Steam, the leading digital game distribution platform for PC gamers, has shattered its own concurrent user record, reaching an unprecedented peak of over 40 million players. This milestone was achieved over a weekend that coincided with the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, 2025. According to SteamDB, the platform saw 40,270,997 simultaneous users, surpassing the previous record of 39.9 million set just a month earlier in February 2025.
The concurrent user record on Steam, often seen as a benchmark for the success of Valve's platform, has been consistently broken nearly every month since May 2024. The peak has escalated from 35.5 million to the current 40.2 million in just over six months. This impressive growth includes not only active gamers but also idle users who have Steam running in the background. Notably, the number of users actively engaged in gameplay has also set a new record, increasing from 12.5 million to 12.8 million.
Steam's player peaks have seen significant surges throughout 2024, with records broken twice in March and again in July. The latest peak is largely attributed to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, which alone achieved a 24-hour peak of 1.38 million concurrent players. However, other popular titles like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, Dota 2, and Marvel Rivals also contributed significantly, 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 on PC performance issues. Additionally, Capcom has teased early details about Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub for players.
For those embarking on their Monster Hunter Wilds journey, there are several resources available to enhance your experience. Check out what the game doesn't explicitly mention, a comprehensive guide to all 14 weapon types, and our ongoing Monster Hunter Wilds walkthrough. For multiplayer enthusiasts, there's a detailed guide on how to play with friends. If you participated in one of the open betas, you'll find instructions on how to transfer your beta character into the full game.
IGN's review of Monster Hunter Wilds awarded it an 8/10, stating, "Monster Hunter Wilds continues to smooth off the rougher corners of the series in smart ways, making for some extremely fun fights but also lacking any real challenge."
