Counter-Strike 2 reached its highest ever concurrent player peak this past Sunday, confirming to all that the iconic first-person shooter from Valve is very much not dead. This peak came less than 24 hours after the trophy was lifted at the Perfect World Shanghai Major.
While this latest peak isn’t the highest in the history of Counter-Strike itself, it’s an incredible accomplishment for CS2.
Upward trajectory
The Counter-Strike 2 player peak reached 1,740,261 concurrent players this past Sunday, according to SteamDB. This is the highest number of concurrent players on CS2 ever, roughly 180,000 more than the peak that was set when the sequel officially launched in September 2023. With the exception of June and July, the concurrent player peak has gone up every single month of 2024. Both monthly concurrent player peaks and player averages are up now compared to where they were when the year began.
The new CS2 player peak did fall a few hundred thousand players short of the all-time peak set in May 2023. The all-time CS2 player peak of 1,818,773 concurrent players was brought on by both the release of the BLAST Paris Major viewer pass and the ongoing CS2 limited test. CS:GO player numbers jumped following the CS2 limited test announcement as players tried to increase their hours in hopes of getting access.
The Major typically brings in more players throughout its duration, as players make Pick ‘Ems selections, redeem souvenir packages, and open sticker capsules. Following Team Spirit’s victory, the players’ championship autographs will become available for purchase soon.
Despite widespread player concerns about the amount of content and the state of anti-cheat, among other issues, CS2 is showing no signs of slowing down or a diminished player count. It still remains the most actively played game on all of Valve by a considerable margin, and that likely isn’t changing anytime soon.
Is any game ever going to surpass CS2 on Steam? Let us know in the Insider Gaming forum.
If you’ve got spare CSGO or CS2 skins and you’re feeling lucky, check out Clash.gg (18+ only)
Stay tuned to Insider Gaming for the latest esports news. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
