Monster Hunterhas become one of Capcom’s most lucrative franchises, which is saying a lot given its storied history withResident Evil,Street Fighter,Mega Man, and more. The game-changingMonster Hunter: Worldand itsIceborneexpansion built a huge fanbase that set upMonster Hunter Riseto become one of the best-selling games of 2021. Now Capcom is working on a new expansion calledMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.
As evidence of the game’s success,Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakwas the cold-open trailer at the September 2021 Nintendo Direct. It was just a teaser, but the serial position effect suggests viewers are most likely to rememberMonster Hunterand the Direct’s closer:Bayonetta 3. This is an especially impressive top billing givenKirby and the Forgotten Landdebuted during the stream. However, much aboutSunbreakis being kept close to the chest for now.
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Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak’s Reveal
Monster Hunter Risehas been continuously updated since launch, starting with the addition of new features like Layered Armor crafting, as well as monsters and Elder Dragons to hunt - culminating in a climactic battle with Narwa the Allmother that concludes the base game’s story. All of these additions have been free, as are event quests giving players armor based on different Capcom properties. Amaterasu fromOkami,Akuma fromStreet Fighter, and Rush fromMega Manare among the additions.
Sunbreak, by contrast, is advertised as a “Massive Expansion"set to release in summer 2022; over a year after the base game. There is currently no price tag attached to this expansion, but the reveal trailer says it is “sold separately.” Given the precedent set byMonster Hunter: World - Iceborne,it is likely the newest named DLC could cost around $39.99 if it includes as much planned content.
A cinematic makes up the bulk of the teaser trailer released during Thursday’s Nintendo Direct. In it, players seeMonster Huntermascot Rathalosunder attack above a decrepit castle; bathed in hazy purple clouds and red moonlight that call to mind the gothic horror imagery of monsters like Dracula. The monster attacking Rathalos is revealed to be a dragon with frayed, bat-like wings and a metallic cry - though its name is not given.
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At the end of the trailer there’s a still frame of the player character running toward this dragon’s castleon the back of their Palamute, suggesting it will be a full new map inSunbreakrather than just a boss arena. In fact, Nintendo senior executive officer Yoshiaki Koizumi appears after the trailer and confirms the expansion will “enhance the experience” with new stories, locales, monsters, hunting actions, and “quest rank.”
Koizumi specifies that the latter two elements are not touched upon in this trailer directly, unlike new locales and monsters - both its seeming flagship monster and a small monster seen slinking across the ground. However, the idea of a new quest rank brings to mind the addition of G Rank: a series staple typically reserved for post-launch content including more difficult hunts with returning and variant monsters.Monster Hunter Risehas some variants, including its Apex archetype and theCrimson Glow Valstrax(without original Valstrax), but G Rank implies the addition of much more.
Little is known aboutSunbreakbeyond that, though Capcom’s official website for the expansion says its rating is to-be determined as of this writing, and that it will also be available on PC via Steam. Perhaps the most important thing for fans to keep in mind is that more details will be provided atTokyo Game Show 2021. Capcom’s “Monster HunterSpotlight” block takes place June 19, 2025 from 6:00 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. PDT, though it will also include Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.
Monster Hunter Riseis now available on Switch, with a PC port planned for early 2022.Sunbreakreleases summer 2022.
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