UPDATE 19/10/23: Pokémon Go developer Niantic has announced a total of 10m downloads for Monster Hunter Now, after a month of availability. That's double the 5m downloads it hit during its first week of launch.

Players can now claim an in-game dollop of items to celebrate the milestone (the instructions are on Niantic's blog), which appears to mark Niantic's best launch for years - though nothing quite on the same scale of Pokémon Go.

"We are delighted that so many people from all over the world have been playing our game in the first month since its global release," Niantic exec Kei Kawai said. "The adventure of this game has only just begun and we will continue to respond to feedback and work hard to bring more fun and surprises to our Hunters in the months to come."

ORIGINAL STORY 21/9/23: Monster Hunter Now, the latest free-to-play Pokémon Go-style augmented reality creature-battler from developer Niantic, made in collaboration with Capcom, has officially surpassed 5m downloads in its first week of release on iOS and Android.

Monster Hunter Now, which was announced back in February and got its full launch on 21st September following a series of closed beta tests, employs a similar real-world exploration and interaction system to the ones seen in the likes of Niantic's Pokémon Go and Pikmin Bloom, albeit with an obvious Monster Hunter twist.

Here, players are able to gather useful resources and fight monsters they encounter while out on their real-world travels - including the Barroth, Tobi Kadachi, Jyuratodus, Paolumu, Anjanath, Rathian, Rathalos, and Diablos - then combine their spoils to create better equipment that'll enable them to take on tougher challenges.

It's a streamlined (and in-app purchase monetised) version of the formula that's remained a favourite since the original Monster Hunter's release on PlayStation 2 back in 2004, and one that's translated to a strong first week of downloads for Monster Hunter Now, which have now surpassed the 5m mark according to an official tally.

To put that into context, Pokémon Go was downloaded 10m times in its first week when it launched in July 2016 (according to mobile analytics site Sensor Tower), while Sensor Tower calculates Niantic's now-defunct Harry Potter: Wizards Unite saw 6.5m first-week downloads when it arrived in July 2019. As for the company's more recent collaboration with Nintendo, Pikmin Bloom, that saw 2m downloads in two weeks following its November 2021 release.

To celebrate Monster Hunter Now's 5m downloads milestone, Capcom is offering hunters a bonus of 5,000 Zenny and two free Paintballs if they use the redemption code MHN5M on the Monster Hunter Now Store website. It also notes its limited-time Diablos Invasion event will begin this weekend, running between 1pm and 4pm local time on Saturday and Sunday.