Steam Sets New All-Time Concurrent User Record During Winter Sale

Steam has broken its all-time concurrent user record once again, hitting a new peak of 41,816,052 users online simultaneously over the past 24 hours, according to data from SteamDB.

The milestone was reached just before the end of the Winter Sale.

The previous record — 41.67 million concurrent users — was set in October shortly after the release of Battlefield 6. The latest figure confirms that Steam’s audience continues to grow steadily.

For comparison:

  • In 2020, Steam’s peak barely exceeded 19 million users.
  • Throughout 2024, Steam broke its concurrent user record seven times.

The trend shows consistent year-over-year growth rather than one-off spikes tied to single releases.

Top 10 Games by Current 24-Hour Peak

At the time of writing, the most-played titles on Steam by 24-hour peak concurrent players are:

  1. Counter-Strike 2 — 1,483,175 players
  2. Dota 2 — 737,993 players
  3. PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS — 662,585 players
  4. ARC Raiders — 199,513 players
  5. Rust — 167,864 players
  6. Apex Legends — 166,697 players
  7. Bongo Cat — 162,372 players
  8. Delta Force — 133,124 players
  9. Stardew Valley — 129,314 players
  10. Wallpaper Engine — 128,747 players

As usual, Valve’s own titles dominate the top spots, with Counter-Strike 2 maintaining a massive lead.

Sale Ending Soon

The Winter Sale is set to end at 21:00, meaning the current traffic surge may soften once discounts conclude.

The next major promotional event on Steam is scheduled for January 12–19, centered around a themed Detective Festival.

Given Steam’s trajectory over the past five years, the newly set 41.8 million peak may not stand for long — especially with several high-profile releases still ahead in early 2026.

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