In just 30 minutes, Monster Hunter Wilds has made history on Steam, surpassing Baldur’s Gate 3, yet it’s not free from criticism. At 6:30 AM today, the game crossed half a million players, only to be temporarily suspended on Steam.

The moment has arrived: Monster Hunter Wilds is out, and it has taken the gaming world by storm. No real surprise, given the franchise’s track record. Both at the end of 2024 and earlier this February, Capcom’s latest beta tests pulled in hundreds of thousands of monster hunters. However, nothing could have prepared us for launch day: within just 30 minutes, Monster Hunter Wilds carved its name into history, amassing over half a million players on Steam alone.

While the game is now available for everyone on Steam, many dedicated fans stayed up through the night to ensure they didn’t miss a single moment of Capcom’s newest release. According to the publisher, the launch time varied across platforms: while PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players could jump in at midnight, PC gamers had to wait until 6:00 AM. But even before the sun had risen, the game was already dominating the charts.

Within just 30 minutes of its 6 AM debut, Monster Hunter Wilds skyrocketed to 738,000 concurrent players on Steam, cementing itself as one of the platform’s biggest launches ever. This milestone leaves its predecessors, Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise, far behind, with their peak player counts sitting at 334,000 and 231,000, respectively. In fact, as of writing, the game now ranks as the 8th most-played title in Steam history, having surpassed Baldur’s Gate 3, Elden Ring, and Hogwarts Legacy with a staggering peak of 987,482 concurrent players.

The real question now: how much further can Monster Hunter Wilds go? Given its explosive start and rapidly growing community, it seems poised to be one of the year’s biggest games. Historically, games tend to hit their highest player counts between Saturday night and Sunday after release. So, if Capcom’s latest entry doesn’t break one million today, it’s likely just a matter of days.

The Reviews Are Less Than Stellar

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing for Capcom. Monster Hunter Wilds has been widely criticized for its performance, especially on consoles and mid-range PCs. Despite its massive success on Steam, the game has launched to mixed reception, with only 40% positive reviews. Many players are complaining about optimization issues, bugs, and overall stability problems.

Source: 3djuegos