By Sagar V. Mankar 
FragPunk, NetEase’s new tactical shooter, started with just 22,000 peak players during its beta test. On release day (March 6), it reached 54,000 players – decent numbers, but nothing spectacular compared to other big releases like Marvel Rivals.
Here’s where things get interesting: instead of the typical post-launch drop-off, FragPunk’s player count jumped to over 113,946 within just two days of release. That’s nearly double its launch day numbers!
According to SteamDB, this growth has pushed FragPunk into the top 10 most-played games on the platform this weekend – actually putting it ahead of the battle royale giant Apex Legends.
So why the sudden popularity boost? Twitch exposure likely played a role, with the game hitting nearly 200,000 viewers as streamers gave it a shot. But good old word-of-mouth seems to be working too, with players bringing their friends into the free-to-play title.
The Steam reviews tell a similar story. FragPunk initially launched with mixed feedback – early players weren’t happy about slower movement compared to the beta and had some complaints about microtransactions. But the tide has turned, with reviews now sitting at “mostly positive” (72% approval from about 11,000 reviewers).
For a free-to-play game to nearly double its player count days after release is pretty rare in the industry. Most games see their biggest numbers on day one before dropping off. If FragPunk can maintain this momentum, NetEase might have a serious contender in the crowded shooter market on their hands.