Steam is going forward fast. On January 7, 2023, Steam set a new record by surpassing 10 million concurrent in-game players for the first time, reported by TheGamer. This milestone is significant for the digital distribution platform, which has seen a decline in popularity on PC in recent decades. The increase in player count can be attributed to the annual Christmas Sale on Steam, where players purchase and begin playing new games. Overall, the player count on Steam has been steadily rising, with 32 million concurrent users (those logged into Steam but not necessarily playing a game) earlier this week.
The recent increase in popularity of Steam can be attributed to a range of popular free-to-play games such as Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty: Warzone 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and Apex Legends. In addition to these free games, the platform has also seen success with paid games like Among Us, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
SteamDB, a tracking website, reported that on January 7, Steam reached a record high of 10,016,459 concurrent users. This is the first time that more than 10 million users have been recorded playing games simultaneously on the platform. The number is expected to continue rising in the coming weeks and months, based on previous growth patterns.
Currently, the most popular game on Steam is Elden Ring, a roleplaying game that has received numerous Game of the Year awards, including on Steam. The game was recently discounted on the platform for the first time, likely contributing to its renewed popularity and attracting a wave of new players.
