Monster Hunter Wilds has hit a massive peak over the weekend, with 1.3 million concurrent PC players recorded on Sunday, via SteamDB. It’s the biggest ever peak for the long-running franchise, and suggests it’s well on-track to be the next big smash-hit for Capcom.
Notably, Monster Hunter Wilds has eclipsed the concurrent player record for the next biggest Monster Hunter game significantly, with the ultra-popular World managing just 334,684 players at its peak, nearly seven years ago. While this game aided the growth of the Monster Hunter franchise in the West, becoming one of the most “mainstream” games in the series, it’s clear it was only laying the foundation for Wilds.
Not only has this game recorded the biggest lot of concurrents for the Monster Hunter franchise, it has also eclipsed a range of Capcom records, and landed at the overall #5 spot for the all-time peak concurrent players recorded by SteamDB. It’s only behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, Black Myth: Wukong, Palworld, and Counter-Strike 2 as one of the most-played games of all time, which is an incredible record.
It’s also worth noting this game has climbed the charts, despite a range of factors working against it. For one thing, more generally, players are making stricter decisions about which games they buy during the ongoing “cost of living” crisis. There’s much less cash to splash when the economy is in such dire straits.
Read: Monster Hunter Wilds review: Unapologetically weird and wonderful
Monster Hunter Wilds suffering performance issues on PC
There’s also the matter that Monster Hunter Wilds seemingly has some performance issues on PC. While the game has achieved a massive peak for concurrent players, its Steam rating is currently sitting at “Mixed” as many players report challenges running the game on their PCs.
Per a variety of reports, the game is currently suffering from networking issues leading to challenges in multiplayer, poor frame rate on lower-spec PCs, texturing issues, some crashes, and other quirks. While players on high-spec PCs seem to be having fewer difficulties, it appears these bugs are widespread enough to lower the game’s overall score, and cause significant concerns amongst players.
There’s no doubt Capcom will be working to address these bugs in the coming days, so it’s best to stay tuned if you’re one of the folks dealing with rocky monster hunts.
Those yet to jump in can read all about what they’re missing out on in the GamesHub review. Our critic Daniel Smith called it a worthy follow-up to delight veterans and newbies alike, with engaging, streamlined gameplay systems that make Monster Hunter Wilds one of the most approachable games in the franchise yet.
“Diehard hunters are already chomping at the bit to dive in, but first-timers will find a polished, spectacular experience waiting for them as well,” Smith wrote. “Grab some mates, go it alone or hit up your favourite gaming groups and you’ll find plenty of helpful veterans who can lend you a hand and turn you into an expert in no time.”
“Monster Hunter Wilds is a masterclass in all the areas that make the franchise special.”
