The Nintendo Switch had a good year, releasing a number of massive titles for its popular first-party and third-party franchises alike. From Metroid Dread and Super Mario 3D World to Among Us and Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, 2021 saw a game for everyone as the console continued to reach new highs. While sales for these titles were impressive across the board, one would Rise to victory: Monster Hunter Rise has been named Japan’s most downloaded Switch title for 2021. Released in March, it became the fastest-selling entry in the Monster Hunter series to date, shipping over 7.5 million copies worldwide as of October.
Taking a look at the Top 30 downloaded Nintendo Switch games in Japan for 2021, Monster Hunter Rise was followed by Among Us and Pokemon: Brilliant Diamond. The top 10 also included Pokemon: Shining Pearl, Mario Kart 8, and Minecraft. Several games on the list are exclusive to Japan, such as Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa mo Teiban, in which players become the president of a railroad company and are tasked with acquiring new stations and properties. While it sounds similar to Monopoly to English-speaking gamers, the title has a bit more complexity and nuance. It’s also incredibly popular, beating out Super Mario 3D World and Pokemon Snap to rank #4 on the list.
Though Rise has already been out for nearly eight months, fans of the title have plenty to look forward to in 2022. The game will be released on PC on January 12, and a huge expansion, Sunbreak, will be added to the game sometime next summer. During The Game Awards 2021, a new teaser trailer for the expansion showed off a new hub town, monster, and NPC. Monster Hunter Rise was also nominated for Best Role Playing Game and Best Multiplayer Game, though Tales of Arise and It Takes Two snagged those awards, respectively.
Monster Hunter Rise is currently available for the Nintendo Switch. The PC release is scheduled for January 12, 2022, and those purchasing the game on Steam can enjoy all post-launch content instantly. An expansion, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, is due to launch in summer 2022. Said to be a “massive expansion,” it has already been compared to the Iceborne DLC added to Monster Hunter World.