New Game Is Dominating Steam Charts A Day After Launch (& It’s Probably Not What You Think)

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March 5th turned out to be a huge day for video game releases, with titles like Pokemon Pokopia, Marathon, and the initial access version of Slay the Spire 2 all launching. While each game had a dedicated fanbase eagerly awaiting its release, Slay the Spire 2 didn’t quite get the same level of attention beforehand. This was likely because some players aren’t interested in early access games, and there were simply a lot of other major releases happening at the same time. However, based on the number of players currently enjoying the game on Steam, Slay the Spire 2 is proving to be very popular.

Given all the excitement leading up to the release of Marathon, it’s no surprise Steam experienced some difficulties when the game launched. Considering how popular shooters like Counter-Strike 2 and PUBG: Battlegrounds have been – consistently topping the charts for most-played games on Steam – I thought Marathon would quickly climb the ranks. However, Slay the Spire 2 has completely surpassed it, and most other popular games on the platform, in terms of player count.

Slay the Spire 2 Hits 4th Most-Played Game on Steam Less Than 24 Hours After Early Access Launch

I really enjoy looking at SteamDB stats. However, I’ve noticed the list of most-played games doesn’t change much – the top 5 tend to stay the same. New games, like Resident Evil Requiem, might appear briefly, but it’s hard for them to stay near the top. That’s why I usually check the “trending” section to see which newer games are gaining popularity. But when I saw how many people were playing Slay the Spire 2 at the same time, I immediately knew it would quickly become one of the most popular games.

Both Marathon and Slay the Spire 2 were popular when they were first released. They were so popular, in fact, that some players experienced problems with Steam right after the games became available. However, the two games have had different levels of success since then.

So, I checked out the player numbers for Marathon, and it exploded with almost 888,000 players! It’s dipped a little since then, but honestly, it’s still doing really well – Steam reviews are super positive. It’s just a crowded time for shooters, with games like ARC Raiders still popular. Plus, Steam numbers don’t show everything, since Marathon is also on PlayStation and Xbox, meaning the actual player base is probably much bigger. But what really surprised me was seeing Slay the Spire 2 – an indie Early Access game – climb to the top on such a busy day for releases. That’s pretty awesome!

Despite being a somewhat specialized genre, the sequel to the popular game Slay the Spire is performing remarkably well. Even though it’s still in early development, Slay the Spire 2 is currently the 4th most-played game on Steam, surpassing titles like Apex Legends, Rust, and Bongo Cat. Its popularity is still growing – just moments ago, it hit a new peak of over 416,000 concurrent players.

What’s truly remarkable is that Slay the Spire 2 has received an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam, despite being in Early Access with so many players trying it out. This shows the game is exceeding expectations and giving fans everything they hoped for in a sequel to Slay the Spire, and more. While it’s unlikely to surpass established hits like PUBG: Battlegrounds and Dota 2 just yet, it has the potential to become a major success at this pace.

Are you looking forward to Marathon or Slay the Spire 2 more? Or are you enjoying Poktopia as much as I am? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-06 17:45