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Win.gg Counter-Strike CSGO tops Steam list after breaking all-time highest player count record

CSGO tops Steam list after breaking all-time highest player count record

Fariha Bhatti
Fariha Bhatti Published 11/02/2023
Animals that appear in CSGO

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is having an excellent start to 2023, breaking its own player count record.

Valve’s labor of love is still relevant and popular, stats reveal. It seems modern FPS games have done more good than damage to CSGO as more players discover the classic game after trying out the new titles. As a result, CSGO is currently the top game on Steam, followed by Dota 2 and PUBG. 

The FPS gaming genre is stacked with popular games, but one of the oldest among all, CSGO, is still relevant. According to Steam charts, the game saw a peak of whopping 1,320,219 players. 

Agent skin in CSGO

Many had written CSGO off after the release of modern FPS games, but Valve’s labor of love is still in the race. After dropping a small chunk of player count in 2022, CSGO reclaimed the 1 million mark, and now it’s continuing to grow. 

The online era of play in 2020 contributed tons to CSGO’s initial dip, and Valorant’s release catalyzed the popularity decline. Consequently, the game lost a massive chunk of its player base, registering the biggest drop in years. In 2021, the total continued to go down for six consecutive months, bringing it to only 763,523 peak players in July 2021.

FPS players were convinced that CSGO is dying, but new stats tell a different tale. 

CSGO set a new record in April 2020 during the lockdown. With 1,305,704 peak players, CSGO hit a new milestone that many believe would be hard for the game to surpass again. However, CSGO has surprised its fans and foes by setting a new record with 1,320,219 players, becoming the most popular game on Steam.

The stellar player count is likely the result of the new skin case, “Revolution.” The set contains 17 weapon skins dipped in bright colors. Unlike most CSGO skins, this one includes plenty of options for those who like upbeat themes. Lucky players can also get their hands on some highly sought-after gloves in CSGO. 

Fariha Bhatti 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.

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