Steam Hits 40M Concurrent Users Playing Monster Hunter Wilds

Steam, the leading digital game distributor for PC gamers, has once again shattered its concurrent user record, reaching an unprecedented peak of over 40 million players. This milestone was achieved over the weekend, coinciding with the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, 2025. Steam's record-breaking moment saw 40,270,997 simultaneous users, surpassing the previous high of 39.9 million set in February 2025.

SteamDB data reveals that Steam has consistently broken its concurrent user record nearly every month since May 2024, with the peak user count escalating from 35.5 million to 40.2 million within a span of just over six months. While this impressive figure includes idle users—those with Steam running but not actively playing—the number of players engaged in games also set a new record, increasing from 12.5 million to 12.8 million.

Throughout 2024, Steam experienced significant surges in peak player numbers, breaking records in March and July. The latest peak is largely attributed to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, which alone saw a 24-hour concurrent peak of 1.38 million players. Other popular titles like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, Dota 2, and Marvel Rivals also contributed to the high user counts, with 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. In response to player feedback, Capcom has also unveiled preliminary information about Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub.

For those embarking on their Monster Hunter Wilds journey, resources such as guides to the game's 14 weapon types, a comprehensive walkthrough, a multiplayer guide, and instructions on transferring beta characters are available. IGN's review of Monster Hunter Wilds scored it an 8/10, commending the game for refining the series' mechanics and offering enjoyable combat, though noting a lack of significant challenge.