Steam displays public statistics on player counts, allowing us to observe the most popular games. After Black Myth: Wukong surpassed the previous records, here are the top 10 highest player counts ever recorded on Steam.
From popular titles such as Counter-Strike and PUBG to highly anticipated releases like Cyberpunk 2077 and Elden Ring, there is a diverse selection of games that draw in large numbers of players, reaching hundreds of thousands and even millions at once.
The list of top played games is constantly evolving, however, certain games on Steam have reached record-breaking live player counts over the years, with the highest ever being over three million. In early 2024, a surprise newcomer made its way onto the list – the sudden rise in popularity of Palworld.
In the middle of 2024, we are once again taken by surprise. A seemingly insignificant clicker game known as Banana has made its way into the top 10, while Black Myth: Wukong has skyrocketed to become one of the most popular Steam games of all time on its very first day.
These are the all-time highest peak player counts on Steam, ranked in the top 10.
10 highest Steam player counts
| Rank | Game | Release date | Peak players | Date achieved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PUBG | December 21, 2017 | 3,257,248 | January 13, 2018 |
| 2 | Palworld | January 19, 2024 | 2,101,867 | January 27, 2024 |
| 3 | CS:GO | August 21, 2012 | 1,818,773 | May 6, 2023 |
| 4 | Black Myth: Wukong | August 20, 2024 | 1,443,570 | August 20, 2024 |
| 5 | Lost Ark | February 11, 2022 | 1,325,205 | February 12, 2023 |
| 6 | Dota 2 | July 9, 2013 | 1,295,114 | March 6, 2016 |
| 7 | Cyberpunk 2077 | December 10, 2020 | 1,054,388 | December 10, 2020 |
| 8 | Fire Ring | February 24, 2022 | 953,426 | March 5, 2022 |
| 9 | Banana | April 23, 2024 | 917,272 | June 20, 2024 |
| 10 | New World | September 28, 2021 | 913,634 | October 3, 2021 |
Data from SteamDB (January 2024) was obtained through a link to the website SteamDB.
Most popular Steam game ever
Despite its decline in popularity, PUBG remains the game with the highest peak player count on Steam, reaching 3.25 million in 2018.
Despite its initial popularity, the average player count of the game has significantly decreased. While it remains a popular choice, it falls far behind Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which consistently holds the top spot as the most-played game on Steam every day.
The unexpected success of Palworld caused CS: GO (now known as CS2) to fall to third place on the list of all-time peaks. Additionally, Palworld can be played on Xbox and Microsoft Store, suggesting that the total number of players may be even higher when considering all platforms.
CS: GO is over a decade old, but still setting records.
Some other popular games with high average player counts include Dota 2, Apex Legends, and GTA V. These games consistently attract over 200,000 average players during peak hours.
Most popular single-player game on Steam
Naturally, all of the previously mentioned games are multiplayer titles with live-service capabilities (such as GTA V with its GTA Online mode). However, what about single-player options on Steam?
Black Myth: Wukong currently holds the record for the highest player count achieved by a single-player Steam game, surpassing the previous title holder, Cyberpunk 2077, on August 20, 2024.
Black Myth: Wukong is the only single-player game in the top five
Prior to the release of Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077 was the sole single-player game to reach the 1 million milestone. However, Game Science’s first game has now surpassed this record.
Right below Cyberpunk are two additional single-player games, Elden Ring and Banana. Elden Ring, widely regarded as FromSoftware’s masterpiece, also achieved record-breaking success upon its launch.
On the contrary, Banana is a clicker game that involves players clicking on a banana to increase a number. While it is technically a single-player game, it differs from the others in its gameplay.
Keep in mind that these statistics only pertain to players on the Steam platform. This means that players utilizing different launchers such as the EA App, Xbox App, or those playing on consoles are not included in the count.
We will continue to update this list as new games are released and strive to surpass the current records.
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