All good video game franchises evolve over time, although this evolution isn't always for the better. Some sequels fail to live up to the lofty standards set by their predecessors, while others simply lack the sticking power needed to keep players engaged for the long haul.
As a result, there are plenty of Steam games that are outperforming their sequels, despite releasing many years earlier and being developed on smaller budgets. These enduring fan-favorite titles prove that newer isn't always better and that unique and engaging gameplay can be far more important than graphical polish.
All of the figures used in this piece come courtesy of SteamDB and are accurate as of the time of publication.
1 Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey (2018) - 6,389 Players (24-hour peak)
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020) - 4,003 Players (24-hour peak)
- Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023) - 407 Players (24-hour peak)
- Assassin's Creed Shadows (2025) - 5,702 Players (24-hour peak)
Despite Ubisoft's repeated assertions that Assassin's Creed Shadows has been a huge success, it didn't take too long for players to move on to other games. Many appear to have returned to one of the series' earlier entries, with Assassin's Creed Odyssey currently the franchise's most popular game on Steam. It not only beats out Shadows, but also Mirage and Valhalla, both of which were released several years later.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- October 15, 2018
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
2 Sid Meier's Civilization VI
- Sid Meier's Civilization VI (2016) - 46,013 Players (24-hour peak)
- Sid Meier's Civilization V (2010) - 19,538 Players (24-hour peak)
- Sid Meier's Civilization VII (2025) - 11,044 Players (24-hour peak)
Civilization games have always been slow out of the blocks, but the series' seventh mainline installment took things to a whole new level. Within a few weeks of its launch, many series fans had already returned to Civilization VI, and Civ 7 player counts have continued to drop off ever since. Just to rub extra salt in the wound, there are currently around twice as many people playing Civ 5 as there are Civ 7, despite the former releasing a decade and a half earlier.
Sid Meier's Civilization 6
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
- Released
- October 21, 2016
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Drug Reference, Language, Mild Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Strategy
3 Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) - 6,421 Players (24-hour peak)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (2024) - 3,819 Players (24-hour peak)
To say that Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 never really took off would perhaps be a bit of an understatement. Amidst a wave of technical issues, it peaked at just under 25,000 concurrent players on launch day, which is less than half the maximum player count of its 2020 predecessor. Within a week of its launch, around two-thirds of players had already jumped ship, with many returning to the skies with Microsoft Flight Simulator soon after.
Microsoft Flight Simulator
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- August 18, 2020
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Asobo Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Flight Simulator
4 Cities: Skylines
- Cities: Skylines (2015) - 15,283 Players (24-hour peak)
- Cities: Skylines II (2023) - 11,256 Players (24-hour peak)
Cities: Skylines was always going to be a tough act to follow, with many considering it to be one of the greatest city management games of all time. However, Cities: Skylines II fell a long way short, with both critic and user scores for the game being considerably lower than its 2014 predecessor. With all that in mind, it should come as no surprise to learn that more people are currently playing the original game than the sequel.
Cities: Skylines
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- March 10, 2015
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Colossal Order
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- City Builder
5 Assetto Corsa
- Assetto Corsa (2014) - 16,982 Players (24-hour peak)
- Assetto Corsa Competizione (2019) - 4,680 Players (24-hour peak)
- Assetto Corsa EVO (2025) - 745 Players (24-hour peak)
Given that Assetto Corsa EVO is still in early access, it seems a little unfair to compare its player count to that of Assetto Corsa, which many consider to be one of the most realistic racing sims ever made. Assetto Corsa Competizione brought with it plenty of improvements, yet the original remains a lot more popular with players. This is mainly due to the 2014 title's superior VR support and more vibrant modding scene, both of which make it popular with sim racing enthusiasts.
Assetto Corsa
- Released
- December 19, 2014
- ESRB
- Everyone
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Simulation
6 Battlefield 1
- Battlefield 1 (2016) - 14,230 Players (24-hour peak)
- Battlefield V (2018) - 14,017 Players (24-hour peak)
- Battlefield 2042 (2021) - 8,978 Players (24-hour peak)
Battlefield 2042 showed a lot of promise in the months leading up to its release, yet ultimately failed to deliver. Things did improve over time, and the game can still be fun to play with friends, although, evidently, not as enjoyable as the two that came before it. Both Battlefield V and Battlefield 1 currently have more active players on Steam, with the latter just edging out the former when it comes to the most popular Battlefield game on the platform.
Battlefield 1
- Released
- October 21, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
7 Resident Evil 4
- Resident Evil 4 (2023) - 7,537 Players (24-hour peak)
- Resident Evil 5 (2009) - 948 Players (24-hour peak)
- Resident Evil 6 (2012) - 907 Players (24-hour peak)
- Resident Evil 7 Biohazard (2017) - 1,048 Players (24-hour peak)
- Resident Evil Village (2021) - 1,530 Players (24-hour peak)
Granted, the RE4 remake was released more recently than the four mainline Resident Evil games that followed the original, but its continued popularity with players is impressive nonetheless. It currently has more active players than the next four games in the series combined. The Resident Evil 2 remake also deserves a mention here, as with 1,918 players, it comfortably beats out the RE3 remake (661) and Village, both of which were released in the years that followed.
Resident Evil 4
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
Honorable Mentions
There are a few games that don't quite meet the criteria for this list that still deserve a special mention. With a 24-hour peak just shy of one hundred thousand players, Grand Theft Auto V Legacy has a much higher player count than Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced (73,657), despite the latter supposedly being the superior version of the game. Similarly, ARK: Survival Evolved (41,574) is still comfortably beating out ARK: Survival Ascended (23,943) when it comes to the two games' 24-hour peaks.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (40,298) is the sequel to Oblivion rather than its predecessor, yet the remaster of the latter arrived more than a decade later and already has fewer players (38,713) despite being a relatively new release at the time of writing. While on the subject of remasters, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered currently has a 24-hour peak of just 549, which is considerably lower than Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition (1,444). Clearly, newer doesn't always equate to better in the eyes of the average gamer.
The Best Steam Games, Ranked
The best games on Steam offer up a nice mix for players, from indie adventures to big-budget blockbusters with state of the art visuals and physics.