A magnetic recording medium having excellent stability of recorded magnetic signals and capable of recording magnetic signals by a thermally assisted magnetic recording system in which a magnetic recording layer of the magnetic recording medium contains ferromagnetic crystal grains of a Co—Ni—Pt alloy with a Pt content of 44 at % or more and 55 at % or less and with an atom content ratio: Ni/(Co+Ni) of 0.64 or more and 0.8 or less. The magnetic recording medium has extremely excellent stability of recorded magnetic signals since the Co—Ni—Pt alloy constituting the magnetic recording layer has an extremely high anisotropy field at a normal temperature. Further, the magnetic recording medium can perform signal recording based on the thermally assisted magnetic recording system since the Co—Ni—Pt alloy constituting the magnetic recording layer has a Curie point within an appropriate temperature range.