Steam’s numbers from 2024 are in, and the players have spoken. Of all the games on the Valve storefront, a handful made the biggest impact among PC users, as shown by new player data released yesterday.
Valve shared its “Best of 2024” data on Dec. 26, highlighting games that performed the best by a variety of metrics. The data is split into various categories, such as best-selling games, most played, and favorites among Steam Deck, VR, and controller users.
Among the most-played games on Steam toughout 2024 were several new releases from the year, like Palworld, Helldivers 2, Path of Exile 2, Black Myth Wukong, and Marvel Rivals, according to Valve. A number of returning titles—including Apex Legends, PUBG, Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, and Elden Ring—also landed in Steam’s “Platinum” ranking, or the top tier of all most-played games. Each of these titles hit over 450,000 peak players this year, a remarkable feat that showcases the enduring appeal of multiplayer gaming.
What ties these many of the top Steam games together is their multiplayer focus. It’s no surprise players are flocking to experiences that let them team up (or compete) with others. Multiplayer games create community, connection, and replayability—aspects solo experiences can struggle to replicate. Peak player counts over 450,000 prove just how much people are loving these shared worlds, whether they’re exploring with friends, taking on rivals, or building their dream camp (with a little Pal-powered help).
Most of these top-played games also made the cut for Steam’s “Top Sellers” category, which was measured by gross revenue. A few other games managed to wiggle their way into the pack, however, including Destiny 2, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Although many of these games released in 2024, a large swathe of them stand out as older releases, proving the staying power of a title like BG3 or an Elden Ring, which kept its gameplay fresh with a massive DLC in 2024 that was even nominated as a contender for Game of the Year.
The Steam Deck, Controller, and VR categories shook things up a bit. These categories celebrated top-selling games by each platform based on gross revenue. Palworld and Elden Ring snagged spots in both the Steam Deck and Controller categories, where they were joined by the likes of Dave the Diver, Stardew Valley, and Balatro, just to name a few. Titles like Beat Saber, Skyrim, and Half-Life: Alyx were among top selling VR-exclusive titles toughout 2024.
To see the full list of accolades on Steam and whether your favorite game made the cut, you can check out Steam’s Best of 2024 list on the storefront. Users can also view their own personalized data—including which games they played the most toughout the year, all of the achievements they earned during that time, and the longest string of days they gamed in their 2024 Steam Replay—to see whether their most-played games line up with the larger trends on the Valve storefront.
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