Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Overwatch: The Reign of Talon
FPS Games Overwatch smashes Steam record, more than doubling its previous concurrent player peak with over 165,000 fans jumping in
GTA 5 cheat codes and phone numbers
Grand Theft Auto Ahead of GTA 6, Rockstar-owned GTA 5 RP mega mod FiveM breaks its own Steam record with 200,000 concurrent players
Running at a yokai with a long neck in Nioh 3 while holding a four-blade windmill shuriken
Action Games Nioh 3 shatters record for the series' highest Steam concurrent player count thanks to launching on PC simultaneously
A screenshot of Fortnite's Jonesy looking serious.
Games Even Epic says Epic Games Store free games boost Steam versions, with concurrent Steam players rising 40% on average
FPS Games Overwatch's game-changing update isn't even out yet, but its Steam peak passed Call of Duty and Battlefield anyway
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 dev "totally blown away" as the roguelike hits 573,000 Steam players: "We'll getcha one day Silksong"
Gideon talks to a tied up Leon in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Resident Evil Requiem sets series record on Steam with a peak of 260,000 fans here to spend time with "hot uncle" Leon
Key art from Overwatch's Reign of Talon event, showing the screen split between a red and blue background with four heroes on each side facing off against each other.
FPS Games Overwatch player peaks have only grown since Season 1's launch weekend and show no signs of stopping: "We're so back"
Steam logo from Valve
PC Gaming Valve says "more games are finding success" on Steam than ever, and nearly 6,000 made over $100,000 last year
A screenshot of a man holding a weapon in Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition.
Fallout Fallout games get a huge boost in players thanks to Fallout season 2, although 3 is way less popular than you'd think
Team Fortress 2 meet the spy trailer screenshot of medic
Games A terrifying 20,282 games were released on Steam in 2025, and just 608 managed to get 1,000 reviews, expert finds
Arc Raiders
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders has been Steam's top-selling premium game every week since its launch
Team Fortress 2 Scout in a hat and headset smiling
Games PC gamers and Steam customers are "a really bright spot" as the games industry struggles with prices, analyst says
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 flies past 165,000 concurrent Steam players, instantly nearly tripling the original's all-time peak
Best free Steam games - Doom Eternal image showing a large armored enemy with a gun for an arm
Action Games 25 Best free Steam games you can play in 2026
  1. Games
  2. FPS
  3. Steam

Steam has broken another record with 24.7 million concurrent users

News
By Vikki Blake published 13 December 2020

24,776,635 players were simultaneously online yesterday

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The Steam logo
(Image credit: Steam)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Valve has once against smashed its own record for the most concurrent users on its Steam platform.

Our pals at PC Gamer spotted the update on SteamDB yesterday, which clocked 24,776,635  simultaneous users. 

Though not confirmed, it's speculated that the release of Cyberpunk 2077 and another rise in COVID-19 global cases has seen more people stay home and jump online than usual.

You may like
  • Overwatch: The Reign of Talon Overwatch smashes Steam record, more than doubling its previous concurrent player peak with over 165,000 fans jumping in
  • GTA 5 cheat codes and phone numbers Ahead of GTA 6, Rockstar-owned GTA 5 RP mega mod FiveM breaks its own Steam record with 200,000 concurrent players
  • Running at a yokai with a long neck in Nioh 3 while holding a four-blade windmill shuriken Nioh 3 shatters record for the series' highest Steam concurrent player count thanks to launching on PC simultaneously

Steam's upward trend began in January when Chinese nationals began to self-isolate at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. On February 2nd, Steam's previous record of 18,537,490 users – set in January 2018 – was surpassed, smashing the existing record by an impressive 300,000 to peak at 18,801,944 players. It's gone on to be broken several times since, including a weekend in March which saw numbers breach 20 million for the first time, and then 22 million just a week later.

As we reported earlier this week, Cyberpunk 2077 is the new most-played game on Steam, overtaking the likes of Dota 2 and CS:GO with over one million concurrent players, even though it's purely single-player.

The new player stats from Steam came on the day that Cyberpunk 2077 officially launches worldwide, with its player count peaking at precisely 1,003,264, making it the most-played game on the entire platform.

