Highest Steam Concurrent Player Peak Records

Numerous games have broken headlines by reaching an all-time concurrent player record on Steam. Since Steam offers this information, this list will only cover Steam games. Some games have been around forever, and it's not a shocker that they'd be on the list, while others were overnight sensations that shocked the world.

The genres of these games vary from MMOs, to shooters, to single-player games. Some of these titles are well past their prime, but have undoubtedly left their mark on the gaming world. This list will attempt to cover the reason behind each game's popularity and how each game is faring after its concurrent player record.

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8 PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

All Time Peak: 3,257,248

• Current Peak: 600,000

For a while, it seemed everyone was playing PUBG: Battlegrounds. The game felt fresh, and gave friends a fun activity that didn't need any setup. Other games, like Rust, require a long setup time and even real world timing. Within a few moments in PUBG: Battlegrounds, players were battling it out against a map full of other players.

PUBG: Battlegrounds has paved the way for various Battle Royale games, such as Fortnite, which has stolen the title of the most popular battle royale. PUBG: Battlegrounds changed to a free price tag later in its lifetime to encourage more players, as most games in the genre didn't come with an entry price tag.

7 Palworld

All Time Peak: 2,101,867

• Current Peak: 91,000

The unexpected success of Palworld has shown that gamers have a massive craving for Pokémon-style games in a multiplayer setting. Despite being in early access, Palworld has reached the second record concurrent player spot while having tons of viewer counts on Twitch.

The game has recently dropped from its initial hype train, mostly due to its limited content. With a large update, the game has the potential to break its old record. The small studio running Palworld never expected its immediate success. And will have its hands full to keep fans hooked.

6 Counter-Strike 2

All Time Peak: 1,818,773

• Current Peak: 1,217,932

CS:GO was the game that reached an all-time peak, but Counter-Strike 2 shows no signs of slowing down. The game's relaunch has not received a massive player surge, but it seems frequent fixes, improvements, and new content for the game have kept players hooked. Its current peak is over 1.8 million players.

At its current pace, Counter-Strike 2 has the potential to surpass its all-time peak, but it must first polish out all rough edges of its transition from CS: GO to Counter-Strike 2. Gamers complain of performance issues and random stutters, but a rough start does not define a game's success.

5 Lost Ark

All Time Peak: 1,325,305

• Current Peak: 22,223

Releasing with lots of hype, Lost Ark had many players hoping for their next MMO. The game offered combat-focused content and cut out fluff by keeping a simpler UI than most MMOs. The game offered tons of content for players to enjoy, and seemed to be the next big hit.

Lost Ark has experienced a drastic drop in popularity, as it failed to keep players engaged during its hype period. Players stopped playing the game due to its endless grind, odd glitches causing frustration, and extreme time dedication requirement.

4 Dota 2

All Time Peak: 1,295,114

• Current Peak: 644,087

Dota 2 has an overwhelming population of hooked gamers spending thousands of hours on the game due to its addictive nature. New players are constantly trying out Dota 2 thanks to word of mouth, and older players keep playing to watch themselves improve at the game.

League of Legends is Dota's biggest competitor, but it does not provide any numbers regarding concurrent players. Dota 2 remains active and will stay that way as long as frequent tournaments take place.

3 Cyberpunk 2077

All Time Peak: 1,054,388

• Current Peak: 35,308

Releasing with a ton of hype, Cyberpunk 2077 faced heavy backlash due to the state of the game being too buggy and riddled with performance issues. The game's record was a product of clever marketing and hyped fans eager to fall in love with Night City.

While it took a long time, Cyberpunk 2077 is now in a far better state than when it originally launched, especially after its recent DLC release. The anime release caused a surge of new and old players playing the game and experiencing a more polished Night City.

2 Elden Ring

All Time Peak: 953,426

• Current Peak: 302,534

Souls fans eagerly awaited Elden Ring, and its release has been impactful by smashing all-time concurrent player records on Steam. Elden Ring launched with a few issues, such as performance issues on PC. The game had lots of challenging content for players and the developers quickly sent out fixes.

The co-op element of Elden Ring is a factor in the game's active player base. With lots of content, co-op, a recent DLC release, and PVP, Elden Ring will hold firm concurrent player numbers for a long time.

1 Banana

All Time Peak: 917,272

• Current Peak: 391,663

Shockingly, a clicker game has reached the hall of fame for top concurrent players on Steam. Banana is a straightforward clicker game that involves clicking on a banana endlessly. Unlike the famous Cookie Clicker, Banana has no in-game upgrades. Every three hours, players get one banana added to their stockpile.

The collectors' element is the secret to Banana's success, as the gameplay involves a single input. Another factor is its active community on Discord, with frequent user submissions in the form of unique bananas.

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