Is Monster Hunter Outlanders Free to Play? What You Can Get Without Spending
Yes, Monster Hunter Outlanders is free to play: you can download it on Android and iPhone, hunt monsters, craft gear and play with friends without paying anything. It does have in-app purchases and a gacha for characters, though, so it is fair to ask what money actually buys and how far you can go as a free player. This guide breaks down the gacha, the currencies, every paid item and the best ways to progress without spending.
Key facts
- Price: free to download and play, with in-app purchases
- Gacha: yes, but only for adventurers (characters); it is called recruitment
- Weapons and armor: crafted from monster materials, never pulled from the gacha
- Pity: an SSR is guaranteed within 90 pulls on the main banners
- Pay to win: not really, since the game is PvE and skill still matters
Is Monster Hunter Outlanders really free?
The game launched on October 29 for iOS and Android with no price tag and no paid edition. The developers have said that players who never spend can still experience all of the game’s content. The parts that matter most for hunting, like your weapons and armor, work the same way as in the main Monster Hunter series: you hunt monsters, collect their materials and craft your gear at the Workshop.
The paid side is focused on three things: recruiting new adventurers faster, cosmetic looks and time savers such as extra upgrade materials.
The two currencies
| Currency | How you get it | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Rutacoin | Playing: area tasks, daily tasks, Monster Challenge, events and mail | Standard and Featured Contracts (150 each), Energy refills and appearance tickets |
| Crimson Crest Coin | Mainly bought with real money | Packs, Wish draws and layered armor in the shop |
In short, Rutacoin is the free currency you earn by playing, and Crimson Crest Coin is the premium one.
How the gacha (recruitment) works
Recruitment uses Contracts to pull adventurers, the named characters who join your squad with their own skills and weapons. There are four banners:
- Beginner: up to 50 pulls at a reduced cost, with an SSR guaranteed inside them.
- Featured: a limited SSR adventurer, using Featured Contracts.
- Standard: always available, with SSR adventurers and SSR Buddies in the pool.
- Rotating: a limited-time SSR adventurer, using Standard Contracts.
An SSR is guaranteed within 90 pulls on the Featured, Standard and Rotating banners, and every 10 pulls gives at least one SR. After 300 total pulls on the Standard banner, you can also pick one SSR adventurer or Buddy of your choice once. Some guides report a higher guarantee (120 pulls) for the specific featured character, so check the banner details in the game before you save up for a limited adventurer.
What real money buys
- Monthly pass: Crimson Crest Coin and a Standard Contract on purchase, then Rutacoin every day for 30 days if you log in. The first purchase also includes one of three SSR adventurers.
- Rumbling Pot of Harvests: the paid battle pass, with upgrade materials, Zenny, Rutacoin and Contracts.
- Packs: starter, weekly, monthly, season and limited packs, mostly Contracts and materials. Some can be bought with Rutacoin.
- Top-ups: Crimson Crest Coin, with double coins on the first purchase of each amount.
- Wish: box-style draws where the main prizes are layered armor, icons and frames.
- Layered armor: outfits that change how you look, with no stats.
What money cannot buy is just as important: weapons and armor are not sold directly, and cosmetics give no stat bonuses.
What you get for free
Free characters
- Your Fated Adventurer (your own hunter)
- A guaranteed SSR from the Beginner banner
- Luka, from the Surging Lightning quests
- Pyro, from a coin exchange in Adventurer’s Chronicles
Free Contracts and Buddies
- Weekly quests and Adventurer Rank rewards
- The monster field guide and events
- Rutacoin exchanges
- Kojiro, an SSR Buddy, on the free battle pass track (level 60)
The Fated Adventurer deserves a special mention. It is the character you create, and you can freely change its weapon type, element and Ultimate. The developers call it the core of the free-to-play experience, and you gear it entirely by crafting. If you are just starting, our complete beginner’s guide explains how to build it.
Is Monster Hunter Outlanders pay to win?
Not in the usual sense. There is no direct PvP, so spending does not let you beat other players. No character is locked behind a paywall, and paying mostly speeds things up: more pulls means SSR adventurers sooner, and more materials means faster upgrades. Combat has no auto battle, so dodging, positioning and timing still decide most hunts. The main place where a stronger team helps is in ranked event modes.
Weapon damage comes from crafting, not from the shop, so a free player who farms smartly can be just as strong in a hunt. See our crafting guide for the materials that matter.
Tips to play without spending
- Save Contracts for limited adventurers you really want instead of pulling on every banner.
- Invest in your Fated Adventurer, since it is free and fully flexible.
- Use SR adventurers to fill gaps in your team while you wait for SSRs.
- Decide where Rutacoin goes: Contracts or Energy refills, not both at random.
- Claim every free code. Our redeem codes page lists free Zenny, Rutacoins and potions.
- If you ever spend, the monthly pass is the best value, because it pays out Rutacoin every day for a month.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay to download Monster Hunter Outlanders?
No. It is free on the App Store and Google Play.
Can I get weapons from the gacha?
No. Weapons and armor are always crafted from monster materials. Adventurers you recruit come with their own set builds.
Is there a gacha for Buddies?
The separate Buddy gacha was removed after the second closed beta. SSR Buddies can still appear on the Standard and Rotating banners, and some have free ways to get them, like Kojiro on the free battle pass track.
What is the best purchase if I want to support the game?
The monthly pass. It gives the most value over time and includes an SSR adventurer on the first purchase.
Can free players finish all the content?
According to the developers, yes. It just takes more time to collect adventurers and materials.
Final thoughts
Monster Hunter Outlanders is a free game with a gacha, but the gacha sits on the side of the hunt rather than in the middle of it. Your gear comes from monsters, your main hunter is free and flexible, and the pity system plus free Contracts keep recruitment fair enough. Spend only if you want a specific limited adventurer sooner or love the cosmetics.
