Summary
Monster Hunteris the ur-example of games where fighting Kaiju or colossal monsters is the main event. Solo players and groups alike must hunt gigantic monsters twice their size, or even bigger than the area they’re fighting in. Loot from these giant creatures goes into weapons and armor to better defeat the next tier of even bigger and deadlier monsters.
Kaiju fighting isn’t exclusive toMonster Hunter, though.Games likeMonster Hunterfeature different ways to take down these creatures. Some games opt to have players climb titanic monsters to defeat them, others encourage teamwork to take these foes down, and a few other titles prefer an arcade-style approach to besting the beasts. Whatever combat style they fall into, these giant monster fighting games always have awesome kaiju designs worth looking at.
Lost Planet: Extreme Conditionscratches the kaiju-fighting and mecha-battler itch all at once. On foot, players can attack giant monstersAttack on Titan-style with their grappling hook, and hijack mecha Vital Suits. Aboard Vital Suits, they can whale on monsters with chain guns and similar heavy weapons.
Vital Suits can be piloted by enemies too, who switch with giant Akrids orLost Planet’smain mooks as the boss. Akroids sport all the gross alien features expected of analien insect race, and are typically twice as huge as humans.
Yet another game set in a frozen wasteland,Praey for the Godsturns its weapons on behemoths called gods. Like Wander fromShadow of the Colossus, players must climb these gods to find their weak spots, or Sigils, and then strike them.
Aside fromclimbing colossal bossesand minibosses, players must also contend with extreme weather and their body’s needs. Luckily for players, bosses are non-linear and can be tackled in any order. In theory, players can retreat if they feel underprepared for certain bosses, then come back with better crafted weapons.
Release Date
June 06, 2025
The third icy monster-hunting game on the list,Jotunkeeps to its namesake withgiants from Norse mythology. Element-aligned giants aside, players who make it to the end also get to challenge a gigantic version of the All-Father, Odin, in all his terrifying glory.
This boss gauntlet game puts players in the shoes of Thora, who must defeat jotun and impress the All-Father to gain glory and enter Valhalla. At her disposal is her almighty axe and God Powers, which call on Norse gods' aspects to grant Thora incredible skills.
Breaking the mold for the list isDauntless, a free-to-play RPG with bright, stylized visuals and several multiplayer modes. Players can squad up with up to three other players, or Slayers, for a focused 20-minute or more hunt, or enter a public lobby that up to six players can join.
Regardless, players will need to learn their combos well for their chosen weapon if they want to do any damage to Behemoths. Aside from crafting weapons, Slayers can craft omnicells or equippable stat boosts unique toDauntless.
Although its gameplay is dated by modern standards,Shadow of the Colossusremains compelling for what it accomplished.Featuring atmospheric storytellingin a sprawling world that turned somber with plot progression, the game’s unspoken story and style has influenced dozens of games since its release.
More importantly, its dedication to monster-climbing and kaiju-fighting mechanics were novel at the time. No other game back then incorporated puzzles into combat the wayShadow of the Colossusdid. Instead of relying on brute strength, players were confronted with the reality of Wander’s size in comparison with the colossi.
BeforeHelldivers 2, there wasEarth Defense Force. This campy third-person shooter charges players with protecting Earth from giant insectoids sent by aliens to help colonize the world. Funnily enough, there are at least five continuities to theEarth Defense Forceseries, although they’re all about fighting kaiju.
EDF troopers have access to armored vehicles, weaponry, and skills tied to their character class. Mecha are also fielded, which means gamers can engage in sweet mecha vs. kaiju action at the right moments.
Amid rumors of a shutdown, theWild Heartscommunity remains active. Even when players have mastered every weapon available, the community gladly helps newbies who joined the game late. Looking atWild Hearts’kaiju fighting system, it’s little wonder there are players with more than 300 hours on record still in it.
Players are treated toa good tutorialthat introduces them to the kaiju Kemono and the worls of Azuma. They can play around withWild Hearts’eight weapon types and build war machines through the Karakuri mechanic. Karakuri can also be used to traverse the world and maneuver around increasingly difficult Kemono.
June 16, 2025
Another Omega Force and Koei Tecmo kaiju fighting game,Toukiden 2is a highly-praised entry to theToukidenseries. Slayers in this installment gain the power of mitama, or souls of past heroes released from the Oni that ate them. Mitama grant incredible stat boosts that can even improve limb damage to Oni or summon the beasts themselves.
All Oni designs are incredible reinventions of demons from Japanese mythology. The English localizations make some creatures hard to recognize at first glance, but a quick look at their Japanese names clears things up quickly. Of note is Tokiwa-no-Orochi, one of the few monsters who escaped with their names, and a kaiju with a clear resemblance to its source, Yamata-no-Orochi.
God Eater 3’s post-apocalyptic third jaunt challenged players to take downgod-like monsterscalled Aragami with the series’ patented hack-and-slash mechanics. Befitting its entry in the series, it introduced three new God Arc weapon types and Accelerator Triggers to buff the player passively.
Testing these player boosts are Ashborn Aragami or new gods that can Burst into new, more powerful states. Every Ashborn is named after a mythological god and is designed to look like neon-technicolor kaiju ready to devour God Eaters.
The firstDragon’s Dogmahad kaiju-sizedMagickal and non-Magickal creatures, such as the Gorechimera and Arch Hydra that required a bit of creative climbing to defeat.Dragon’s Dogma 2continues the tradition with impossibly huge bosses like the Guardian Gigantus.
Before players can get to this giant living statue, they have to contend with Griffins that can sweep down at any time, or Cyclops that can ruin a good picnic. Most large monsters are climbable and have weak spots that can kill them quickly, like bursting pustules on Melve’s dragon.
