As individual games like Battlefield 6, Hades 2, and Hollow Knight Silksong break their own personal concurrent player count records on Steam, Valve's platform keeps breaking its own total concurrent player count records. In September 2024, Steam surpassed 38.4 million concurrent players, breaking all previous records. Now, it's exceeded that record high by three million players, surpassing 41.6 million concurrent players.
Spotted by DSOGaming, it seems that a mix of Battlefield 6 having a stellar launch between concurrent player counts on Steam and units sold, paired with the last Steam Next Fest event of the year kicking up, and chart-topping regulars like DOTA 2 and Counter-Strike staying consistent all helped push the PC gaming platform to 41,666,455 concurrent players, per SteamDB on October 12.
Since breaking the record, the player count hasn't gotten back to 40 million, but after first reaching 41 million players earlier this year in March, it shows how Steam numbers are staying consistent, and with big releases like Battlefield 6, are pushing past previous records, even with analysts pointing towards console games as leading the video game industry's growth in the near future.
It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the year's big releases continue to push concurrent player counts on Steam, and in the case of Battlefield 6, see if Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is able to match, if not best, the shooter series' major comeback. For more on Battlefield 6 ahead of Black Ops 7's launch, you can check out our benchmarking tests to ensure you're playing at the best settings for your setup.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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