Halo Infinite becomes most-played Xbox game on Steam ever in under 24 hours

halo infinite multiplayer test flight team arena sidekick pistol
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Halo Infinite is already the most-played Xbox Game Studios title of all time on Steam.

In case you missed it yesterday on November 16, Xbox stealth-launched Halo Infinite's multiplayer component into open beta with immediate effect, across PC and Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Xbox One. As industry analyst Daniel Ahmad notes below, Halo Infinite surpassed the highest concurrent player count for an Xbox Game Studios title in just two and a half hours.

Halo Infinite would only go up from there however, and as SteamDB reports, the all-time concurrent peak player count for 343's sequel now sits at a grand 272,586 players. This peak figure came at roughly 7PM PT/10PM ET last night on November 15, just a handful of hours after Xbox first announced that Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode would be going live that same day.

Right now, Halo Infinite's open multiplayer beta continues to roll on, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of both the original Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved. Although the multiplayer mode is in beta right now for everyone, all progress made during the beta will carry over to the final game when it launches next month, so you don't need to worry about Battle Pass progress going to waste.

Halo Infinite launches in just a few weeks from now on December 8, and it'll be available as a day one launch through Xbox Game Pass on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. Additionally, as 343 previously announced, the multiplayer mode will actually be launched in a free-to-play model for all, so you don't even need to own the full game or be an Xbox Game Pass subscriber to jump into Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode.

Check out our Halo Infinite weapons guide for a complete walkthrough of every gun before you jump into the beta.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.