Comparison

Monster Train vs Monster Hunter Now

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Monster Train

Defend the last burning pyre from Heaven's forces in this strategic deckbuilding roguelike. Build unique decks with over 250 cards from five distinct monster clans, upgrade champions, and explore powerful locations to restore the Inferno. Enjoy ultimate replayability with daily and custom challenges.

Highlights
  • Unlock over 250 cards
  • 5 distinct Monster Clans
  • Upgrade powerful Champions
  • Explore powerful locations
  • Daily & Custom challenges
  • Includes Wild Mutations & Friends & Foes updates
Features
Read full description

Hell has frozen over. Only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of Heaven and restore the Inferno. Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to Roguelite Deck Building, with three vertical playing fields to defend. Features: * Unlock over 250 cards * Discover 5 Monster Clans, each with their own distinct gameplay * Each clan has 10 levels to unlock, bringing new cards to your deck * Upgrade your powerful Champions multiple times * Challenge your friends to beat your score * Includes the released updates Wild Mutations and Friends & Foes! Ultimate Replayability No playthrough is ever the same, it’s a fresh challenge every time. You’ll really never play the same deck twice! Perfect entertainment for your mobile device! Explore powerful locations To take back hell, you’ll need to power up. Choose your route carefully, different locations yield different benefits; upgrade your Champion, recruit powerful units, upgrade cards, gain passive bonuses or duplicate any card in your deck. Strategize to fit your playstyle With five clans to choose from, each has its own unique and surprising gameplay. Pick your primary and supporting clan to gain access to all cards from both. Build your deck and perfect your strategy to defeat your enemies! Daily & Custom challenges Take on a new challenge every day with a hugely modified run due to gameplay mutators or play with your own selection of buffs and nerfs to tailor to your playstyle! Compete globally and against friends, and climb the leaderboards with a skill-focused scoring system. The Last Divinity DLC Epic new content expansion for Monster Train bringing new challenges, more replayability, and a new clan! * A new clan, the Wurmkin *Note: the Wurmkin clan unlocks upon completing Covenant level 1.* * Pact Shards; the new currency bringing benefits at a cost * New endboss: The Last Divinity Available for purchase in-game!

About

Monster Hunter Now

Embark on a real-world hunting adventure, tracking and battling iconic monsters. Team up with friends to take down formidable foes using crafted weapons and armor. Experience authentic hunting action adapted for mobile with AR features and quick, engaging 75-second hunts.

Highlights
  • Hunt monsters in the real world
  • Team up with fellow hunters
  • Craft powerful weapons and armor
  • AR Camera for monster encounters
  • 75-second hunt challenges
  • Adventure Sync for marking monsters
Read full description

The thrill of the hunt is calling. Begin your hunting adventure now! Hunt monsters in the real world: Embark on a global quest to track down and hunt some of the most formidable monsters from the Monster Hunter universe as they appear in our world. Forge powerful weapons and team up with fellow hunters to track down larger-than-life monsters and take them head-on. Authentic hunting action carefully adapted to mobile: Discover a variety of monsters depending on the habitat around you – Forest, Desert or Swamp – and engage in thrilling hunts solo, or band together with fellow hunters to take on these large monsters. The simplified tap-based controls and high-fidelity graphics enable you to engage in enjoyable hunting action wherever you go. See monsters around you with the AR Camera: Experience what it’s like to have these iconic monsters appear in the real world with exclusive AR Camera features. Master the hunt in 75 seconds: Can you complete the hunt within 75 seconds? Master the weapons, craft armor sets and hone your skills – exploit weaknesses and utilize every element at your disposal to take on the hunt. Mark monsters even with your phone in the pocket: With Adventure Sync, you can use a Paintball to track monsters while you explore your town and bring the hunt to your doorstep afterwards. As you explore, your Palico can mark passing monsters with Palico Paintballs, even while you aren’t actively playing, allowing you to return to them later, ensuring that the action never stops.