Not only does this mean that Cyberpunk 2077 overtakes multiplayer giants like Dota 2 and CS:GO, but it's also set another concurrent player record on Steam for the most-played single-player game. As SteamDB showed at the time, Cyberpunk 2077 peaking at just over 1,000,000 active players on Steam puts it head and shoulders above both Terraria, which held the previous record at 490,000 players, and Fallout 4 at 473,000 players.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Looking for something new to get stuck into? Here are the best PC games right now.

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Vikki Blake
Vikki Blake
Social Links Navigation
Weekend Reporter, GamesRadar+

Vikki Blake is GamesRadar+'s Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter. 

Read more
Overwatch: The Reign of Talon
FPS Games Overwatch smashes Steam record, more than doubling its previous concurrent player peak with over 165,000 fans jumping in
 
 
GTA 5 cheat codes and phone numbers
Grand Theft Auto Ahead of GTA 6, Rockstar-owned GTA 5 RP mega mod FiveM breaks its own Steam record with 200,000 concurrent players
 
 
Running at a yokai with a long neck in Nioh 3 while holding a four-blade windmill shuriken
Action Games Nioh 3 shatters record for the series' highest Steam concurrent player count thanks to launching on PC simultaneously
 
 
A screenshot of Fortnite's Jonesy looking serious.
Games Even Epic says Epic Games Store free games boost Steam versions, with concurrent Steam players rising 40% on average
 
 
FPS Games Overwatch's game-changing update isn't even out yet, but its Steam peak passed Call of Duty and Battlefield anyway
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 dev "totally blown away" as the roguelike hits 573,000 Steam players: "We'll getcha one day Silksong"
 
 
Latest in FPS
FPS Games Overwatch was originally called "Monetized Shooter" because you had to buy each of its heroes
 
 
Marathon assassin runner shell face with red eyes
FPS Games Marathon streamer goes viral for finding a high school bestfriend in proximity chat after 10 years
 
 
Legend of California screenshot showing a man hunting some buffalo
FPS Games New game from the creator of Overwatch gets its first public Steam playtest later this month
 
 
Counter-Strike 2
FPS Games Valve thinks reloading in Counter-Strike 2 needed "higher stakes" after 27 years, so leftover ammo is getting dumped
 
 
Long-haired man aims drawn bow toward deer standing at a distance in a foggy forest
FPS Games Overwatch co-creator says free-to-play games require "2 thousand devs cranking out f***ing keychains like a sweatshop"
 
 
Marathon Thief shell in dark lighting
FPS Games Marathon players must kill 500 million UESC to find Cryo Archive: "Clankers are back on the menu"
 
 
Latest in News
Palworld
Survival Games "Apologies, Palworld gamers," but Pocketpair lead says an underwater level will never happen
 
 
The Witcher 4 tech demo trailer screenshot of Ciri chatting in a market
The Witcher The Witcher 4 is "steaming ahead" as CD Projekt expands with 220 new developers in the past year
 
 
Close up of a Tangela cart as part of the Pokemon TCG Ascended Heroes set.
Tabletop Gaming Ascended Heroes doesn't revolutionize Pokemon cards, but it's still an essential purchase
 
 
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild star didn't know what game she was trying for, nor that it was the title role
 
 
SpyraGo lying on a wooden surface
Toys & Collectibles If you buy one water gun for the sunny weather, I beg you to try this
 
 
Rumi, Mira, and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters
Animated Movies KPop Demon Hunters may be coming to a city near you as Netflix is reportedly planning a Huntrix stage show world tour
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. The Future of Starfield
    1
    Bethesda's Tim Lamb on the biggest changes coming to Starfield, the PS5 release, and why all those load screens are necessary
  2. 2
    Breath of the Wild star didn't know what game she was trying for, nor that it was the title role
  3. 3
    Best Helldivers 2 pistols and melee weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
  4. 4
    This $27.99 Switch 2 headset already costs less than my lunch, but it somehow just got even cheaper
  5. 5
    If you buy one water gun for the sunny weather, I beg you to try this

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...