The Monster Hunter Wilds beta explodes on Steam, crushing its predecessor

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta Steam player count is already incredibly impressive, topping the high set by Capcom’s best-selling RPG ever.

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta is finally out on PC, and that agonizing wait has culminated in a veritable explosion of players. Just hours after the beta test launched, the new open-world multiplayer RPG’s playtest skyrocketed into the top Steam charts, flying past the likes of Call of Duty and GTA 5 as people flocked to try out their favorite weapons. It’s an impressive start for the sequel to Capcom’s best-selling game of all time, and suggests the studio could have another big winner on its hands as we move into 2025.

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta is a first chance to get your hands on one of 2025’s most-anticipated games. With four monsters to fight, a rather large initial zone to explore, and all fourteen weapon types at your disposal, there are plenty of reasons to pour hours into this initial taste of the sequel to one of the best RPGs of all time. Take it from someone who’s been doing exactly that with the PS5 early-access beta and is excited to play even more on PC this weekend – Monster Hunter Wilds is shaping up to be something special.

There were early signs that Capcom had a big winner on its hands when more than 25,000 players tried to start playing before servers were even live, leading to a raft of confusion around the Monster Hunter Wilds unable to connect to server error. Once the beta officially launched, though, its player count quickly skyrocketed, reaching a peak in its first evening of 463,798 concurrent players.

That fires it past the all-time high reached by both Monster Hunter World (334,684) and the smaller-scale (but similarly excellent) interim game Monster Hunter Rise (231,360). There are, of course, some extenuating factors. Both World and Rise came to PC after they had already been out on consoles for some time, meaning there’s a chance people had previously had their fill on other platforms. The Monster Hunter Wilds release date, by comparison, is set to arrive across PC and consoles simultaneously.

This beta is also free to play, making it accessible to anyone who wants to try the game. Nevertheless, such a huge surge of interest shows that there’s already plenty of hype around the upcoming PC game, and as the successor to Capcom’s highest-selling game ever, it’s only natural to expect Wilds to follow in its mighty footsteps.

The Monster Hunter Wilds beta runs until Sunday November 3 at 7pm PT / 10pm ET – that’s Monday November 4 at 3am GMT / 4am CET. So if you’ve yet to jump in and see how your weapon of choice has changed, or you’re curious to try out the new lobby system and determine how well Monster Hunter Wilds crossplay works for you, you’ve still got time to do so.

Looking for more ways to brush up on your hunting knowledge? Take a look through all the Monster Hunter Wilds characters we’ve seen so far. If you’re already looking for something to keep you busy once the beta ends, never fear – we’ve got all the best games like Monster Hunter on PC for you.

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