Steam Tops 40 Million Concurrent Players For First Time As We All Jump On to Play Monster Hunter Wilds

Steam, the leading digital game distributor for PC gamers, has shattered its concurrent user record yet again, reaching an unprecedented 40 million players simultaneously. This milestone was achieved over a weekend that coincided with the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds on February 28, 2025. According to SteamDB, Steam logged an impressive 40,270,997 concurrent players, surpassing its previous record of 39.9 million set just a month earlier in February 2025.

The platform has been breaking its concurrent user record almost every month since May 2024, with the peak rising from 35.5 million to the current 40.2 million in just over six months. This figure includes idle players, but the number of users actively engaged in games has also set a new record, increasing from 12.5 million to 12.8 million.

Steam experienced significant surges in player peaks throughout 2024, notably breaking its record twice in March and again in July. The latest peak can be attributed largely to the release of Monster Hunter Wilds, which alone saw a 24-hour concurrent peak of 1.38 million players. Other popular titles like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, Dota 2, and Marvel Rivals also contributed with impressive 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 addressing PC performance issues. Additionally, Capcom has teased early details about Monster Hunter Wilds Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub to enhance player interaction.

For those eager to dive into Monster Hunter Wilds, resources are available to guide your journey. Learn about the game's hidden aspects, explore a comprehensive guide to all 14 weapon types, follow our ongoing walkthrough, and understand multiplayer mechanics to play with friends. If you participated in the open beta, find out how to transfer your Monster Hunter Wilds Beta character to the full game.

IGN's review of Monster Hunter Wilds awarded it an 8/10, noting that the game "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."