Capcom revealed that Monster Hunter: World has shipped over 7.5 million copies (including digital sales) since launching on January 26 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Capcom says that it is now its best-selling game ever, although it takes some creative math for that claim to be true.
The multiplayer action role-playing game was at 6 million shipped on February 9. Shipping another 1.5 million since then shows that Monster Hunter: World has some legs. The franchise has always been popular in Japan, but World has become a big hit in the West. It was the No.1 best-selling game in the U.S. in its debut month.
According to Capcom’s Platinum Titles pages, Resident Evil 5 was the previous best-selling game at 7.3 million copies. However, that only includes sales of the original release of the game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, not the Gold Edition or PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions. If added, Resident Evil 5 would still be above Monster Hunter: World.
A PC version of Monster Hunter: World is coming out later this Fall. That will reach a new audience that doesn’t game on consoles and further drive sales.
This brings lifetime sales for the Monster Hunter series to 48 million. The franchises started in 2004 when the first Monster Hunter launched for PlayStation 2. After that, the series mostly found its home on portable devices like the PSP and Nintendo 3DS. Monster Hunter: World was a return to consoles, and its larger scale has helped bring it many new fans.