Now that Counter-Stirke 2 has launched, replacing CS:GO, we’ll be keeping track of CS2’s player count right here. As more players of the iconic FPS switch over to the new game, can it eclipse CS:GO’s popularity?
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was not only one of the most popular first-person shooters to date, but also one of Valve’s most lucrative properties thanks to its expansive skin market.
The game’s popularity only increased since its release back in 2012, as it beat its all-time player count record more than a decade later. Now, CS2 has replaced CS:GO, meaning the player count continues to track within the same game on Steam.
To keep track of CS2’s popularity, here is the average and peak player count for Counter-Strike 2.
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How many people play CS2
In total, 31.4 million unique players have jumped into CS2 in the past month. Counter-Strike 2’s average live player count ranges from 800,000 to 900,000 players at any time.
As of October 31, CS:GO has averaged 791,479 concurrent players in the past 30 days. This makes it the most popular game on Steam by far, almost double the second most popular, Dota2.
However, this is a decline from the previous 30 days, before CS2 launched, when the average was 976,000, in September 2023.
These are accurate figures taken from Steam’s API. Overall, CS:GO has seen a steady increase in active players since November 2022.
CSGO player count record
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CSGO broke its all-time record player count on May 6, 2023, reaching 1,802,853 concurrent players according to SteamCharts.com. This was a few months before the release of CS2.
This comes off the heels of the tactical shooter breaking its previous record on February 11, 2023, when it hit 1,320,219 at once.
The highest player count CS2 has reached so far is 1,364,902.
Considering the FPS has once again surpassed its previous record by a respectable margin, CS2 could very well reach another player count record in the coming months and years.
CS2 player count vs other games
Using the data available for other multiplayer games, one can compare CS2’s player count numbers to similar games like Valorant and Rainbow Six Seige.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege reaches an average of around 45,000 active players, with around 75,000 concurrent players during peak hours. Apex Legends averages about 173,000 players on Steam, but is also very popular on consoles.
Unfortunately, one of the game’s more comparable rivals, Valorant, is not available on Steam. The website Tracker Network reported that the tactical hero shooter reached a peak of 6,627,830 total players in May 2023, but this figure is not official and cannot be verified.
And that’s everything fans need to know about how many people play CSGO in 2023. For more CSGO guides check out the articles listed below:
All Dust 2 map callouts | Top 20 highest earning CSGO pros of all time | Most expensive CSGO skins in 2022 | Best CS:GO weapon skins | Best smoke spots
