Records on Steam: The 10 games with the highest number of players
Millions of gamers use Steam every day, but which games got the biggest slices of that pie? We’ll tell you!
The 10 games with the highest number of players, Steam has grown over the years to become the largest collection of PC games anywhere. Thousands and thousands of new titles find their way onto Valve’s platform every year, but not all of them make it into the spotlight. Most of these just disappear behind blockbusters with tens of thousands of players.
We summarize the Steam games with the largest number of players for you. Among them are quite a few titles that probably nobody would have expected. The results are based on the statistics from Steamcharts.com.
Incidentally, the players who are active at the same time are measured here: Our ranking is based on which games were able to captivate the most people in front of the screen at the same time X.
10th place: Hogwarts Legacy
- Highest number of players:527,652
- Genre:role playing game
- Developer:Avalanche software
When was the peak?
Within days of its release, Hogwarts Legacy has reached more than half a million concurrent players on Steam. The record was broken on February 20th. And number 10 of the most played games is not the only title that the role-playing game has secured: It is also the most watched single-player game of all time on Twitch .
How is it now?
In the meantime, not too many players are driven to the area around Hogwarts. On average, around 14,600 players are still active at the same time on Steam . But still: Given the huge success, we would expect some DLCs or a sequel, right? Even if the developers say no at the moment , we have a few urgent requests .
9th place: Apex Legends
Apex Legends introduces the new character Vantage in the trailer
- Highest number of players:624,473
- Genre:shooter
- Developer:Respawn Entertainment
When was the peak?
It took Apex Legends a little to secure its spot in the top 10. It conquered its ranking in August 2022, and then cemented its place in February 2023: With the much-acclaimed »Revelry« season and a new class system, Apex Legends broke its own record by almost 100,000 more players.
How is it now?
A lot has changed especially with the heroes with the season in February : They are now divided into five classes (attack, skirmisher, scout, regulation and support).
Also, the new Team Deathmatch allows for quick and risk-free 6v6 battles. There are now also orientation games for newcomers that gradually explain the shooter. On average, Apex Legends reaches around 215,000 concurrent players in May.
8th place: Goose Goose Duck
Goose Goose Duck: The Steam phenomenon in the gameplay trailer
- Highest number of players:701,898
- Genre:Social deduction game
- Developer:Gaggle Studios, Inc.
When was the peak?
Goose Goose Duck belongs to the same genre as Among Us , it is a so-called social deduction game. So a multiplayer game in which you have to find out which comrade-in-arms is actually a spy for the enemy. In this case, the enemies are ducks.
It was almost to be expected that this game principle would go viral on Twitch, and that’s how it happened. In January 2023, Goose Goose Duck broke the Steam barrier and placed in the top 10.
How is it now?
As is so often the case with viral hits, the big hype for Goose Goose Duck has subsided. However, as of May 2023, it still has an average of around 16,000 active players , so it’s far from irrelevant.
7th place: Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 – 1,000 small changes – a big impact!
- Highest number of players:830,387
- Genre:Action RPG
- Developer:CD Projekt Red
When was the peak?
The years of hype surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 finally culminated in a great release success, which, however, was also accompanied by a lot of criticism . Despite CD Projekt also releasing the game on GOG and the Epic Store, Cyberpunk 2077 reached over 800,000 concurrently active Vs on December 13, 2020 on Steam.
How is it now?
Not much is left of the gigantic player numbers. In September 2022, the major update 1.6 together with the Netflix series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners ensured that at times almost 140,000 players were online again at the same time.
However, as of May 2023, the numbers have dropped to an average of around 15,000 players exploring Night City at the same time. In 2023, the big story DLC Phantom Liberty is supposed to revive the game again. We have compiled all the information about the Cyberpunk 2077 addon in a separate article for you.
6th place: New World
- Highest number of players: 913,027
- Genre: MMORPG
- Developer: Amazon Games
When was the peak?
After many delays, New World was released on September 28, 2021. It is therefore not surprising that it reached its peak in October with a total of 913,027 players . However, the launch itself turned out to be extremely difficult. News circulating that the game could destroy graphics cards didn’t reflect well either.
How is it now?
The success didn’t last long and since then the game has been on a pretty steep descent. Already in the following month after the release it had lost more than half of the players. In May 2023, it only had around 15,400 users logged in at the same time at its peak . Numbers that make other games jealous. For New World, however, only a small fraction of the former glory.
