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
      • Big Preview
      • 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
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • 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
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Saros review
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Best turn-based RPGs
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Delta Force giveaway
Don't miss these
Escape From Tarkov
FPS Games Escape from Tarkov is the 11th most-played PC game says new report, beating Overwatch and PUBG
Hand pressing Steam Machine power button on desk.
Hardware Valve is seemingly sitting on 20,000 Steam Machine units, so I'd be stumped if availability is an issue
Hands holding new Steam Controller in front of woodgrain surface with chess board in backdrop.
Hardware Steam Controller orders immediately break Valve's servers before $200 scalper listings appear
Schedule 1 character in cowboy hat
Games PC gamers buy way more games that cost less than $30 at launch compared to console, analysts say
Astarian looking pensive with his hand resting on his chin in Baldur's Gate 3
Games The 25 best Steam games to play in 2026
Gamble With Your Friends character with both hands out
Co-op Games Another friendslop hit prints money on Steam as Gamble With Your Friends sells 500k copies
Helldivers 2 PS5 screenshot
Games The 25 best online games to play in 2026
Pragmata Diana
Action Games Pragmata hits 2 million sales after Capcom's tease of its potential future as a franchise
An astronaut holding a gun points away, while another astronaut clutches his head
Co-op Games After 6 games in 15 years, dev loses it as over 10,000 Steam players flock to his new co-op game
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era key art showing a knight charging across a field, with a dragon swooping in the distance
Strategy Games Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era publisher celebrates 1.5 million Steam wishlists
Steam sale: a screenshot of a collection games in a Steam library
Games Steam Sale dates 2026: When is the next Steam sale?
Crimson Desert hero shutting his eyes
Open World Games Crimson Desert still reaching impressive player numbers on Steam over a month after launch, despite being single-player
Cyberpunk 2077 character Johnny Silverhand
Games Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Skyrim help make PC game sales more diverse than console – report
Two characters in S&box
Games Garry's Mod follow-up S&box will launch on Steam with "sustainable" payout for content creators
Shapez
Simulation Games Steam blocked this Factorio homage's early access release 5 times - now it's sold 2 million copies
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.

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.
  1. Games
  2. FPS Games
  3. Steam

Over 25 million of us were simultaneously online on Steam this weekend

News
By Vikki Blake published 3 January 2021

7.2 million of those concurrent users were actively in-game

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
Subscribe to our newsletter

Valve has once again smashed its own record for the most concurrent users on its Steam platform - only this time, it's done it twice in a single day.

As our pals at PC Gamer reported over the weekend, SteamDB reported a new concurrent peak of 25,415,080 concurrent users on the service yesterday, January 2, 2021, breaching the 25 million milestone for the very first time.

Just a few hours ago, though – but still within the same 24-hour period – Steam has now beaten that with 25,418,674 simultaneous users, 7.2 million of which were actively playing at the time. 

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
  • Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot Death Stranding 2's PC player peak is better than both versions of the original game combined
  • Windrose early access release trailer screenshot shows a male pirate wearing a bandana on his head, facing the camera. Windrose sells 1 million copies in less than a week, passes 220,000 concurrent Steam players
Latest Videos From

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 just before the holidays, Cyberpunk 2077 was briefly 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.

Not only does this mean that Cyberpunk 2077 overtook multiplayer giants like Dota 2 and CS:GO, but it 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, putting it head and shoulders above both Terraria, which held the previous record at 490,000 players, and Fallout 4 at 473,000 players.

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

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.
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
 
 
Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Action Games Death Stranding 2's PC player peak is better than both versions of the original game combined
 
 
Windrose early access release trailer screenshot shows a male pirate wearing a bandana on his head, facing the camera.
Open World Games Windrose sells 1 million copies in less than a week, passes 220,000 concurrent Steam players
 
 
FPS Games Overwatch's game-changing update isn't even out yet, but its Steam peak passed Call of Duty and Battlefield anyway
 
 
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
 
 
Latest in FPS Games
Screenshot from Halo Infinite's Firefight: Gauntlet mode, showing four spartans sprinting toward a group of armored brutes inside a shiny, alien interior.
Halo Months after Halo Infinite's final major update, Halo Studios releases a surprise PvE mode
 
 
A picture of Classic Marathon showing the player walking down a corridor in first-person with a gun drawn and a terminal at the other corner
FPS Games I played Marathon and its 1994 predecessor to see how Bungie has evolved over the years
 
 
Call of Duty Black Ops 7 cutscene David Mason and Troy Marshall talking
Call of Duty Activision kills Call of Duty rumor: next game will not be on PS4, ending last-gen support
 
 
Escape From Tarkov
FPS Games Escape from Tarkov is the 11th most-played PC game says new report, beating Overwatch and PUBG
 
 
A Rebel soldier on Endor in Star Wars Battlefront
FPS Games Somehow, EA's Battlefront is still the best-selling Star Wars game of all time
 
 
Marathon Thief shell in dark lighting
FPS Games Bungie doesn't see Marathon going anywhere: "We know where we want to take the story over the next few years"
 
 
Latest in News
An older Bill, Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer lined up against Hank's fence, with modern technology all around
Animated Shows King of the Hill season 15 trailer is a nostalgia bomb that takes us through some of the show's most iconic moments
 
 
A little frog wearing a hat and riding a sled in Sledding Game
Co-op Games Solo dev stunned as his "first ever video game" sells 100,000 copies in 5 days on Steam
 
 
Idris Elba, Nicholas Galitzine, and Camila Mendes in Masters of the Universe
Adventure Movies New Masters of the Universe TV spot gives us our first glimpse at He-Man riding Battle Cat
 
 
Diablo 4 The Butcher
Diablo Diablo 4 alone makes this $15 game bundle worth it, so with one of the best JRPGS of the last decade it's unbeatable
 
 
Hands holding Steam Controller above PC keyboard.
Hardware Steam Controller reservations announced with scalper protection as Valve admits frustrating launch
 
 
Bruised Neverness to Everness character wide-eyed
Open World Games Neverness to Everness devs admit using "AI-assisted tools" after deleting slop animation
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Idris Elba, Nicholas Galitzine, and Camila Mendes in Masters of the Universe
    1
    New Masters of the Universe TV spot gives us our first glimpse at He-Man riding Battle Cat
  2. 2
    Diablo 4 alone makes this $15 game bundle worth it, so with one of the best JRPGS of the last decade it's unbeatable
  3. 3
    Steam Controller reservations announced with scalper protection as Valve admits frustrating launch
  4. 4
    6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more (May 8–May 10)
  5. 5
    Dragon Quest creator says AI can make characters "feel even more human" and "listen" with "empathy"

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

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

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...