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

Steam, the leading digital game platform for PC gamers, has achieved a new milestone, surpassing 40 million concurrent users for the first time.

This record-breaking number, reaching 40,270,997 simultaneous players, was observed over the weekend, coinciding with the Friday, February 28th launch of Monster Hunter Wilds. It surpasses the previous record of 39.9 million set in February 2025.

According to SteamDB, Steam's concurrent user count—a key indicator of the platform's success—has been steadily climbing. Since May 2024, it has broken its own record nearly every month, increasing from 35.5 million to over 40.2 million in just over six months.

While this figure includes users with Steam open but not actively playing, the number of actively engaged players also reached a new high, rising from 12.5 million to 12.8 million.

Steam experienced significant growth throughout 2024, breaking its record twice in March and again in July. The recent surge is largely attributed to the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds, which saw a 24-hour peak of 1.38 million concurrent players. Other titles also saw impressive 24-hour peaks, including Counter-Strike 2 (1.7 million), PUBG (819,541), Dota 2 (657,780), and Marvel Rivals (268,283).

Despite its popularity, Monster Hunter Wilds currently holds a "mixed" user review rating on Steam, prompting Capcom to release performance optimization guidance. Furthermore, Capcom has unveiled plans for Title Update 1, which will introduce an endgame social hub.

For those embarking on their Monster Hunter Wilds journey, IGN offers helpful resources, including a guide to the game's 14 weapon types, a walkthrough, a multiplayer guide, and instructions on transferring beta characters. IGN's review awarded the game an 8/10, praising its improved gameplay but noting a lack of significant challenge.

Monster Hunter Wilds Weapons Tier List