Monster Hunter Wilds and its 10-hour Gamescom queue was the star of the show, proving the series has truly entered the mainstream

(Image credit: Capcom)

Stepping onto the Gamescom showroom floor this year, I had no idea what the game of the moment would be for its 300,000 attendees. Some absolute bangers showed up with their grand thematic booths: Civilization 7 had a giant Roman building, knights fought in the Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 booth, and a floor-to-ceiling inflatable Goku looming over the numerous Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero demo stations.

I had a little bit of time to nosey around these booths between my appointments in the more humble-looking business areas—seeing what was hot among the public and, of course, taking a bit of time to give the Final Fantasy 14 battle challenge a whirl. I was planning to meet up with fellow writer Harvey Randall, when he texted me to say how big the Final Fantasy 14 queue was.

Upon closer inspection, however, we both realised that it wasn't Final Fantasy 14. This wasn't a mass of people waiting alongside us to batter Valigarmanda and win a t-shirt. Nope, these folk were queueing for hours to try out the demo for Monster Hunter: Wilds.

The great hunt

It was easily the most popular game at the show, and the excitement is understandable. It's the first time the game has been playable to the public and, despite a rather shaky build that crashed for multiple folks including myself, was a roaring good time. Hell, even two of my friends flew out to Gamescom specifically to play the demo—despite coming over to "loop the game," they only managed to squeeze three tries in over two days.

The line for #MonsterHunter Wilds is kind of wild amirite. pic.twitter.com/AOtOUnEI6sAugust 21, 2024

That's partly down to the fact that, by the third day, Capcom was seemingly doing its best to wrangle the mass hype. The queue had been herded from the main walkway to wrapping around the Capcom booth, meticulously carving out gaps for its other offerings like the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection. The queue was capped at (a still eye-watering) four hours, and I spotted folks lingering nearby who I can only assume were waiting for a spot at the back to open up.

The intense popularity earned Wilds its share of accolades during the Gamescom awards. It came away with four awards in total—for Most Entertaining, Most Epic, Best Sony PlayStation Game, and Best Trailer. That was every category it was nominated for, by the way, meaning it managed to take home every trophy possible.

It was a hype almost entirely unreplicated anywhere else across the venue. The only other one I saw even come close was inZOI, the (slightly unsettling) realistic Sims competitor from Krafton. The queue wrapped around its bright-white booth, a giant cat peering down from the ceiling. I was told by a staff member working there that the predicted wait time was in the ballpark of four hours, matching Capcom's self-imposed stopping point. Whether that was down to the ever-growing thirst for The Sims to have some direct competition or the adorable clear plastic drawstring bags filled with goodies that were being handed out, I'm not sure. Probably a bit of both. It was in my case, anyway.

The Monster Hunter Wilds segment of the Capcom booth at Gamescom 2024. — (Image credit: Future)

But for Monster Hunter: Wilds, the Gamescom crowd really proved that the series is no longer the niche action game you're trying to convince your pals is really good, actually. It's a certified juggernaut, vastly outclassing some of the more predictably popular AAAs like Assassin's Creed and Crimson Desert.

Ultimately, it's a testament to Capcom for how good a job they did making World a palatable game for veterans and newcomers alike. The series was known for being frustratingly obtuse, its somewhat clunky controls turning a lot of people off. But at its core it's always been raring fun, packed with delightful monster designs that populated gorgeous landscapes. The fact that Capcom has allowed more people to see that—to the point folk will queue 10 hours to get their hands on more—is pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

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Mollie spent her early childhood deeply invested in games like Killer Instinct, Toontown and Audition Online, which continue to form the pillars of her personality today. She joined PC Gamer in 2020 as a news writer and now lends her expertise to write a wealth of features, guides and reviews with a dash of chaos. She can often be found causing mischief in Final Fantasy 14, using those experiences to write neat things about her favourite MMO. When she's not staring at her bunny girl she can be found sweating out rhythm games, pretending to be good at fighting games or spending far too much money at her local arcade.