For the second time this year, Steam has set a major new concurrent user record

Valve's digital store and social platform, Steam, has once again set a major new concurrent user record, marking its growth and dominance in the PC gaming market for the second time this year. On Sunday, Steam recorded an impressive 43,505,724 concurrent users, surpassing the previous record of over 42 million set in January. In-game players also reached a new high of over 14 million, further highlighting Steam's popularity.

This record follows the recent Autumn Sale, indicating that the surge in user numbers was not solely due to sales events. The increase in players can be attributed to several popular game launches, including the worldwide release of the free-to-play MMO Aion 2, which saw 397,905 concurrent players at launch. Additionally, Steam's top ten most played games list remains consistent, with Deadlock, a third-person MOBA-shooter hybrid, experiencing a significant boost in players (262,145 peak concurrent) following a major update.

The high number of concurrent users translates to substantial revenue for Valve, with recent estimates suggesting they made $15bn from Steam by September, with Forza Horizon 6 being the biggest new release this year by revenue.