Key Takeaways
- Monster Hunter Wilds had a successful beta, peaking at 463,000 Steam players, showing hype and quality.
- The game’s February 2025 release date puts it against big titles, but its unique gameplay may give it an edge.
- Despite a crowded month, the recent Steam accolade and player count suggests Monster Hunter Wilds could come out on top.
Monster Hunter Wilds is one of 2025’s most anticipated titles, with that anticipation growing even more over time as Capcom continues unveiling its gameplay and world bit by bit. Based on what has been revealed so far, Monster Hunter Wilds is one of the most ambitious Monster Hunter titles yet, breaking several franchise traditions as it aims to offer longtime fans a fresh experience and newcomers and a memorable entry point to the series.
Monster Hunter Wilds is currently slated for a February 28, 2025 release, which inadvertently puts it up against a great number of other highly anticipated titles. While Monster Hunter Wilds‘ unique gameplay may keep it separate from its competitors in one way, where it will ultimately be competing with them is in time, as players with a variety of interests are likely to have their attention pulled in several different directions. However, a recent accolade that Monster Hunter Wilds just effortlessly earned on Steam may be enough evidence to prove that it has nothing to worry about and that it could still come out on top of every other game it shares a launch window with.
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Monster Hunter Wilds’ Use of Dragon’s Dogma 2’s Pre-Release Tactic Should Set a Standard
Monster Hunter Wilds and Dragon’s Dogma 2 both employed a pre-release tactic that should arguably go beyond Capcom and become an industry standard.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ Recent Steam Success Is a Good Sign for Its Crowded Launch Window
Monster Hunter Wilds’ February 2025 Launch Window Is Crowded With Major Releases
As it turns out, Monster Hunter Wilds is launching during one of the most crowded months for gaming in 2025, and with a few months still left between now and then, it’s possible even more games could be added to that list. This is not to mention the games that will be launching after February as well, since Monster Hunter Wilds‘ first week will bleed into March. Fortunately, March’s current list of launch titles is underwhelming compared to February’s.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 – February 11
- Civilization 7 – February 11
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows – February 14
- Date Everything! – February 14
- The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 – February 14
- Tomb Raider 4-5-6 Remastered – February 14
- Lost Records: Bloom and Rage – February 18
- Avowed – February 18
- Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii – February 21
Of the games launching in February alongside Monster Hunter Wilds, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Civilization 7, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Avowed, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii are likely the biggest titles it will need to worry about. That being said, Monster Hunter Wilds offers a type of gameplay that none of these titles can really be associated with, so that may be enough of an advantage for it. Even if it’s not, however, Monster Hunter Wilds‘ recent Steam accolade may be proof enough of what the game will accomplish come February.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ Beta Recently Became One of 2024’s Most-Played Steam Games
Despite not technically launching until February 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds has already become one of the most-played Steam games of 2024. After its open beta went live recently, its Steam player count eventually peaked at 463,000, making it the eighth most-played game on Steam in 2024. Such a high player count for the Monster Hunter Wilds beta alone is indicative, not only of the hype surrounding its impending release, but also of the quality of the content that was already made available to players in the beta — including a character creator that will transfer progress over to the full release.
With numbers like that already showing up for Monster Hunter Wilds before its official release date has even arrived, it may not need to worry about the launch window it shares with the likes of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Avowed, and Civilization 7. If nothing else, it’s rather forth-telling of what Monster Hunter Wilds will be able to accomplish once it launches in February 2025.
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