hunter game before, expect a rough start. Menus are dense. Systems are layered. Tutorials can feel overwhelming.
But Rise is more welcoming than older entries. Movement is more forgiving. Combat is more fluid. The pacing is faster. And with PS Plus bringing in a new player base, you won’t be learning alone.
Who Should Download It?
You should absolutely try Monster Hunter Rise if:
- You enjoy deep RPG systems
- You love boss battles
- You appreciate skill-based combat
- You like grinding for better gear
- You want something that can last months
If you prefer quick, instant-gratification gameplay with minimal learning curve? This might test your patience. But for those willing to invest the time, the reward is one of the most satisfying action RPG experiences available.
Final Thoughts
Monster Hunter Rise landing on PS Plus is a big win for subscribers. It’s a full-fledged, content-rich experience that can easily become your main game for weeks or months. It builds on everything that made Monster Hunter: World successful while carving out its own identity through mobility, speed, and creative mechanics like Wirebugs and Wyvern Riding. Yes, it demands patience. Yes, it overwhelms at first. But once you understand its systems and start reading monster behavior like a book, the game becomes incredibly addictive.
If it’s sitting in your PS Plus library right now, download it. Give it a fair shot. Push past the early confusion. Because on the other side of that learning curve is one of the most rewarding gameplay loops in modern gaming.
And who knows — you might just find yourself losing track of time hunting “just one more monster.”