Valve has published a 2023 look-back of its Steam platform, revealing the most popular games and best-selling releases from across the last twelve months. In particular, people are interested in finding out which games were the most played in 2023 – but it’s a relatively predictable assortment of titles.
For the breakdown, Valve opted for a tier system, ranking games in Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories based on certain thresholds, such as ‘Over 300,000 Peak Players’ for Platinum-ranked games.
What Were The Most-Played Steam Games in 2023?
At the top of the table sat two games that are always at the top of the Steam charts: Counter-Strike and Dota 2. It doesn’t matter when you check the leaderboards, you’re almost guaranteed to see these two titles somewhere near the top – often occupying the lead spot by quite a distance.
Elsewhere, there was a scattering of predictable titles that made up the list of the most-played Steam games in 2023:
- Starfield (330,597 peak)
- Destiny 2 (316,651 peak)
- Lost Ark (333,008 peak)
- Baldur’s Gate 3 (875,343 peak)
- Apex Legends (624,473 peak)
- PUBG (623,852 peak)
- Hogwarts Legacy (527,652 peak)
Two games stood out from the crowd, though:
- Sons of the Forest
- Goose Goose Duck
Sons of the Forest launched in February 2023 in an early access state, providing players with an intense and beautiful survival horror experience set on a wide, open map. It launched to a remarkably positive reception, racking up a peak concurrent player count of 411,804 users.
Goose Goose Duck is a little stranger. This game, which sees players team up and assume control of a flock of geese to solve challenges and complete missions, rocketed to 701,898 concurrent players almost two years after it was released. It was a bizarre growth trend that was covered by Forbes, with Goose Goose Duck offering a similar vibe to Among Us, only a little sillier and more carefree.
What did you enjoy the most this year on Steam?
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