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Game
Game2021
Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX
Developer KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
The legendary monster training duology, “Monster Rancher” and “Monster Rancher 2”, is back! From the Steam store page
227 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Lemmy) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
93
LovedLoved
164 positive · 13 negative
95% range 88–96%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 164 | 13 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 9 | 1 | 33 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 7 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
851 of 942 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
93% recommend · 166 yes, 13 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 179 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (1,041 of 1,150 positive).
Players praise the nostalgic value and unique monster-raising mechanics. [1][2][3] Some reviewers criticize the high price and minimal improvements in the port. [4][5][6] Many fans request the release of Monster Rancher 3 and 4 on Steam. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
$30 is way too much for these. You're essentially getting mobile ports (touch-screen UI intact, in fact) of PSX games with some minor tweaks (some bug fixes, some text/font changes for better readability on higher resolutions) for nearly 30 year old gameplay. Speaking of the gameplay, this came out around the same time as [Nintendo ninjas kill this word]. Unfortunately, unlike [Nintendo ninjas kill this word], this …
- [12]
🎮 I Summoned a Mochi and Now It Runs My Life 🎮 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) I booted up Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX for a little nostalgia and accidentally lost three days of my life raising a pink jellybean with legs. His name is Mochi. He’s lazy, kind of rude, and somehow keeps winning tournaments with a slap attack. I love him like a child. The old CD monster mechanic has been replaced with a music database, so yes—I summoned …
- [1]
Played the crap out of this on my Playstation as a kid, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw it pop up on Steam. Also got it on my Switch and played there happily for 50+ hours. Without the benefit of nostalgia glasses I don't think I'd recommend it, it can be pretty repetitive and clunky. But regardless of how well the game stands up nowadays, whether the port is good, or how much they charge, I could never give …
- [2]
20+ years ago: Stealing my parents' CD collection to see if Thriller or an old Bee Gees disc would give me a legendary monster. Today: Reliving my childhood through a solid remaster, except now I get to take those monsters online and test my team in PvP and Tournaments. Such a unique game mechanics-wise. If you missed out on this as a kid, it's never too late.. go try it.
- [3]
Currently going through the first game, while never having played the games before. This is a surprisingly deep Pokemon-adjacent game. Instead of catching and leveling up new mons, you can have one at a time while freezing older ones for combining or reviving later on. The loop in the first game goes something like this: work a bit (gain a bit of money while raising the monster's stats), rest (lowers fatigue), …
Summarised from 34 of the 231 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX talk about nostalgic and heartwarming experience for returning players; those who didn't talk about high price for a minimal effort port. Which matters more to you?
Reactions
60 of 227 · most liked firstjerma got me hooked
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I downloaded this game and BeanBagSonic broke into my home and clocked me in the face 10/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Please, release 3 & 4 so I can give you my money.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🎮 I Summoned a Mochi and Now It Runs My Life 🎮 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) I booted up Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX for a little nostalgia and accidentally lost three days of my life raising a pink jellybean with legs. His name is Mochi. He’s lazy, kind of rude, and somehow keeps winning tournaments with a slap attack. I love him like a child. The old CD monster mechanic has been replaced with a music database, so yes—I summoned a golem using Baby Shark. Technology has gone too far, and I support it.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's Monster Rancher. If you're a very specific 30-ish year old, you know you like it. Give us 3 & 4 DX, cowards. Make a proper new one T_T
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played the crap out of this on my Playstation as a kid, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw it pop up on Steam. Also got it on my Switch and played there happily for 50+ hours. Without the benefit of nostalgia glasses I don't think I'd recommend it, it can be pretty repetitive and clunky. But regardless of how well the game stands up nowadays, whether the port is good, or how much they charge, I could never give a thumbs down to a game that makes my heart so happy. I was excited to try…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this game a lot on playstation. I would like to see them put number 4 out on steam and make another one more up to date.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My first monster died and I cried for a week
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Monster Rancher 2 will appear at Combo Breaker: Live In-Person monster tournament!. That game where you popped your Music CDs into your PSX, generate a monster, then raise it and battle it? Yes, that game! Combo Breaker is one of the largest Fighting Game tournaments in the world, and MR2 will be there in under All In Together. At Combo Breaker, this will be an **In-Person Live event** and you'll have complete control over your own monster Historically Monster Rancher is a game that relied on…
neutral · AI labelView post →this is what it feels like to be a middle aged man cheering at their 7 year old's soccer game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Your starting monster will be a potato fueled money making machine with a year lifespan.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →$30 is way too much for these. You're essentially getting mobile ports (touch-screen UI intact, in fact) of PSX games with some minor tweaks (some bug fixes, some text/font changes for better readability on higher resolutions) for nearly 30 year old gameplay. Speaking of the gameplay, this came out around the same time as [Nintendo ninjas kill this word]. Unfortunately, unlike [Nintendo ninjas kill this word], this does not have a single-player campaign. There is no "Be the Best as Nobody…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX is on sale for 35% off, and while I might be biased because it's the only game I've ever speedran and it clearly influenced my design sensibilities, Monster Rancher 2 is one of if not the best monster raising games store.steampowered.com/app/1716120/...
