Steam’s 10 Most Played Games Of All Time

Steam started out as a Valve first-party service designed to automatically update the company’s games for PC players. Since 2005, though, it’s expanded to become the world’s biggest digital games store for PC gamers, with one of the widest selections of games available anywhere. Fans can also play many of these titles on the go, thanks to 2022’s release of the Steam Deck.

Steam has also become famous for its incredible sales, which offer fantastic deals on a range of titles. Over the years, many big games have released on the platform and become huge hits with fans, but there are some that stand out from the rest. Here are the 10 most popular Steam games of all time, ranked by their all-time peak number of concurrent Steam players, according to SteamDB.com.

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10 Goose Goose Duck

Goose Goose Duck released in 2021, right after the success of Among Us. It’s plain to see that the latter served as heavy inspiration for the bird-based game, which also sees players work together to complete tasks while also trying to remove the imposters. However, it wasn’t until early in 2023 when Goose Goose Duck‘s popularity suddenly soared, thanks to a hugely popular Chinese streamer who played the game. It reached its peak concurrent player count on January 12, 2023.

Goose Goose Duck even managed to overtake the popularity of Among Us, which would rank at number 19 on this list, with a peak of 447,476 concurrent players. The rather odd social deduction game does deserve credit, though, for the way it improved on Among Us‘ rather repetitive formula. It introduced specific roles for players, as well as a host of different game modes. It also allowed up to 16 players to join in the fun. Although its popularity has decreased as the years have passed, it still manages to boast tens of thousands of players every day, meaning there’s still plenty of duck-hunting action left to be had.

9 Baldur’s Gate 3

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Baldur’s Gate is one of the best and most iconic CRPG franchises in gaming history. The Dungeons & Dragons-based series has its roots firmly in PC gaming, but recently managed to branch over to the console space when Baldur’s Gate 3 released on PlayStation 5 earlier this year, with an Xbox Series X/S version also due before the year is out.

It’s arguably the front-runner to win a host of the 2023 Game of the Year awards, thanks to its incredible scale, brilliant writing, seemingly endless gameplay and story options, and epic boss battles. It reached its peak popularity on August 13, 2023, but still manages to regularly have over 100,000 concurrent players every day. The game can easily take over 100 hours to complete just for a single playthrough, with many players opting to try a number of different paths to experience more of what the game has to offer. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if Baldur’s Gate 3 maintained its impressive popularity for some time yet.

8 Hogwarts Legacy

Given the immense popularity of Harry Potter, it’s no real surprise to see Hogwarts Legacy rank among the most popular Steam games of all time. Fans of the wizarding franchise had waited years for a game that allowed them to play as a custom character and immerse themselves in a magical adventure of their own, so when Hogwarts Legacy gave them the chance to do just that, they flocked to experience it.

The highest number of concurrent players for the game was recorded on February 12, 2023, just two days after its launch. Hogwarts Legacy allowed players to freely explore the famous magical school, its grounds, and the surrounding towns and villages in glorious style, whether that be on the back of a flying mount, or a classic broomstick. Players could make friends, help other witches and wizards and ultimately uncover and save the world from a mysterious ancient power.

7 New World

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New World is a buy-to-play MMORPG that sees players attempt to colonize and control Aeternum, a fictional 17th-century island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It released on September 28, 2021, and registered its peak number of concurrent players five days later on October 3, 2021.

Players can join a group with up to four others as they side with one of three factions all fighting for control over the island. Players can gather resources, such as wood, stone, and animal skins, to craft items and boost their power. Players can take on numerous quests to earn more rewards and take over more settlements for their chosen faction. Combat is a mixture of both PvP and PvE. Players can equip both melee and ranged weapons, or use magic to take down their opponents, all while carefully monitoring their stamina, mana, and health along the way.

