Steam Hits 40M Concurrent Users Playing Monster Hunter Wilds

Steam, the go-to digital distribution platform for PC gamers, has once again shattered its own concurrent user record, reaching an unprecedented peak of over 40 million players. This milestone was achieved over the weekend, coinciding with the much-anticipated launch of Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, with Steam registering a staggering 40,270,997 simultaneous users. This figure surpasses the previous record of 39.9 million set in February 2025.

According to SteamDB, which tracks Steam's performance metrics, the platform has consistently broken its concurrent user record almost every month since May 2024. The peak has impressively escalated from 35.5 million to 40.2 million users within just over six months. It's worth noting that this number encompasses not only active gamers but also those with Steam open in the background. Additionally, the number of users actively engaged in gameplay has also set a new record, rising from 12.5 million to 12.8 million.

Steam experienced significant player surges throughout 2024, with records being broken in March and July. The latest peak is largely attributed to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, which alone saw a 24-hour peak of 1.38 million players. Other titles like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, Dota 2, and Marvel Rivals also contributed to this surge, recording impressive 24-hour peaks of 1.7 million, 819,541, 657,780, and 268,283 players, respectively.

Despite its popularity, Monster Hunter Wilds has received a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam, prompting Capcom to release official guidance addressing PC performance issues. Capcom has also revealed preliminary information about Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub for players.

To assist with your journey in Monster Hunter Wilds, we've compiled resources to help you get started, including insights into what the game doesn't explicitly mention, a comprehensive guide to all 14 weapon types, an ongoing walkthrough, and a multiplayer guide to enhance your experience with friends. For those who participated in the open betas, there's also guidance on transferring your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character to the full game.

IGN's review of Monster Hunter Wilds awarded it an 8/10, stating, "Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge."