Starfield, Bethesda’s highly anticipated space RPG, enters the top 10 most-played Steam games list a day before its official release
Bethesda’s upcoming release, Starfield, has achieved an impressive milestone by entering Steam’s top 10 most-played games list ahead of its launch, reinforcing the high expectations set by early reviews.
Starfield Breaks Into Top 10 Most Played Steam Games Before Release
While the highly-anticipated RPG, Starfield, is slated for its full-scale release on September 6th, a select group of eager players has had the privilege of diving into the game’s early access version starting from September 1st.
This exclusive opportunity has been extended to those who invested in the Premium Edition of Starfield, granting them a five-day head start in exploring the game’s vast universe and all its intricacies ahead of the wider gaming community.
Starfield set a new peak playercount today on Steam.
What I find really interesting is just how consistent the playercount has been. It’s been at ~220K basically since the moment the game unlocked.
Says to me that people are coming back and that they’re playing longer. pic.twitter.com/NLqJaQn8g5
— Okami Games (@Okami13_) September 3, 2023
Starfield’s early access launch saw an enthusiastic response from gamers, propelling it into Steam’s coveted top 10 most-played games in record time. According to SteamDB, the RPG has already achieved an impressive peak of 248,632 concurrent players.
This remarkable achievement positions Starfield as the seventh most-played game on Valve’s platform at the time of writing, and it’s worth noting that every title ranking higher is either free-to-play or the legendary Steam hit, Baldur’s Gate 3. All of this unfolds just hours before Starfield’s official release, signaling a promising future for Bethesda’s latest creation.
Image Courtesy: SteamDB
Early Multiplatform Access Played A Vital Part In Starfield’s Success
Credit: Bethesda
While Baldur’s Gate 3 enjoyed an exclusive period on PC for more than a month, Starfield took a different approach by offering early access on current-generation Xbox consoles right from the start. The plot thickens, however, when we consider that Xbox Game Pass members had the opportunity to dive into the Starfield universe early by simply pairing their subscriptions with a $34.99 Premium Edition upgrade on either platform.
This intriguing development implies that the early adopter community for this RPG could be substantially larger than the recently revealed data suggests. It’s important to note that SteamDB’s tracking is limited to publicly visible player profiles, which may not capture the entire player base. PC gamers also have the option to acquire Starfield through the Microsoft Store, adding to the complexity of gauging the game’s early success and popularity.
A Prelude To Gaming Greatness?
Starfield’s early performance on Steam mirrors the initial success of recent blockbuster game launches on the platform. The game’s strong start suggests that, if the current trajectory continues, we could see Starfield reach a staggering half a million concurrent players in the coming days.
If Starfield manages to sustain the momentum, it is poised to shatter records as Bethesda’s most significant Steam launch to date. The current record-holder, Fallout 4, achieved a peak of 472,962 concurrent players just five days into its November 2015 release. Starfield is already close to beating The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which boasts an all-time peak of 287,411 players on Steam.
The outstanding performance of Starfield during its early access phase indicates a significant milestone for Bethesda, marking the success of its first entirely new intellectual property (IP) since 1994. This trajectory not only hints at Starfield potentially becoming one of the standout game launches of 2023 but also suggests it could have a profound and lasting impact on the gaming industry as a whole.