Capcom's licensed mobile Monster Hunter finally has a date. Monster Hunter Outlanders, the free-to-play open-world hunting game built by Tencent's TiMi Studio Group, launches on iOS and Android on October 29, 2026. The date came in a producer message published on the game's official channel, fronted by TiMi producer Dong Huang alongside Capcom's long-time Monster Hunter series producer Ryozo Tsujimoto. Pre-registration is open now on the App Store and Google Play. Players in mainland China will have to wait: their version is slated for 2027.
What launches on October 29
Outlanders is not a cut-down spin-off in the vein of earlier phone Monster Hunters. It is a full 3D hunting game set in Aesoland, a new region with its own ecology, and it is structured around exploration and crafting as much as the hunts themselves. The official store listing describes it as built for mobile from the ground up, with portable controls meant to let you drop straight into a fight, and the game supports two control schemes for players who want more or less on-screen help.
Hunting can be done alone or in squads of up to four, and the listing makes a point of how quickly a group can be pulled together: a single tap to invite friends into your field. That matters on a phone, where sessions are short and nobody wants to spend five minutes in a lobby.
Adventurers instead of a blank-slate hunter
The biggest structural change from the console games is the cast. Rather than one self-made hunter, Outlanders gives you a roster of original Adventurers, each with a personality and a look of their own. Every Adventurer pairs with the series' weapons to produce distinct follow-up moves, so the same Great Sword plays differently depending on who is swinging it.
The store listing names seven classic weapon types for the core line-up: Great Sword, Long Sword, Dual Blades, Hammer, Lance, Heavy Bowgun and Bow. In the launch-date message, the producers added the Charge Blade to the launch version, and the listing says more weapons will follow in later updates. Veterans will notice what is still missing: no Switch Axe, Gunlance, Insect Glaive, Hunting Horn or Light Bowgun yet. For a live-service game, holding weapons back for future updates is expected, and the producers framed the launch as a starting point, with further monsters, weapons and regions planned.
Ruger Aidal and the Radiant monsters
Outlanders' headline monster is Ruger Aidal, an original Elder Dragon with golden, sun-like wings that TiMi revealed in August. It fronts the game's key art and has been the centrepiece of every trailer since. Alongside it are Radiant Species: variants shaped by Aesoland's shifting environment that the developer says are exclusive to this game. Returning favourites appear too, with Azure Rathalos among the monsters shown in recent footage.
Traversal leans into the open world. The game's own screenshots show hunters gliding across the map on hang-glider rigs, and earlier footage showed ziplines. That fits a game that wants you roaming between hunts rather than loading into a quest from a hub.
Three Buddies, not just a Palico
Monster Hunter's cat companion is here, but it has company. Outlanders ships with three Buddies, Palico, Rutaco and Trillan, each with a distinct personality. According to the listing, they tag along on hunts and drive a stream of small events as you explore. Where the console games treat the Palico as a combat helper first, Outlanders appears to use its Buddies for flavour and world-building as much as for damage.
Built for phones
TiMi's pitch is that Outlanders recreates the series' weapons and hunting on mobile hardware without compromise, optimised so that fights stay smooth on a phone. It is a big install for a phone game: the iOS listing puts the download at roughly 3.7GB, requires iOS 15 or later, and carries a 17+ age rating. Android players will find it on Google Play under the same name.
A long road to launch
Outlanders was first announced in 2023 and has since run three closed beta tests, the most recent recruiting players in July. It was playable at Tokyo Game Show earlier this month. The October 29 date gives it a clear run at the holiday period. It also puts a free-to-play Monster Hunter in the hands of players who have never owned a console, which may be the real prize for Capcom as it continues to support Monster Hunter Wilds on PC and consoles.
If you want to be in on day one, pre-register now on the App Store or Google Play so the download is ready when the servers open on October 29.
