CSGO is back on top after crossing 1 million players on Steam

Fariha Bhatti Published 10/01/2023

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is not your seasonal FPS game, recent statistics prove. Valve’s labor of love is back on top, at least viewership-wise.

CSGO has seen many competitors over the years, with people comparing the game with almost every new FPS title. However, the game has held its own, despite modern shooters. Still, fans and haters are both quick to count CSGO out of the competition, and each time the game bounces back.

The year 2021 was a bit rough for CSGO, but it’s already off to a great start in 2023. According to SteamCharts, 4% more players have logged back into Steam accounts to play the legendary shooter. The cause behind the hike is unknown, but players are happy their favorite FPS is once again part of the conversation.

CSGO crosses 1 million players in 2023

CSGO’s player count is thriving in 2023, hinting at a good year for Valve’s shooter game. CSGO has crossed 1 million players for the first time since 2021.

The player count for gaming titles keeps fluctuating due to many factors, and CSGO is no exception. Except, CSGO’s number dipped in May of 2021 and failed to bounce back for the rest of the year. Small hikes were observed but didn’t necessarily add to the player count. As always, players were quick to assume that CSGO was officially over as new titles take over.

But 2023 proved that assumption wrong.

According to Steam Charts, CSGO saw a 4% increase in the player count since December, hitting 1 million again. The game hasn’t seen a peak like this since January 2021. In the last 30 days, about 1,133,610 players played CSGO, which is an incredible number. This increase began in the latter half of 2022 but wasn’t substantial enough. But the game seems to keep growing in terms of viewership.

What’s more surprising is that this peak isn’t a by-product of any big LAN event or operation whatsoever. Instead, the game organically achieved its highest peak. Even though December is generally considered a gaming downtime, dedicated players seem to have found their way to CSGO during the holidays.

The new stats set an excellent foundation for 2023 as Valve prepares to roll out a new operation. If this player count persists without any notable updates, CSGO may even hit an all-time peak in 2023. Who knows — the numbers may convince Valve to release the highly-awaited Source 2 port finally.

How many people play CSGO in 2023?

In 2023, an average of 658,413.8 people play CSGO, with a peak of over 1 million. Upcoming events and operations will only add to the booming player count, hinting at a bright future for Valve’s iconic FPS game.

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

View full profile