positive · AI labelView post →this game's like a constant "the rise and fall of [monster name]" simulator, I've worked so many monsters to the graveyard. great experience overall, with a really comfy feeling to the whole thing, and cozy music. there's plenty of monsters to play around with and the interesting system in which you acquire them is a nice bonus.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →now we need 3 and 4 ! fun as they were so many years ago
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There are many levels of monster taming/raising games, focusing more or less on the simulation aspects of raising your little monsters. To give you an idea of what this game is, I'll define a quick monster-raising simulation scale. SMT is on one far end of the spectrum, where while the game is focused around wooing demons over your way, but there's no actual simulation mechanics, you aren't raising your demons, they're with you, but they are there by contract. I am a megafan of Megaten, pun…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Old, fun pet sim with battles that allow either hands-off watching your monster do the dumbest ♥♥♥♥ in its roster on end or micro-managing its every move and getting enraged by the RNG system that makes Blood Bowl's look downright forgiving. I will say they could tweak the settings a bit to let you mute background music (it's so repetitive) and not battle sounds, but instead it's all one big mute or not button. Odd, but fine. Fast Forward option exists, haven't used it. Harkens to a time of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Aimed squarely at the 9 people who played it on Playstation but I was one of those 9 so I love it. Huge roster of diverse monsters and combinations, satisfying gameplay loop and an active community of casual and competitive players alike. If you liked Tamatgotchi then you'll like this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's fun when you know what you're doing, but it's also fun when you're smashing together monsters blindly to read the funny cards. Fun challenge: only use entries in the library that you can physically rub against your PC/Steam Deck while pulling them up in the game, to emulate the original experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →when do i get 3 and 4 since i loved 4 the most i NEED it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We need MORE Monster Rancher games!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →shoutout to the metalner/suezo AGARTHANUFO and the Golem/Wracky SLENDERMAN for being the first two monsters ever to make it to the end of the game and also for being my first two competitive monsters that will sit in my freezer and rot for eternity.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Controller recommended. This is essentially a mobile port version but it's the only version most people can play. The alternative would be getting a legit Playstation 1 + a tv that still uses red, white, and yellow connectors + physical cds to generate monsters. For a long time, you couldn't even generate monsters if you emulated the game. Just get this version, you were going to play it on your PC anyways. LegendCup.com is your friend. There are so many cryptic things you won't find out…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →20+ years ago: Stealing my parents' CD collection to see if Thriller or an old Bee Gees disc would give me a legendary monster. Today: Reliving my childhood through a solid remaster, except now I get to take those monsters online and test my team in PvP and Tournaments. Such a unique game mechanics-wise. If you missed out on this as a kid, it's never too late.. go try it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →@willovergard.bsky.social bought me Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX on Steam, so I think on April Fool's Day I'll stream the game partly because I'm releasing something that day and won't be productive anyway, but also because I love the game to the point that once I start I'm gonna keep going
positive · AI labelView post →As someone how spent a stupid amount of my childhood playing the original game this version sucks. Stats in the arena fights mean nothing. its all just random rolls of the dice. Enemies that are slow can be super fast for no reason while what ever you build means absolutely nothing. Dodge builds are hit just as easily as if you hadn't built speed at all. If you build defense/life the enemies can magically slap down your health in two or three hits while your guy stands their like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For it's time, this game was absolutely awesome and it's great to see the game playable again. Realistically, it's not aged well and there's been minimal effort put into this re-release, so I can't imagine it bringing in new players. The price is way too high for the low amount of effort that went into this release, many of the features don't work as intended. The game is still great fun though in my opinion, it's simplistic compared to most games these days but there aren't many games of it's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You WILL grow attached to your monster hatched from a Linkin Park album You WILL root for his success You WILL yell at him when he loses You WILL cry when he dies
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Guts Advantage Good Hit Tech with good Hit Rate Higher Skill than opponent speed 80% hit rate Miss Fun times
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Currently going through the first game, while never having played the games before. This is a surprisingly deep Pokemon-adjacent game. Instead of catching and leveling up new mons, you can have one at a time while freezing older ones for combining or reviving later on. The loop in the first game goes something like this: work a bit (gain a bit of money while raising the monster's stats), rest (lowers fatigue), training (spending multiple weeks raising a stat by a lot), and battling (tournaments…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly as a young child who played this in the past i feel like they could have done more, i dont buy games on steam but this game is an exception, they said they added new monsters, really?.. technically no just few rare monsters, the fast faced battles are weird, its super fast that you pressed the wrong skill most of the time, the graphics?.. nothings changed the epsxe emulators graphics is better, Honestly developers if you can read this, I wish you can do a remake with monster rancher 2…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hosted a tournament among friends. My trash Henger/Gali managed to kill a monster a friend spent a month perfecting and stole his place in the top 3. Would (and did) host again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game reminds me of the time i put a paul mccartney and the wings cd into my ps2 to unlock clear suezo
