Why Is Monster Hunter Wilds Classified as a Dating Sim?

Monster Hunter Wilds is generating a lot of buzz as one of the most eagerly awaited games of 2025, especially when considering the lineup of other major releases slated for this year. As it follows in the footsteps of Monster Hunter Rise, it actually serves as a sequel to the 2018 blockbuster, Monster Hunter: World, which catapulted the series into the spotlight. Monster Hunter Wilds is a robust action RPG that builds on the foundations of Monster Hunter: World, featuring a seamless open world and vibrant ecosystems, along with new elements like the Seikret mount and a specialized Focus mode for precision in attacks. Despite being conventionally known as an action RPG and a Monster Hunter game through and through, it’s amusingly tagged as a dating sim on Steam.

To clear any confusion, Monster Hunter Wilds is definitely not a dating sim, and none of its predecessors have dabbled in that genre either. A dating sim, for those who may not be familiar, focuses primarily on developing romantic ties between the player’s character and potential romances. This isn’t quite the Monster Hunter way, as wrestling with fearsome creatures tends to overshadow hunting for hearts. Given this, you might wonder why Monster Hunter Wilds has been bestowed with the “dating sim” label on Steam.

Steam tags function as a user-generated classification tool, aiding gamers in finding titles based on genre or gameplay. Essentially, this is a folksonomy system—users can log on to Steam, navigate to the tagging section, and create custom tags for games themselves. These tags, provided they follow Steam’s community rules, can gain visibility if others agree with them and choose to upvote them. Tags that resonate with a broad audience may thrive, but unusual ones often linger at the fringe without gaining much traction. So where does the dating sim tag for Monster Hunter Wilds come in? It’s all in good fun, stemming from a playful moment during the game’s early preview stages.

The origins of Monster Hunter Wilds’ dating sim label trace back to June 2024. During a PlayStation State of Play event, a trailer briefly spotlighted a character named Gemma, who serves as Monster Hunter Wilds’ Smithy. Although her appearance in the trailer was fleeting—lasting only about 12 seconds—it was enough to captivate fans. Soon thereafter, a burgeoning admiration for Gemma led to the game being humorously tagged as a dating sim on Steam as fans took to various platforms to express their infatuation.

It’s likely to surprise a few uninitiated players when Monster Hunter Wilds launches in February, only for them to discover it bears zero resemblance to a true dating sim. By now, though, the joke about its mislabeled tag is well-circulated. This playful tagging pokes fun at both the Steam community’s humorous side and perhaps hints that many players may spend a fair amount of time interacting with Gemma as she crafts their gear.