Screenshots

Monster Train4 screens
Monster Hunter Now4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Monster Hunter Now at Free against Monster Train's $7.99. Monster Hunter Now also leads on ratings volume (49K vs 1.8K). Monster Train's advantage is review sentiment (89% vs 58%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Monster Hunter Now is free to download; Monster Train costs $7.99 up front. Monster Train sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Monster Hunter Now sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Monster Train holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Monster Hunter Now has 49K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Monster Train's written reviews are positive against 58% of Monster Hunter Now's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monster Train ships an update every 3 weeks, Monster Hunter Now fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Monster Train versus Monster Hunter Now: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonster TrainMonster Hunter Now
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (1.8K ratings) — better4.7 (49K ratings)
Positive reviews88.8% of reviews — better57.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K49K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#22 — better#43
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.014.0
Further details — not scored
Size533 MB219 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperGood Shepherd EntertainmentScopely Explore, Inc.

Customer experience

Monster Train

All ratings1,812 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews358 reviews
Positive88.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.3%

Monster Hunter Now

All ratings49,080 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews897 reviews
Positive57.5%
Neutral12.2%
Negative30.3%

User reviews

Monster Train

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Outstanding soundtrack
  • 🚀 Lots of discovery and relatability
  • 👍 Great deck builder with deep mechanics
  • 👍 Excellent value for money
  • 👍 Addictive and replayable gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with cloud saves and device switching
  • 🐛 Difficulty targeting off-screen bosses on mobile
  • 🐛 Finicky card selection and play controls
  • 🔋 Can drain phone battery quickly

Monster Hunter Now

From 49K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Faithful Monster Hunter experience
  • 🎨 Great graphics
  • 🤝 Fun multiplayer
  • 🌍 Engaging real-world exploration

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Restrictive gameplay when moving
  • 💰 Expensive microtransactions
  • 🔍 Limited monster and resource spawns
  • 🔍 Slow progression
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes

Bugs and requests

Monster Train

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cloud save issues causing lost progress
  • Inability to target off-screen bosses
  • Occasional crashes and performance issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view deck during card selection
  • Customizable UI and graphics options
  • Swipe gestures for floor switching
  • 60fps support

Monster Hunter Now

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes during battles
  • Login issues and lost progress
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Inconsistent GPS tracking

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to craft potions
  • Wider search radius
  • More weapon types
  • Long-distance multiplayer
  • Improved social features

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Monster Train

One-time1
  • The Last Divinity DLC$3.99
21 purchases

Monster Hunter Now

One-time21
  • 150 Gems$1.99
  • 300 Gems$1.99
  • Item Box Expansion$1.99
Show 18 more
  • LNY 2026 Event Pass$3.99
  • Spring Egg Bonus Pass$3.99
  • 400 Gems$4.99
  • 750 Gems$4.99
  • Starter bundle pack$6.99
  • Starter Pack(7 Days Only)$6.99
  • Summer Hunt 2024 Ticket$6.99
  • Winter Hunt 2025$8.99
  • Halloween Pack$9.99
  • Prime Hunter's Pass$9.99
  • NY 2024 Bargain Gems$14.99
  • 1,400 Gems$14.99
  • 2,250 Gems$14.99
  • Anniversary Gem Pack$14.99
  • NY 2025 Bargain Gems$14.99
  • MH Now 2024 Global Ticket$14.99
  • 1st Anniversary Gem Pack$14.99
  • 3,000 Gems$29.99

Questions

Is Monster Train free?
Monster Train costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Monster Hunter Now free?
Monster Hunter Now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Monster Train or Monster Hunter Now?
Monster Train is rated higher. Monster Train averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Monster Hunter Now averages 4.7 from 49K ratings.
Do Monster Train or Monster Hunter Now have ads?
Neither Monster Train nor Monster Hunter Now shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monster Train or Monster Hunter Now?
Monster Train ships an update every 3 weeks, and Monster Hunter Now fortnightly. Most recently, Monster Train was updated on October 27, 2026 and Monster Hunter Now on October 27, 2026.
Which is more popular, Monster Train or Monster Hunter Now?
Monster Train currently peaks at #22 in the App Store charts, and Monster Hunter Now at #43. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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