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Monster Rancher 1&2 DX: December Giveaway legendcup.com/promotions No strings attached. Enter to win a free redeem key for a North American version of MR1&2DX for either Steam or Switch. Please share🔃Let's make someone's holiday! #MR1DX #MR2DX #MonsterRancher #MonsterRancher2
neutral · AI labelView post →I was transported to a faraway land, to a world where monsters rule.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Favorite games growing up, still play them today.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have no idea what i'm doing. Looking up guides confused me more. Funny little guys tho. I'm a Rank C warrior
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I never played these, I started with Monster Rancher 4, and to this day I will go back and play it on a yearly basis, i bought this to show my support and see what the first games were like. I pray that this and my fellow fans purchases shows there's still a huge fan base and that they'll remaster or adapt MR 3 & 4 to the PC and maybe make a new MR 5 (i know of Evo)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →meanwhile Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX just has steroid use and death, with a funeral and everything though Pixie also has some revealing outfits and Kato had its drinking censored by calling it "oil"
neutral · AI labelView post →Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, released on Steam in 2021 by Koei Tecmo, is a faithful remaster of two beloved monster-raising classics originally launched on the PlayStation in the late 1990s. For fans of the series, this package is a nostalgic return to form, preserving the charm, depth, and quirky mechanics that set the Monster Rancher series apart from other monster-raising games of its era. For newcomers, it offers a window into a genre that once stood proudly alongside Pokémon and Digimon, yet…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Having replayed the game after over 20 years, I can say that it's not as expansive and replayable as I remembered it. Thus, the price is way too high for what you're getting, in my opinion. Buy during a sale. Overall I recommend the game because there was an effort on the developer/publisher's end to resurrect a relatively unknown title for a small profit.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My wife and I played Monster Rancher 2 when it first came out thirty years ago. I labelled all or CDs and CD-Roms with the monster that was on them. The game has held up surprisingly well over the years. The disk library for shrine on this version contains a decent selection, and so there is lots to unlock. The challenges of the original remain intact, so I'm training my monsters to win and rise. This game is so addictive.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's that time again! Monster Rancher 1&2 DX Giveaway for October! legendcup.com/giveaway A redeemable key (North American version) will be drawn and given to the winner, based on the entrant's choice of Steam or Switch key.
neutral · AI labelView post →Classic nostalgia game. Requires skills, knowledge, and experience to become a master in raising monsters.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Brings back memories of my good ole ps1.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Best game I ever had a pet die in. Cried for like 10 days. But try to beat a 500kg stone ♥♥♥♥.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Monster Rancher 1&2 DX is on SALE on Steam! store.steampowered.com/app/1716120/...
neutral · AI labelView post →Less than 24 hours remaining for the 🔵 Monster Rancher 1&2 DX Sale on Steam 🔵 Listen to Mr. Fujita-san! 😊
neutral · AI labelView post →🔵Steam Sale 🔵 Monster Rancher 1&2 DX #MonsterRancher #MonsterRancher2 #MR1 #MR2 #Steam #KoeiTecmo
neutral · AI labelView post →you can actually get mayonnaise anywhere you want., you hjust need to ask the people and they'll give it to you. everyr estaraunt has mayoonaiese. even not restrariuant like seven eleven will hav e mayonnaise and its free and you can take it and you can take as much as yuo want home. i have collected seven litres so far. i keep thjem in myt washing machine
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i got a monster from the diggy diggy hole song and i love him 10/10 game
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →so much easier to get decent starters. The search fetcher takes the place of having to scan disks.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A solid retouch of a classic gem and thankfully they added a way to work around they key feature of disc swapping.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just play it for nostagia mate. Not even kidding. This actually scratch my itch.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Received as a wishlist gift from a supporter, and I wanted it explicitly for MR2. Can't recommend this game enough, and I sunk hundreds of hours into MR2 in my youth. The remaster adds a number of QoL features, in addition to actual bug fixes in the original game (ex. King Ape being able to be encountered after his initial window, Strong Glue being able to be removed from your inventory after the Ducken quest, and more). Boss and Enemy-Only monsters, including White Mocchi and White…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nostalgia overload. I played Monster Rancher 2 when I was a kid on PlayStation 1. I still remember playing it from morning to afternoon during weekends when my parents let us. I would train my monsters non-stop. Sometimes, as a kid, I didn't know they could vanish, but lesson learned. I picked Mochi as my main during that time, and now I am playing it again. This game is worth it. Very enjoyable, a bit repetitive, but you can see your progress, which I really love, and the progress isn't fast…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Love these games. Hope we can get 3.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →solid ports , hoping to see a new Monster Rancher entry in the future
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I absolutely love Monster Rancher 1 & 2, one of my most played game on PS1 was the second game. However, my only complain is the developers who published it on Steam have no clue of the impact of having Achievements. Two MASSIVE game with almost endless possibilities and NO ACHIEVEMENTS? I get it, these games had no achievements back in the PS1 era, but we are far from that era. Even so, the game is still fun AF.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I could spend hours at this game's shrine alone, generating monsters from all the games and songs I recognize. If you like the idea of enjoying steady, laid-back days of monster-raising, and you're not afraid to push past some crust and mechanical ambiguity typical for its time, you might find something really special here. I can only hope we'll see 3 & 4 given a similar treatment someday--or a new title entirely.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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