The first quarter of 2025 has revealed surprising shifts in gaming popularity, with Monster Hunter Wilds emerging as the undisputed champion of streaming viewership. According to analytics data by Streams Charts, Capcom’s latest Monster Hunter installment generated a staggering 34 million hours watched during its first week—40% more than its closest competitor.
The game’s release in late February became a global event that transcended cultural boundaries, attracting top streamers and VTubers from both Japan and Western countries.
Names like Chikara “fps_shaka” Kawakami, Zackrawrr, and Emily “Emiru” Schunk were among the many content creators who embraced the title. At its peak, nearly 20,000 channels were simultaneously streaming Monster Hunter Wilds on Twitch alone.
Coming in second place was Kingdom Come: Deliverance II with 20.6 million hours watched. The medieval RPG from Czech studio Warhorse Studios received particular attention from American and European streamers, with Ben “CohhCarnage” Cassell leading in viewership at over 852,000 hours watched during the release week.
Perhaps the most surprising entry in the top five was Schedule I, an indie drug-dealing simulator that captured the streaming community’s attention despite lacking cutting-edge graphics or deep storytelling. The co-op game generated 9.1 million hours watched, nearly matching Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Split Fiction, the new action-adventure from Hazelight Studios (creators of It Takes Two), rounded out the top five with 8.7 million hours watched. The game proved particularly popular among streaming duos, with female streamers accounting for approximately 41% of all Twitch channels broadcasting the game.
Horror games continue to thrill audiences
The data also revealed the continued popularity of horror titles in the streaming ecosystem. Both Poppy Playtime: Chapter 4 and R.E.P.O. made the top ten, confirming that viewers still enjoy watching their favorite content creators get scared on camera.
As 2025 progresses, the strong performance of both AAA franchises and innovative indie titles suggests a healthy gaming ecosystem where both established series and creative newcomers can find their audience in the livestreaming space.
According to Streams Charts, which compiled the data, the quarter’s results demonstrate that viral success now depends more on streaming-native design and community engagement than purely on marketing budgets.
