One of 2024’s Most Played Steam Games Isn’t Even Out Yet

Monster Hunter Wilds has surpassed 463,000 concurrent players on Steam. This figure places it in the top 10 most-played games on Valve’s storefront in 2024, an achievement that’s all the more impressive in light of the fact that Monster Hunter Wilds isn’t even out yet.

Instead, the aforementioned figure was entirely fueled by the Monster Hunter Wilds beta. Following a brief period of PlayStation Plus exclusivity, the second, cross-platform phase of the playtest reached the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 31, kicking off at 8pm PT.

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Hundreds of thousands of PC players flocked to give the demo version of the game a go shortly thereafter. According to data scraped by SteamDB, the Monster Hunter Wilds beta client peaked at 463,798 concurrent players on Valve’s storefront around 9:20pm PT on October 31. Not only is this an impressive figure for a mid-week release, but it’s large enough that it makes Monster Hunter Wilds the 22nd most popular Steam game of all time and one of the top 10 most-played titles on the platform in 2024.

Most Popular Steam Games of 2024 by Concurrent Player Peak

Specifically, only seven Steam titles have so far managed to post higher activity figures over the course of 2024. Of those, just three have been released since the turn of the year: Black Myth: Wukong, Palworld, and the strange free-to-play clicker Banana. It wouldn’t be entirely wrong to also include the 2022 Elden Ring in this group, as its 2024 concurrent player peak of 781,261 was primarily driven by the June release of its critically acclaimed Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

The rest of the Steam games that managed to exceed the Monster Hunter Wilds beta’s popularity in 2024 are all live-service staples, specifically Apex Legends, Counter-Strike 2, and PUBG: Battlegrounds. Apex Legends did so just barely, peaking at 470,696 concurrent players in mid-February 2024. So, given how the weekend is just around the corner, there is a plausible chance that Monster Hunter Wilds will ultimately manage to surpass Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale hero shooter. Capcom’s beta is planned to conclude at 6:59pm PT on Sunday, November 3.

Monster Hunter Wilds Beta Was Going Strong Even Before Launch

This turn of events may not surprise the most attentive of fans, as the Monster Hunter Wilds playtest was already going strong even before it officially started. Specifically, over 85,000 people were running the game’s beta client as of 7:40pm PT on October 31, 20 minutes before the test kicked off. Monster Hunter Wilds is slated for release on February 28, 2025, with Capcom planning to bring it to the PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Dynamic, ever-changing environments. A story of monsters and humans in a world with two faces: one in which the lands are harsh and unforgiving, where monsters fight for scant resources—and another in which the lands are vibrant and brimming with life.

You play as a professional monster hunter, protecting the balance of the ecosystem and hunting monsters. Use the resources you gain from hunts to craft ever more powerful weapons and armor in your quest to unravel the mysteries of the new lands.

Experience the most evolved action and improved immersion in any Monster Hunter to date.

Released

February 28, 2025

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

RE Engine

ESRB

T For Teen // Violence, Blood, Crude Humor

PC Release Date

February 28, 2025

PS5 Release Date

February 28, 2025

Xbox Series X|S Release Date

February 28, 2025

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