It's been a good week for Monster Hunter Rise. Since its release in March the latest title in the long-running Monster Hunter series has been enjoying a huge amount of popularity among both long-time fans of the series and newcomers who might be venturing into the wilds for the first time. That popularity appears to be translating directly into booming sales for the game, as Monster Hunter Rise has hit yet another milestone already.

The move to the Nintendo Switch seems to be paying off for the game, revisiting the handheld market for the first time since 2013's Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS. Nintendo's hybrid console manages to corner both portable fans and home console enthusiasts, potentially bringing together two disparate demographics within the series' fanbase after catering heavily to the latter group with the immensely popular Monster Hunter World. The results would appear to speak themselves, as Rise still seems to be selling well.

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According to a recent press release from Capcom, Monster Hunter Rise has hit the milestone of 5 million copies sold worldwide, just over a week since its release. The company appears to attribute some of its success to the two gameplay demos that were released prior to the game's launch, and it's difficult not to agree. The demos offered not only satisfying examples of the gameplay on offer, including new mechanics designed for Rise, but also gave players the option to try out the local and online multiplayer functionality, giving them a taste of the co-operative fun that would lie in store in the full game.

What makes the game's achievement doubly impressive is that it's currently only available for a single console, but is still selling comparable numbers to Monster Hunter World, which released on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018. It's also been garnering plenty of good reviews across the board, with many critics lauding its quality-of-life improvements over the arguable opacity of earlier titles in the series.

Some have criticized the lack of late- and endgame content, though, particularly in comparison to World and its hefty expansion Iceborne. These concerns will hopefully be assuaged in the future, though, with Rise's first major update scheduled to hit at the end of this month. Fans can expect to find more monsters to hunt, including a new variant of the iconic Apex Rathalos and Chameleos, which was notably absent from World.

With a PC version hitting next year, and considering the support it offered for Monster Hunter World well into its own lifespan, it seems likely that Capcom will be updating the game regularly as time goes on, so players shouldn't worry too much about running out of things to do. There's plenty of lore to dig into for new content, so the odds are good that Monster Hunter Rise will continue going from strength to strength.

Monster Hunter Rise is now available for the Nintendo Switch. A PC release is slated for 2022.

MORE: A History of Palico Companions in the Monster Hunter Series

Source: Capcom