Counter-Strike 2 has set a new record with 1.82 million peak concurrent players on Steam. This milestone comes just 18 months after the game’s release, showing that its popularity continues to grow steadily.
The new record of 1,824,989 concurrent players was reached on March 15, 2025, surpassing the previous high of 1.74 million set in December 2024. This achievement is especially impressive as it also breaks CS:GO’s all-time record of 1,818,773 players from May 2023.
According to SteamDB, CS2 remains Steam’s most-played game, averaging around 1.5 million concurrent players at any given time. In contrast, its closest competitor, PUBG, trails significantly with just 659,000 concurrent players.
Counter-Strike 2’s popularity extends beyond just Steam platform. The game dominates Twitch viewership as well, with 381,000 concurrent viewers compared to Dota 2’s 183,000. Much of this popularity stems from its thriving esports scene, with many viewers tuning in to watch professional tournaments like the ESL Pro League.
However, the game’s journey hasn’t always been smooth. After launching in September 2023 with 1.56 million peak players, CS2 experienced a dip to 1.36 million in October. Yet, it quickly rebounded and has shown consistent growth throughout 2024 and into 2025.
The esports scene has played a crucial role in CS2’s sustained popularity. The PGL Major Copenhagen 2024, CS2’s first major tournament, saw viewership peak at around 1.85 million concurrent viewers during the finals between NAVI and FaZe Clan. This made it the third-most-watched Counter-Strike event ever, even surpassing CS:GO’s final major tournament.
CS2 isn’t just breaking records in player count—it’s also a financial juggernaut. The game’s skin market has surpassed $4.3 billion in total value as of early 2025. Meanwhile, Valve generated nearly $1 billion from loot boxes in 2023 alone, with players opening approximately 400 million cases.
Despite some initial technical issues and missing features at launch that led to mixed reviews, Valve has been steadily improving the game. Updates have enhanced hitbox alignment, refined the sub-tick system, and optimized maps like Mirage and Inferno. The October 2024 update introduced new weapon collections and skins to keep content fresh.
