And players have turned out in numbers for the second beta test: as noticed by @Okami13_on X (formerly Twitter),the secondMonster Hunter Wildsbeta had a Steam player count of over 225,000 players in its first 24 hours of launch. At the time of writing, it’s soared even higher, with a whopping peak player count of 258,737, according toSteamDB. And that’s just Steam: add PS5 and Xbox hunters to the mix, and there’s no knowing how high that number might go.
Three Weeks Before Launch, Monster Hunter Wilds Is Already Popular
MH Wilds' Beta Tests Have Been A Huge Hit
Monster Hunter Wildsis still a ways away from launch, butit’s already proven very popular. 250,000 players is a huge milestone in any game’s opening weekend. That’d put it in the number five spot onSteam’s most-played charts for the day, knockingRustdown a peg and settling into place just belowMarvel Rivals.
That’s especially impressive for an open beta, that has maybe a few hours' worth of content at the most. The beta being free definitely helps - it’s a lot easier to drum up player engagement when there’s no $70 buy-in. But at the same time, the beta is strictly limited to this weekend; the fact that so many players have made the time to check it out speaks volumes about player interest inMonster Hunter Wildsat this early stage.
Can’t get to the open beta this weekend? Don’t worry - there’ll be a second round beginning on February 13.
And frankly,these numbers are nothing compared to the first beta’s peak player counts, which were well over 450,000 at their peak on November 1. Quite a few of the second beta’s players are probably returning from that first one, looking to seehowMonster Hunter Wildshas improvedsince then.
Monster Hunter Has Earned Its Laurels
World & Rise Set The Stage
It’s amazing to seehow massiveMonster Hunterhas become in the past few years. While it’s perennially popular in Japan and has always had a bit of a cult following in the US, ever since the release ofWorld, it’s gained a monstrous following.Rise’s release on the Switch only helped bring the series to a wider audience, and I was thrilled when it first went multi-platform. I’ve sunken a lot of hours intoMonster Hunteras a whole, but perhaps more than ever into those two games, and I couldn’t be happier to watch the series thrive.
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I don’t necessarily expect this player count to carry over directly into launch. Some players won’t like what they see in the beta - that’s inevitable - and just won’t get into the full game. Some won’t want to buy it right away. But even a fraction of this player count is enough to carryMonster Hunter Wildsthrough its early days, which bodes well for its community.
Sources: @Okami13_/X,SteamDB,Steam
