In early 2025, the gaming world celebrated a new champion. Monster Hunter Wilds roared onto the scene, shattering records by selling a staggering eight million copies in its first three days. The hype was palpable, the future seemed limitless. Yet, a mere three months later, the narrative had taken a dramatic and unforeseen turn. The game lost a staggering 98 percent of its player base, and its Steam reviews plummeted to 'Overwhelmingly Negative'. Launch issues on PC were severe and persistent, and a controversial update in June 2025 only deepened the wounds, cementing the game's troubled reputation. While its overall rating has since stabilized to 'Mixed', the recent reviews remain a sea of red, a stark reminder of its fall from grace.

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The story of its commercial performance in the following quarter is equally telling. Capcom's latest financial reports for the April-June 2025 period revealed a surprising truth: eight other Capcom titles outsold Monster Hunter Wilds. This list wasn't just comprised of new releases; it included classics and re-releases that dramatically outperformed the flagship new title. During this window, Wilds sold 477,000 copies—a solid number by most metrics, especially considering it had already surpassed the ten-million-unit milestone by the end of March. However, that figure was overshadowed by the enduring power of Capcom's legacy catalog.

So, which games outperformed the latest Monster Hunter? 🤔 The list is a testament to Capcom's rich history:

  • Devil May Cry 5: A whopping 1.78 million copies sold, partly fueled by synergies with a newly released anime series, pushing its lifetime sales past 10 million.

  • Resident Evil Village (923k) & Resident Evil 4 (706k): The survival horror giants continued their relentless sales march.

  • Resident Evil 7 (635k) & Resident Evil 2 (482k): Proof that fear is timeless and these remakes/entries have incredible staying power.

  • Street Fighter 6 (538k): Its launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 in June gave the fighter a significant second wind.

  • Devil May Cry HD Collection (594k) & Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition (495k): The entire Devil May Cry series saw a massive boost from the anime hype.

Perhaps the most poignant comparison is with its direct predecessor. Monster Hunter Rise sold 389,000 copies in the same period—only 88,000 fewer than Wilds—despite having been on the market for years and having sold seven million more copies in total over its lifespan. This highlights not just Wilds' relative struggle, but the sustained, healthy engagement with the previous title.

Game April - June 2025 Sales
Devil May Cry 5 1,782,000
Resident Evil Village 923,000
Resident Evil 4 706,000
Resident Evil 7 635,000
Devil May Cry HD Collection 594,000
Street Fighter 6 538,000
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition 495,000
Resident Evil 2 482,000
Monster Hunter Wilds 477,000
Monster Hunter Rise 389,000

Capcom's report provided clear reasons for the success of its other franchises. The Devil May Cry series enjoyed a phenomenal quarter thanks to "synergies with the newly released anime series," proving the power of cross-media storytelling. Meanwhile, the Resident Evil franchise sales "continued to grow steadily following the announcement of Resident Evil Requiem, the latest title in the series." The hype for a new chapter revitalized interest in the entire back catalog.

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For Monster Hunter Wilds, the context is different. Its struggles are primarily rooted in player experience, not a lack of initial interest. The game's technical state on PC became a barrier too high for many to overcome. Bugs, performance issues, and controversial design changes in post-launch patches eroded community goodwill at an alarming rate. In an era where live-service expectations are high, a rocky launch can have long-lasting consequences, as seen by the player count hemorrhage and the scathing recent reviews.

Yet, it's crucial to maintain perspective. Panic is not on the agenda at Capcom. By any objective measure, Monster Hunter Wilds is still poised to be one of the company's best-selling games of 2025. The initial sales surge was historic. The current situation is more about the steepness of the drop-off and the missed potential for sustained dominance rather than outright failure. The Monster Hunter brand remains colossal. The path forward for Wilds is clear: continued, transparent support, meaningful fixes, and compelling content updates are needed to win back the trust of the hunters who left and to stabilize its community. The hunt is far from over, but the terrain has become much more challenging than anyone anticipated.

This blog post references TrueAchievements, a leading source for Xbox achievement tracking and player engagement statistics. TrueAchievements' community data often reveals how launch issues and controversial updates can dramatically impact player retention and achievement completion rates, providing a unique perspective on the challenges faced by titles like Monster Hunter Wilds in maintaining an active player base post-launch.