Steam just hit a record-breaking 18.8m concurrent users Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Steam just hit a record-breaking 18.8m concurrent users Concurrent Steam users peaked at 18,801,944 earlier today. News by Vikki Blake Contributor Updated on 2 Feb 2020 31 comments Steam just broke its own record for concurrent users, hitting - and then surpassing - its prior record of 18,537,490 users earlier today. According to SteamDB (thanks, PCGN), the number of concurrent Steam users peaked at 18,801,944 players a little before 2.30pm UK time today - 2.20pm to be precise - smashing the record it set back in January 2018. .@Steam has broken its record for most concurrently online users that was held for two years. Previous record was 18,537,490 users. It's still increasing!But there's about 1 million less players actually in-game (≈5.8mil vs ≈7mil two years ago).https://t.co/D6WDHbz0B4- SteamDB (@SteamDB) February 2, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings As SteamDB points out, however, what's interesting is that while we're seeing record numbers of concurrent Steam users, that's not reflected in the in-game figures. "Steam has broken its record for most concurrently online users that was held for two years. Previous record was 18,537,490 users. It's still increasing!" SteamDB tweeted earlier today. "But there's about 1 million less players actually in-game (≈5.8mil vs ≈7mil two years ago)." So: what, exactly, were those 18.8m PC players doing at the time the numbers peaked? Without disaggregated stats that allow us to really interrogate the data sets, we can only guess, but the biggest games on the PC platform right now are reportedly Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, Grand Theft Auto 5, and Monster Hunter: World. Even combined, though, the player numbers don't even account for 3 million, let alone almost 19m, and even allowing for the millions of players likely AFK, that's still a sizeable number unaccounted for. Regardless of who those players are and/or what they're up to, it's nonetheless an incredible achievement for Steam, one that shows the platform's popularity continues to grow and perhaps suggests rival clients like the Epic Games Store have yet to take a sizeable chunk of the playerbase after all. Watch on YouTube Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store