Steam has once again shattered its own record for the highest number of concurrent PC players, reaching a staggering 38,366,479 on September 22, 2024. This remarkable achievement surpasses the previous month’s record by over a million, a surge largely attributed to the phenomenal success of the newly released title, Black Myth: Wukong.
Factors Behind the Surge
The weekend's impressive numbers were bolstered by a lineup of familiar favorites dominating the top 10 most-played games on Valve’s platform. Titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and PUBG continued to attract players, alongside newer entries like Satisfactory 1.0, Space Marine 2, and Valve’s own Deadlock. The recent debut of PlayStation exclusives, God of War Ragnarok and Final Fantasy 16, on Steam also contributed to this surge, providing a fresh influx of players eager to explore these acclaimed titles.
As Valve tightens its grip on the PC gaming market, the popularity of Steam continues to rise. Competitors such as the Epic Games Store and CD Projekt’s GOG hold only a modest share of the market, while Steam consistently breaks records, even in the face of perceived industry downturns. The launch of the Steam Deck has further expanded Steam’s reach, allowing it to operate on yet another platform.
The question now looms: can Steam reach the coveted milestone of 40 million concurrent players? With the highly anticipated release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on the horizon, many believe that this goal is not just a possibility, but an inevitability.