6 Elden Ring

Elden Ring was the game that really shot its developer, FromSoftware, into the mainstream conscience. The Souls games had already become very popular, but their notorious difficulty had previously put a number of people off. Elden Ring introduced a host of new features, most notably its open world, that made it more accessible to new fans. Although it may be one of FromSoftware’s easier games, it still offers a huge challenge and was a huge hit with both new and long-time fans.

It reached its highest number of concurrent players on March 5, 2022, but it still regularly boasts impressive numbers of over 40,000 concurrent players. Elden Ring won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022 and is deservedly ranked among the greatest games of all time. Its stunning and rewarding open world, addictively tough combat, and epic boss battles set the bar for open-world RPGs and fans are eagerly awaiting more news regarding its DLC.

5 Cyberpunk 2077

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Cyberpunk 2077 famously launched in a horrendously broken state, with console players seemingly impacted harder than PC players. Despite this disappointment, it reached its highest number of concurrent Steam players on the day after its launch on December 10, 2020. Its popularity soon fell off given the number of bugs, but its developer, CD Projekt Red, has certainly turned things around.

Numerous patches, a popular anime adaption, a successful DLC, and $125 million later, the game is now in a much better state. Night City, where Cyberpunk is set, is stunning and a thrill to explore, with meaningful character writing and interactions around every corner. The game has recently seen a new surge in popularity thanks to the release of the Phantom Liberty DLC and is up there with the very best open-world RPGS.

4 Dota 2

Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena game that pits two teams of five against each other. Players control individual heroes, with unique abilities and playstyles, and fight to destroy a large structure inside their opponents’ base, known as an Ancient. Despite releasing a decade ago, the game maintains a huge player base to this day. It reached its peak number of concurrent players on March 6, 2016.

The game has a rather interesting development story. It was developed by the pseudonymous IceFrog, who was the lead designer on the original Defense of the Ancients (DotA), which itself was a mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Valve hired IceFrog and together they created Dota 2. It’s free-to-play and doesn’t hide gameplay-altering items behind a paywall, something for which it’s earned a lot of praise. It’s also the most lucrative eSport with a huge following of fans.

3 Lost Ark

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Lost Ark is a free-to-play MMO action RPG that focuses on PvE play. There are multiplayer PvP modes, but these are more standard arena modes and are separate from the main dungeons, raids, and exploration, which players can choose to take on either solo or with friends.

Players create a character and customize their appearance, class, advanced class, and abilities to match their playstyle. Just one day after its global release, on 12 February 2022, Lost Ark reached its highest number of concurrent players. A year and a half later, it still regularly has over 60,000 players online at any one time. Its fast-paced gameplay is enjoyable and easy to pick up, making it one of the more accessible free-to-play games for new players.

2 Counter-Strike 2/Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

When Valve launched Counter-Strike 2 on September 27, 2023, it replaced the hugely popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, acting as both a major update and a sequel to the 11-year-old game. The free-to-play title has been hugely popular for many years now, with more and more players joining in on the action. It reached its peak number of concurrent players on May 6, 2023, when it was still Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Despite becoming Valve’s lowest-rated game on Steam, Counter-Strike 2 still regularly hosts over a million concurrent players. It pitches players against each other in a tactical 5v5 format. Teams play as either the Terrorists, who must plant and detonate a bomb at one of two marked sites, or the Counter-Terrorists, who must prevent the detonation, before then switching roles. It requires a high level of communication, map knowledge, and skill and offers a high level of competitiveness that makes it so popular among fans.

1 PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, previously known as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, was one of the first games to popularize the Battle Royale genre. It pits up to 100 players against each other in a battle arena, with the last team or player standing crowned the winner. Players drop onto the map from a plane, choosing when to eject and where to land, and must loot weapons and equipment to build a loadout as the arena shrinks and forces players into hostile encounters.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS won the award for Best Multiplayer Game at both the 2017 The Game Awards and the Golden Joystick Awards and is still enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of players every day. It reached its peak number of concurrent Steam players on January 13, 2018, a record that nothing has come close to beating since.