While there are many things about Monster Hunter Stories 3 that make it stand out way higher than its predecessors, the truth is that it also lacks several features that many of us were hoping would make it to launch. One of those is co-op, which is completely absent from Monster Hunter Stories 3 and could’ve turned the game around in many ways. To this day, we still believe it is one of its biggest missed opportunities, and one we still hope Capcom will fix, assuming this creature-collecting spin-off gets more updates.
The Lack of Co-Op Ended up Hurting Monster Hunter Stories 3
Many will remember that Monster Hunter Stories 2 featured an excellent co-op system. You could invite players over to help you tackle some of the most challenging optional quests and even had a PvP system, which was extremely engaging to tackle. Unfortunately, all of that was gone in Monster Hunter Stories 3, and frankly, this installment could have benefitted from a co-op mode.
For starters, this third entry has one of the most polished combat systems in the series, with it being extremely approachable, while also deep enough when it comes to building your Monsties. Speaking of, the roster was huge. Yes, there were some fan-favorites that didn’t make the cut, but the ones who did allowed for a lot of team-building options, especially with all the genes and moves you could share across your team. Furthermore, it was great to find these rare species around the map and drop them into an existing area to strengthen them or even unlock new variants, such as Zynogre’s many forms.
Unfortunately, Capcom never really did anything with it, speaking in PvE and PvP terms. One of the biggest complaints is the game’s lack of a proper endgame. Yes, there was an update that added Royal monsters, but they weren’t enough to keep players around. Also, Rudy’s DLC wasn’t as compelling as many of us thought it would be, leaving this third installment at one of the lowest spots in Capcom’s immaculate list of game releases in 2026.
The Future Looks Bleak for Monster Hunter Stories 3
Now, while we would love to eventually see a big co-op update for Monster Hunter Stories 3, the truth is that it seems highly unlikely. Capcom reported a couple of months ago that this entry hadn’t reached 1 million copies sold yet, which is pretty alarming for a new release, especially one of this magnitude. Furthermore, mixed reviews on Steam keep piling up, meaning that everything is working against Stories 3.
Still, there could be some hope. Despite the many flaws of this game and the lack of some features, we know Capcom tends to return to some of its games and give them that proper polish. That could be the case for Monster Hunter Stories 3, but it’s all speculation.
In any case, we’d love an expansion for it or a proper endgame, because there’s so much to love here. Monsties look like the creatures we fight in the mainline titles, and the visuals are the best in the spin-off series. Let’s just hope that Capcom does something about it because the potential is there; all it needs is a little push.
