Monster Hunter Rise multiplayer: How to join friends and create a lobby for online sessions

Publish date: 2022-12-23

Much of the fun in Monster Hunter Rise multiplayer is teaming up with three other players and battle it out against overwhelming odds.

While the basic mechanics remain the same as single player, the addition of other players provides a great opportunity to take on tougher monsters and help one another earn precious loot.

That said, it isn't the easiest system to work out - especially for those coming from Monster Hunter World - so here's an explainer of how it works.

On this page:

New to Monster Hunter? Watch Capcom's Hunting 101 overview for Monster Hunter Rise

For more help on Monster Hunter Rise, check out our weapon types list, in-depth Insect Glaive page, wirebug guide, Jewel lilies locations and how to use Traps and Tranq Bombs to catch monsters.

What you need to know about Monster Hunter Rise multiplayer

Before we get started, there are a few things to note about how Monster Hunter Rise multiplayer works:

Monster Hunter Rise supports multiplayer for up to four players.
Monster Hunter Rise's missions are split into two types - Village Quests, and Hub Quests. Village Quests are single player missions (found by talking to Hinoa, who is outside) and while Hub Quests (found by talking to Minoto inside) can be played either solo, or with others.
Difficulty will scale for each additional player which joins you in a Hub quest.

You can ask others to join you mid-quest via the Join Request function - previously known as the SOS Flare in World - which is useful if you are having difficulty. You can also have friends join you mid-quest if you prefer to make a start first, provided you've made a lobby first.
If there is a connection error, in our experience it appears that everyone continues in their own instance of the quest, and assumedly, with the difficulty scaling to whoever is remaining.

If you're worried about loot, don't worry - you can all carve and get rewards, so you won't miss out compared to solo farming.
You also need to ensure you have Switch Online membership to play multiplayer over the internet.

How to party up online, join friends and create lobbies in Monster Hunter Rise

Monster Hunter Rise's multiplayer works differently to how it does from Monster Hunter World, and operates mostly through a lobby system.

A lobby needs to be created first so players can group up for quests - meaning you must either create a lobby so other players can join you, or if you're looking for players, find a lobby a friend has created. You can also search lobbies for a specific hunt if you want to join with random other players online.

How to create a lobby in Monster Hunter Rise

1) From the main village hub, speak to the Courier - also known as Senri the Mailman, who is found between the Elder and Village Quest vendor Hinoa - to see various online options.

2)To create a lobby in Monster Hunter Rise, go to Play Online, then Create a Lobby. This gives you a variety of options to narrow down the type of activity you want to create. This is useful if you want to grind a specific monster with random players, who can discover your lobby and join you. If you're not sure what you plan to do in that session, keep everything open.

Remember you want it to be a private session, which means it can only be accessed by those you know, make sure you enable the Passcode option.

3) You are now in the lobby you have created. If you have someone in mind you are playing with, send them the Lobby ID and Passcode (if selected). You can continue playing as normal, and when another player is ready to join you, they will appear in your session.

So how do others find your lobby?

How to join a lobby and find friends in Monster Hunter Rise

1) From the main village hub, speak to the Courier - also known as Senri the Mailman, who is found between the Elder and Village Quest vendor Hinoa - to see various online options.

2) From here, you have several options:

If you have a specific lobby you want to join, you can go to Play Online then Search by Lobby ID. This is useful if you have set up a session with someone who isn't on your friend list.

If the person who has created the lobby is on your friend list, then selecting Friend List from the menu to begin with is probably faster. Remember they must have created a lobby first for you to join.

If you are looking to matchmake with randoms, then go to Play Online, then Find Lobby. Here you can specify your criteria - such as playing a certain rank, or hunt a certain creature, which will then present which lobbies are available for you to freely join.

How to start a quest online in Monster Hunter Rise

Once you have created a lobby, you then need to initiate the quest you want to play with others. It's up to you whether you want to wait in the Hub or get started, but either way, the process for starting and joining is the same.

To start a quest, head to the Hub Quest board (found near Minoto inside) and select a mission as you would normally. (Remember, you cannot play Village Quests in multiplayer.)

You will then have the option to continue preparing before confirming you are ready with the ZR button. You can wait for other players to be ready, or set off before then - it's up to you.

If you are joining a Quest set up by another player, head to the Quest Board, then select Join Hub Quest. Again, you have time to prepare before ready up before accepting with the ZR button.

This is also where you can participate in the Join Request feature...

Monster Hunter Rise's SOS Flare system: How Join Requests in Monster Hunter Rise work

Separate to the above lobby system is the Join Request feature. This allows you to ask another player to join you mid-quest, which is useful if you are having difficulty with your current hunt.

Capcom explains how to use the Join Request feature in Monster Hunter Rise.

The incentive for other players to help, meanwhile, is they receive a 'Helper Reward' if they accept a request at a lower Hunter Rank than them; it's also a useful way to sidestepping the above lobby system if you want to hunt a specific creature by joining a quest already in progress.

How to set up a Join Request in Monster Hunter Rise

To initiate a Join Request mid-quest, open the the menu, then go to Quests (second set of options along from the left), then Join Request at the bottom. This will now open your quest for others to join.

How to join a Join Request in Monster Hunter Rise

To help with a Join Request, head to the Quest Board, which is in the Hub area. Here, select Respond to Join Request. Now all available Join Requests are available for you to select from.

Note that, unlike the above lobby system, you will instantly load into that session - so make sure you have prepared before selecting.

As well as our Monster Hunter Rise tips, learn about High Rank, ore locations, bone locations, weapon types, Insect Glaives and Kinsects, how to join friends in multiplayer, how to capture monsters and learn about wirebugs and great wirebugs. Meanwhile when it comes to individual quests, we have explainers of where to find a Well-done Steak and a Rock Lizard.

How to leave or quit a lobby in Monster Hunter Rise

If you have a lobby open which you wish to close or quit - perhaps you want to play solo for a while, or want to create a new lobby - then return to the Courier (Senri the Mailman) in the village hub.

On the list of options, you can select 'Leave Lobby'.