Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most anticipated games of 2025, and with good reason. The previous two games in the series, 2018's Monster Hunter World and 2021's Monster Hunter Rise, were acclaimed by critics and audiences, and both broke sales records, with World still ranked as Capcom's second-best-selling game of all time at over 26 million copies sold.

However, Monster Hunter has been around for a long time, and there were many games before World and Rise ushered in a new era for the franchise. While the franchise was already mega-popular in Japan pre-World, Monster Hunter had more of a cult following in North America. But the games have always been good.

Fans curious to try out some of those older titles can grab several classic Monster Hunter cartridges for around retail price on Nintendo Switch and 3DS right now--and the best place to start is with Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. You can grab the Switch version for just $10 via the eShop (normally $40), and those who prefer buying physical media can snag a copy for $43.54 at Amazon. Generations Ultimate is out of print now, so physical edition prices fluctuate regularly. You can think of Generations Ultimate as a greatest hits album, as it compiles a staggering number of monsters and locales from the franchise's history until World. If you only want one old Monster Hunter game, Generations Ultimate is the ideal pick.