Steam Surpasses 41 Million Concurrent Players, Breaking Its Previous Record

Steam has set another milestone for concurrent player activity, recording more than 41 million users online simultaneously on October 12, 2025. The new peak arrives seven months after Valve’s platform last broke records in March 2025 with over 40 million players connected at once.

This record follows a steady rise in user engagement throughout the year. While the timing coincides with the start of Steam Next Fest on October 13, the platform’s new peak occurred a day earlier, suggesting that major releases — particularly Battlefield 6 — played a crucial role in pushing user numbers past the previous record.

According to reports from John Papadopoulos, Battlefield 6 contributed to this record-setting weekend despite not surpassing the daily peaks of PUBG: Battlegrounds, Dota 2, or Counter-Strike 2. Valve’s multiplayer staples continue to dominate the charts, but Battlefield 6’s release added enough volume to push overall concurrent usage to new heights.

Image: October 2025

At the top of Steam’s most played list remains Counter-Strike 2, with a peak of over 1.5 million players in the last 24 hours. The number brings the shooter close to its all-time record of 1.8 million concurrent users. Following closely is Dota 2, maintaining its long-standing position as one of the platform’s most consistent performers. PUBG: Battlegrounds continues to hold a strong third place, followed by Battlefield 6, which entered the top five shortly after launch.

In fifth place, Delta Force has surprised both players and analysts by achieving a strong debut week. Developed by TiMi Studio Group, the new entry in the long-dormant series was initially expected to perform modestly due to its departure from traditional Delta Force gameplay. Despite receiving Mixed and Mostly Negative reviews on Steam, the game’s player count demonstrates commercial success and broad interest, particularly in the free-to-play shooter segment.

Other titles rounding out Steam’s top performers include Apex Legends, Banana, Wallpaper Engine, and Bongo Cat. Rust continues to perform well, maintaining a position in the top ten, followed by Stardew Valley and NARAKA: Bladepoint. Grand Theft Auto V and Dead by Daylight complete the list of the fifteen most played games over the past day.

Steam’s new record of over 41 million concurrent users represents continued growth for the PC gaming platform, which remains the industry’s largest digital distribution service. For comparison, Valve’s last major record on March 2, 2025, reached 40,270,997 concurrent players — itself an increase from 39 million users just two months earlier in December 2024. That earlier milestone was supported by the popularity of Monster Hunter Wilds, Marvel Rivals, and NARAKA: Bladepoint.

Image: March 2025

The March record also marked a period of strong retention for multiplayer and live-service titles. Games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, PUBG: Battlegrounds, and Apex Legends continued to anchor the platform’s active user base, while older titles such as Grand Theft Auto V and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege remained among the top twenty. Even Baldur’s Gate 3 maintained a place in the top 25 months after launch, demonstrating how major releases from 2023 and 2024 still contribute significantly to Steam’s overall player activity.

Valve’s platform continues to show consistent engagement across both free-to-play and premium titles. Despite the usual fluctuations in player interest around major releases, Steam’s growth trend has remained upward since early 2024. The addition of large-scale releases like Battlefield 6 and the reemergence of established franchises like Delta Force have provided a noticeable boost to player concurrency, especially during weekends.

While the Steam Next Fest demo event began shortly after the new record, data indicates that its impact on concurrent player numbers was secondary. The record-setting total occurred before the festival started, reinforcing the influence of new game launches rather than limited-time demo access.

Valve has not yet commented publicly on the record or released official figures beyond user count data. However, the achievement reinforces Steam’s sustained dominance in PC gaming and its ability to attract massive global audiences during major releases.

The current leaderboard again highlights Counter-Strike 2 as the dominant title, maintaining its position as the most played game on the platform. Dota 2 and PUBG: Battlegrounds remain fixtures of the top three, with Battlefield 6 and Delta Force rounding out the week’s most popular multiplayer experiences.

Steam’s consistent growth from 39 million concurrent users in late 2024 to over 41 million in October 2025 reflects the platform’s continued central role in the PC gaming ecosystem. With ongoing content updates, seasonal events, and major launches scheduled through the end of the year, the platform’s concurrent user count shows no sign of slowing down.