It looks like players are flocking back to Monster Hunter World by the thousands, because the player count has reached 97,006 players (Dec 11), the highest since November 2020 (as per SteamDB).
MHW was originally released in 2018 for the PS4, Xbox One, and eventually Windows PC and has had an all-time peak of 334,684 which was 5 years ago. At the time of writing this article, though, there were 41,770 players currently in-game.
There could be multiple reasons behind this sudden burst of popularity.
The game’s current price ($9.89 USD) is the lowest recorded price to date (-67%). Moreover, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (the expansion of MHW) is also on discount at an all-time low price (-63%).
So, if you were considering buying the game, now is the best time to join the hunt with this discounted rate. The game length of MHW is around 47.5 hours if you only focus on the main objectives. However, if you are a completionist, you will end up spending about 400+ hours for 100% completion.
If you want to go deep into the world of Monster Hunter games, other titles like Monster Hunter Rise (-60%), its Sunbreak DLC (-40%), and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (-50%) are also available at some discounted prices on Steam.
Return to World Event Adds to the Player Count
Another reason why the game is seeing a resurgence of players is the Return to World event, which like the name suggests, is Capcom’s attempt to bring players back to its highly successful game. The event started on December 11, 2023, and there’s also a weekly livestream on Twitch and Youtube that started on Dec. 14, where hunting tips for beginners and more information to take down large monsters will be shared.
Check out the first one here:
Capcom writes:
“Return to World is a celebration of Monster Hunter: World, as we welcome new players who join us in the sale, and re-live an epic journey with those of you that have previously set out from Astera and adventured through the Ancient Forest and beyond…
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be hosting weekly community livestreams, sharing tips for new hunters, including choosing and upgrading gear, as well as successfully taking down your first large monsters and beyond!”
If you’re a new hunter, let us know how your journey is going in the comments each week, and feel free to ask any questions you might have. For those hunters with a few carves under their belt, share your tips on that post’s topics too – we’d love to hear your top tips and advice!”
High Anticipation for Monster Hunter Wilds
The Monster Hunter Wilds trailer was also revealed at The Game Awards 2023 which certainly has hype from fans, considering its 1.8M view count in 10 days.
The game officially launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC/Steam in 2025 so since it’s quite a long wait until then, thousands of fans are diving back to Monster Hunter World to scratch that monster-hunting itch.
Check out this Steam page for all the latest updates from the Monster Hunter devs. And for more latest gaming news and updates that you don’t want to miss, follow us on Google News.