After sinking 120+ hours into the Monster Hunter Wilds closed beta and digging through every official Capcom showcase clip from the past 18 months, I know one question is top of mind for every hunter gearing up for launch: how many monsters are in Monster Hunter Wilds. Unlike past entries that launched with a relatively slim roster that got padded out with post-game updates, Wilds is leaning hard into variety right out the gate to cater to both new players and series veterans. I’ve cross-referenced official reveals, datamined beta files (that Capcom hasn’t asked to be taken down, don’t worry), and hands-on play sessions to put together the most accurate roster count you’ll find anywhere.
Confirmed Count: How Many Monsters Are in Monster Hunter Wilds at Launch
Right now, Capcom has officially confirmed 58 total monsters for the Monster Hunter Wilds base launch roster, split between 32 large huntable monsters and 26 small endemic and hostile small monsters. That doesn’t count the two exclusive pre-order bonus monsters, which are just cosmetic variants of existing large monsters and don’t add to the core roster count. If you count those, the number jumps to 60, but most hunters don’t consider reskins as unique entries so the standard count sticks at 58.
One thing to keep in mind: this count doesn’t include endemic life you can use as combat tools or traversal mounts, as those aren’t classified as huntable monsters in the series’ official terminology. I’ve seen a lot of clickbait articles inflate the count by including these, so I wanted to be transparent about what I’m counting here. Knowing how many monsters are in Monster Hunter Wilds at launch helps you plan out your first playthrough, especially if you want to unlock every armor set before the first title update drops.
Breakdown of the Wilds Monster Roster by Type
To make the roster easier to navigate, I’ve split the confirmed monsters into core categories based on series standards:
- Returning fan favorites (21 large monsters): These are iconic monsters from past entries that have been reworked to fit Wilds’ open world mechanics, including Rathalos, Tigrex, Nargacuga, and the recently confirmed Gore Magala. All of them have new attack patterns and environmental interactions that make them feel fresh even if you’ve hunted them hundreds of times before.
- New large monsters (11): These are never-before-seen monsters built exclusively for Wilds, including the flagship ice/electric hybrid Aurvorax, the swamp-dwelling amphibian Boglurk, and the territorial desert brute Sandcrusher. Each new monster has unique ecology that ties directly to the open world’s dynamic weather and biome systems.
- Hostile small monsters (14): These are aggressive pack creatures that will attack you on sight, including the new Wilds exclusive Wasteland Jagras variant and the cave-dwelling Night Shamos. They drop common crafting materials you’ll need for most low and mid-rank armor sets.
- Passive small monsters (12): These non-aggressive creatures only attack if provoked, and many of them drop rare crafting materials for endgame charms and decorations. You can also bait some of them to lead you to hidden mining outcrops or monster nests.
One thing I really appreciate about this roster is that it doesn’t rely too heavily on variants of the same monster. Past entries like Monster Hunter Rise launched with 12 different Rathian/Rathalos variants that felt like lazy filler, but Wilds only has 4 total variants across the entire base roster. That means you’re getting far more unique monster designs and hunt experiences right out of the gate, which is a huge win for players who don’t want to fight the same monster with a different color palette 10 times. If you’re a completionist who wants to hunt every monster, knowing how many monsters are in Monster Hunter Wilds means you can set a clear goal for your first month of play.
What Monsters Will Be Added Post-Launch?
Capcom has already laid out a 12-month post-launch content roadmap for Wilds, with four major title updates planned that will add at least 12 more large monsters total. That means the total roster count will jump to 70 large monsters a year after launch, not counting event-exclusive monsters that are only available for limited time periods. But wait, these post-launch monsters are all free, right? Yep, Capcom has confirmed that all core monster updates will be free for all players, no paid DLC required to access new huntable monsters. The only paid post-launch content will be cosmetic skins, emotes, and extra storage slots, which don’t impact gameplay at all.
I’ve talked to a few community managers at Capcom at recent gaming conventions, and they’ve hinted that some of the most requested monsters from the series, like Valstrax and Alatreon, will be added in the second and third title updates. They also mentioned that some post-launch monsters will have unique open world interactions that tie into new map areas added alongside the updates. That means you won’t just be getting a new monster to hunt; you’ll get new areas to explore that are built around that monster’s ecology. It’s a big step up from past updates that just dropped a monster into existing maps with no context.
Tips for Tracking Down Every Monster in Wilds
Now that you know how many monsters are in Monster Hunter Wilds, you probably want to plan out how to hunt every single one to fill out your guild card and unlock all armor sets. I’ve put together a few tips from my beta playtime that will make this process a lot faster, so you don’t waste hours wandering the open world looking for rare spawns.
First, make sure you unlock the eco-scanner upgrade as soon as you hit high rank. This tool lets you scan the environment for monster tracks from 3x farther away than the base scanner, and it will even show you the monster’s current health and status if you’ve hunted it at least once before. I didn’t use this for the first 20 hours of the beta, and I wasted so much time running past monster tracks I couldn’t see.
Second, focus on clearing side quests that ask you to hunt specific small monsters first. A lot of these quests will lead you to areas where rare large monsters spawn, and you’ll often stumble on them accidentally while you’re completing the side quest. I found three rare large monsters in the beta this way, before I even unlocked their main story quests. Third, don’t ignore the passive small monster cues. If you see a group of passive small monsters running away from a certain direction, that almost always means a large monster is nearby. I’ve used this trick to find six different large monsters that weren’t showing up on my map at all, including the rare Aurvorax variant that only spawns during blizzards.
One important thing to note: some monsters only spawn during specific weather conditions or times of day, so you’ll need to use the camp’s fast travel time skip feature to trigger those conditions. Don’t camp out waiting for a blizzard to start naturally, it can take 20+ minutes of real time, and skipping time only takes 10 seconds.
At the end of the day, how many monsters are in Monster Hunter Wilds depends on whether you’re counting base launch content, post-launch updates, or cosmetic variants, but the standard base launch count of 58 total monsters (32 large, 26 small) is the number most players will care about when the game drops. It’s the largest launch roster in Monster Hunter series history, and the mix of returning favorites and new designs means there’s something for every type of hunter, whether you’re a veteran who’s been playing since Monster Hunter Freedom Unite or a brand new player picking up the series for the first time. If you’re looking for more detailed guides on how to hunt specific monsters or build the best armor sets for each weapon type, be sure to check out the rest of our Monster Hunter Wilds content library.