Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Monster Hunter Wilds launched strong but has since seen a steep drop in active Steam users. Data from SteamDB and user feedback highlight ongoing performance issues, critical reviews, and dwindling engagement just months after release.
Peak Launch Followed by Steep Decline
At launch on February 28, Monster Hunter Wilds hit over 1.3 million concurrent players on Steam. This gave it the biggest peak of any Capcom title on the platform and ranked it sixth all-time on Steam. But that peak didn’t last. Within a month, active player numbers dropped to about 308,000. Two months in, the number fell further to around 119,000. After three months, only 40,000 players were still active — a loss of more than 97 percent from launch.
In contrast, Monster Hunter World stabilized at 122,000 after a similar time frame, and Monster Hunter Rise maintained roughly 84,000. Wilds had a higher launch peak than both, but lost players faster and more dramatically.
Current Steam Activity and Ongoing Issues for Monster Hunter Wilds
By mid-June, SteamDB showed Wilds averaging just over 6,000 concurrent players. GameSpot noted a slightly higher figure at 10,000, but that still puts it below the seven-year-old Monster Hunter World, which regularly sits above 16,000. PCGamesN previously compared a 20,600 player count for World against only 12,600 for Wilds.
User reviews on Steam reflect the drop. PC Gamer reported a surge of over 2,000 negative reviews in one week. The overall tone shifted to “Overwhelmingly Negative,” with only 18 percent of recent reviews marked positive. Major complaints include technical performance issues, gameplay balance problems, and dissatisfaction with the available content.
Performance Complaints and Game Design Criticism
Players continue to flag severe performance problems. Reports include random crashes, stuttering, inconsistent frame rates, and game freezes during basic actions such as navigating menus or resting at camps. These issues persist across various hardware setups. Some users say the game runs worse than Monster Hunter World, despite being released seven years later. One Steam review bluntly reads: “Moving your camera … Too bad, 12FPS for you.”
Beyond technical performance, several design aspects also frustrate the community. Players point to a lack of engaging endgame content. While Capcom introduced tougher monsters in an April title update, many fans expected a broader set of features. Combat difficulty also drew criticism. Some felt Wilds scaled back on the challenge compared to World, making fights feel too easy, especially in solo or early progression. Others claim the game lacks content relative to its $70 price tag. A common sentiment: it offers less value than its predecessors.
How Monster Hunter Wilds Compares to Previous Entries
Wilds’ player drop is steeper than both World and Rise, though the comparison isn’t exact. One reason is that Wilds launched simultaneously on console and PC. Earlier titles came to PC months later, making their Steam declines appear slower. Even so, Wilds has not stabilized like its predecessors did. Threads on Steam, Reddit, and other community hubs often cite a lack of optimization and shallow content as the reasons. One player wrote they ran out of content after just three days of play.
Meanwhile, Monster Hunter World continues to draw higher player numbers and better Steam sentiment. Its content depth, polish, and performance are still regarded as benchmarks within the series. Wilds was expected to improve on that foundation, but many feel it fell short.
Capcom’s Update Schedule and Next Steps for Monster Hunter Wilds
Capcom’s first major update landed in April, adding endgame monsters and refining balance. However, users claim that performance issues remain unresolved. Steam reviews from June still mention bugs that existed at launch. PC Gamer confirmed Capcom plans to reveal details for the next major update on June 26. Players hope it brings more substantial fixes and content, but expectations are mixed.
Despite the issues, Wilds sold extremely well. Capcom announced 8 million copies sold within three days and 10 million after one month. That success shows strong brand loyalty. However, current player numbers and community reaction suggest that long-term retention may be a problem without significant improvements.
