Monster Hunter World comes at an interesting time when the franchise is between the popular Monster Hunter Worlds and the newer Monster Hunter Riseand players are wondering where the latest entry will fall in terms of old and new features. A host of new trailer deep dives are starting to answer more of those questions for fans.
Coming sometime in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Monster Hunter World is definitely inclined to the newer hardware with a larger, seamless open world and impressive visual effects. But there are also a variety of features from the series’ past to draw on or build upon, from how to prioritize hunter classes to which monsters to highlight.
Each of today’s trailers focuses on a different aspect of the game, with weapon overviewsA look at Basic mechanicsand one who deals with Monster Hunter World‘ new focus modeAmong other things, they confirmed that Scoutflies, which guide players to their hunted targets, are back. Publisher Capcom also introduced fans to the silhouettes of unannounced coursesincluding the monster-crafted weapons they will carry. And no one could take their eyes off the huge butt in one of the monster battle videos. But a smaller detail that caught fans’ attention and immediately became a big deal was the new 3D minimap:
Where most games, including Monster Huntertraditionally give players a flat 2D map to help them navigate between objectives and identify inaccessible terrain, Monster Hunter World
“I love it,” wrote a fan in the subreddit.”Worlds‘ maps had a lot of interconnected vertical elements, making some areas very difficult to navigate at first using just the top view. This map adding depth is a fantastic change that reminds me of the maps in the Metroid Prime games. These maps are the gold standard for navigating a connected 3D environment, so anything that comes even close to them is good in my eyes!” The only major complaint some have is how much it rotates, although in the past Monster Hunter
Elsewhere, the new trailers show some of the ways monsters change their appearance as they take more damage at each stage of a fight. There’s also a new Focus Mode that lets you aim attacks as if you were looking through the scope of a gun in a first-person shooter. The camera and your character stay fixed and static even as you move, allowing you to repeatedly target the same weak spots and do more damage. There are even Focus Attacks that are not only more effective, but also just look cool.
You can watch all three trailers in full below:
