With so many games releasing on Steam absolutely every single day, it can be hard to find something actually worth playing. That's why we so often turn to familiar favorites, as you're almost always guaranteed at least a moderately good time, and your money will feel well spent. In the majority of cases, this is undeniably true, especially within the RPG genre. 2025 alone has played host to several phenomenal RPGs, from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to Metaphor: ReFantazio, so fans shouldn't really have anything to worry about.
Well, that was the case up until earlier this year, when one of the greatest RPG series of all time was hit with a slurry of overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam. Its most recent entry, a game many initially thought to be rather good, has been dealt an unfortunate hand as opinion on it has shifted dramatically. What was once just another entry in a beloved RPG series has now perhaps become its very last game, as its developer scrambles to figure out how to recover.
What Did The Reviews Saying About Monster Hunter Wilds?
They were extremely negative at launch
It is no secret at this point that Monster Hunter Wilds received an overwhelming number of negative reviews on Steam at launch. While its overall rating sits at a precarious Mixed rating, there are a total of 161,126 Negative reviews out of a total of 297,830, something none would have ever expected considering Wild's extremely glowing reviews at launch. This onslaught of disdain for the title hasn't come out of nowhere, though, as many of the criticisms, which, to be clear, are focused on the PC port, are very valid.
The main reason for Monster Hunter Wild's review bombing campaign is its poor PC performance. Even on rigs that should be able to run the game perfectly fine, Monster Hunter Wilds chugs at an unacceptable pace. No one expects a perfectly stable Capcom experience, especially after Dragon's Dogma 2's similar performance woes, but considering how precise one has to be in Wilds, hitting 30 FPS feels like a requirement. Unfortunately, it is barely able to manage that. Players have also reported numerous visual glitches and an overall blurry image as a major issue.
Fans have also soured on the game's simplicity. Monster Hunter Wilds was targeted at a broader demographic than its predecessors - this has been the case with each new entry - and, as such, is significantly easier. That isn't inherently an issue, but the lack of challenging content at launch and disappointing Title Updates has meant that veterans haven't had much in the way of enjoyably difficult hunts to embark upon. That, coupled with the poor performance, has led to an outpouring of frustration from both newcomers and hardcore fans alike.
How Did Monster Hunter Wilds Get To This Point?
A Lack Of Support Hasn't Helped
Monster Hunter Wilds' poor performance is largely down to Capcom's overall issues with optimization. This isn't the first time a Capcom game has had dreadful performance long after launch, and I suspect it won't be the last. As aforementioned, Dragon's Dogma 2 suffered from a lot of the same issues, and still does to an extent. This should be somewhat rectified in the future, as will the game's perceived lack of content. Namely, Wild's exciting upcoming Title Updates promise a lot more content for fans to enjoy.
However, what can't be fixed is the core gameplay, which has, in many cases, been toned down to appease newcomers. That will always remain a frustration to hardcore fans who want an experience akin to the older titles. Hopefully, much like with Rise, the DLC will be significantly harder than the base game. That will at least soften the blow. However, those who are still on the fence about Monster Hunter Wilds shouldn't expect these changes to be implemented any time soon, as Capcom is still working on new content and patches for performance.
Source: Steam
Monster Hunter Wilds
OpenCritic Reviews
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes, all platforms
- Cross Save
- No
- Franchise
- Monster Hunter
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- February 28, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 28, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- February 28, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- Wiki
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
