Monster Hunter Wilds has been one of the most successful games to release in 2025, with nearly 10 million copies sold during its first month. Even with crossplay between systems and multiple positive gameplay impressions from multiple online betas, Wilds has achieved more acclaim than many would have expected. As one of the fastest-selling entries in the franchise, its success could indicate the direction of future games in the series.

Released on February 28, 2025, Monster Hunter Wilds quickly reached a Steam player count of more than 1 million during its first month alone. This came after two online betas, which spread a good reputation for how the series was evolving in its next entry. The sales records for Monster Hunter Wilds are only the beginning, as the recent Title Update 1 addresses many concerns as the game evolves.

Monster Hunter Wilds Is Setting Capcom Records

The Newest Title Earns Its Place In The Franchise

The 1st and 2nd highest-selling games in Capcom's library are Monster Hunter World and Monster Hunter Rise. In only the first few months of its release, the sales numbers alone for Monster Hunter Wilds would place it around the 7th rank among Capcom's best-selling titles. With multiple Title Updates for Monster Hunter Wilds planned for release, that placement may rise quickly throughout 2025.

Developer Capcom had its highest sales and operating income in company history this year as well. This astronomical level of sales comes mainly due to Wilds, whose 10 million copies sold are from less than 5 months of its being released. In comparison, Monster Hunter Rise sold 6 million copies during its first 5 months, while Monster Hunter World sold 5 million.

One of the reasons why World and Rise are Capcom's top-selling games is due to their massive Iceborne and Sunbreak expansions, respectively. Due to the success of such large-scale DLC, it is likely Wilds will receive some type of expansion within the next year or two as well.

As one of the most anticipated titles in 2025, the success of Wilds was always going to happen. However, the degree to which this game performed was far beyond what anyone could have predicted, especially considering how well the game sold internationally. The fact that Wilds sold 10 million copies within one month across global markets will no doubt lead to it influencing the next entries of the series in some way.

Capcom’s Global Priority Is Increasingly Monster Hunter

International Acclaim May Shift Developer Focus

All Monster Hunter titles sell very well in Japan, where developer Capcom is based. However, ever since World's popularity skyrocketed, the franchise has seen international appeal from countries around the world, expanding its outreach from local markets. This trend continued with Rise and especially with Wilds, whose sales could not have reached the numbers they had without the franchise's rising outreach over the last decade.

With Wilds, Monster Hunter is undoubtedly Capcom's most successful IP, even with the continued success of games like Resident Evil 4: Remake or Street Fighter 6. With no new announced Resident Evil or Devil May Cry game, Monster Hunter seems to be Capcom's main focus in 2025. This means releasing new Title Updates and continued marketing to entice even more players from around the world to pick up the series' latest entry.

Many of Capcom's recent titles have adopted a more live-service approach to content, with multiple seasons of DLC keeping games fresh for players. For Monster Hunter Wilds, this comes in the form of Title Updates, which are set to include new monsters, and therefore new gear for players to craft. Additional changes also come with Updates, including more difficult versions of existing monsters, the new Grand Hub community area, cosmetics, and more.

Title Update 1 was released on April 4, 2025, including a way to re-challenge the exclusive monster Zo Shia in Monster Hunter Wilds' story Chapters. Title Update 2, which re-introduces fan-favorite monster Lagiacrus, is set to release in Summer 2025.

This live-service from Title Updates will continue to keep Wilds' appeal fresh as 2025 continues, but Capcom is approaching DLC slightly differently with Monster Hunter. Unlike games like Street Fighter 6, which include new characters as paid DLC, Monster Hunter Wilds' first Title Updates are completely free, allowing players to just get more content without spending money.

This free DLC is another example of Capcom prioritizing Monster Hunter as a global property, as it allows extra content to be released without worrying about regional pricing. Anyone in any region of the world can get the Title Update content of Wilds automatically, encouraging more people to play than ever.

Monster Hunter Wilds Could Define Future Games

Emphasis On Specific Content May Influence The Next Game's Direction

Monster Hunter Wilds carries a lot of legacy systems over from past games, especially Monster Hunter World. However, Wilds had a greater focus on a main story surrounding the Forbidden Lands and the mysterious lands, creatures, and cultures within it. During this story, players had an active voice and role through their custom character, which has been a rarity in other titles.

While the story may not be the only reason for Wilds' extreme success, it could influence Capcom to go even bigger on the next Monster Hunter story. The story in Wilds is very bare bones, with characters mainly just going to new places and encountering new monsters. This did lead to many cool moments, with some characters having time to shine, such as Olivia's stand against Uth Duna in the Scarlet Forest.

The dynamic between the young Keeper Nata and his connection with the dangerous Guardian Arkveld was the focal point of Wilds' story. While there were interesting plot points regarding the history of Wyveria and Guardian monsters in Wilds, everything in the story was short-lived at best.

The multiple betas and listening to community also contributed greatly to Wilds' success. Compared to previous titles, Monster Hunter Wilds gave players more chances to experience the game before launch, giving Capcom more time to make adjustments before its release. Whatever game comes next in the franchise will likely follow suit, with Capcom taking their time to make sure the state of the game is as good as it can be before launching.

Some of the ways Wilds approached certain mechanics may see some systems unique to it return in future games. For example, the existence of Pop-Up Camps to fast-travel around various regions may return, especially if Capcom wants to make the next Monster Hunter game have an even larger, more connected map than Wilds has.

The lowered difficulty of monsters, especially on Low Rank, may also return to the next Monster Hunter game due to Wilds' appeal. While controversial, making the initial monsters easier to beat in the main story may have contributed to how many people were able to start hunting for the first time without feeling frustrated. While Capcom will likely keep the intricate combat systems of the series, future games may feature even weaker monsters.

There are tons of ways Capcom's latest success could lead the franchise. From UI changes to the emphasis on a more "open" world, Monster Hunter Wilds has introduced much while keeping the core features of the series, with interesting new additions that could return in a grander fashion to define Capcom's future.