Merely Five Months Into Launch, Starfield’s Players Plummet By 97%

Its all-time peak of 330,000+ players was back in September.

Story Highlights

  • Starfield is admittedly Bethesda’s biggest launched game to date in terms of overall player count.
  • The title launched to mixed reception, accumulating average ratings across the board.
  • Taking into account the maximum player peak at launch, 97% of the game’s players are now gone.

Although it was reported back in December that Starfield has crossed a total of 12 million players, the numbers spell gloom and doom today for what is otherwise Bethesda’s biggest launch ever. Starfield’s current concurrent player count on Steam is about 8,500 players at the time of writing, which is one whopper of a difference compared to the space RPG’s 330,723 concurrent player peak 5 months ago. 

Starfield's Current Concurrent Player Count
Starfield’s Current Concurrent Player Count

Do the math and you’ll find out that this means almost 97% of the game’s players going astray, (thanks PCGamesN) and not finding their way back to Starfield. The heightened player count occurred at the time of the title’s release, which traces back to the early days of September. Due to launch hype and a number of other reasons factoring into play, Starfield did well on PC, but only in vain apparently. 

Now, I understand that a single-player action-adventure like Starfield can’t be hitting hundreds of thousands of players on a regular basis, but this particular fall from grace within 6 months of release is fairly head-turning. Take Cyberpunk 2077 for instance—that game came out a fair while before Starfield and is still doing rounds across the board with an average 30-thousand player count on Steam.

The Centurian Arsenal to sell weapons in Starfirld.
Starfield – An In-Game Screenshot

And let’s just not even bring Baldur’s Gate 3 into the equation here—2023’s Game of the Year winner at The Game Awards, and a monumentally successful RPG for Larian Studios. These comparisons may come across as wayward, but they do go on to show how Starfield had the perfect chance to live up to its potential and the hype it gathered prior to its release, but a bad level design, a swath of bugs, and other technical issues held it back from sheer glory. 


Related Content to Read Up On: 


Starfield came out on September 6, 2023, for the Xbox Series X|S and PC. eXputer rated the game 3/5 in its review, with author Asad Ahmed remarking, “Starfield aims high and delivers an expansive galaxy ripe for exploration, but it stumbles in its execution.” 

Did you find this helpful? Leave feedback below.

Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡

How can we make this post better? Your help would be appreciated. ✍

Subscribe to our newsletter and get up-to-speed gaming updates delivered to your inbox.

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy.

Source
SteamDB

Huzaifa, an Online News Editor at eXputer.com, is a video game industry aficionado with a talent for unearthing the juiciest stories for his beloved readers. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Data Science, he dives deep into the abyss of news, meticulously dissecting every tiny detail to serve his audience. When he's not unravelling breaking news, he becomes a master storyteller, conjuring up captivating tales from the depths of his imagination. With a wealth of experience as a Video Game Journalist, he's penned his mighty words for numerous other video game outlets, leaving no video game unturned and no pixel unexplored! Experience: 4+ Years || Education: Bachelor of Science in Data Science || Previously Worked at VeryAli Gaming & TheNerdMag || Covered 100+ News Articles

Related Articles

Join Our Community

Enjoyed this article? Discuss the latest gaming news, get expert help with guides and errors, and chat about all things gaming on eXputer Forums and Discord Server. Connect with fellow gamers who share your passion by becoming a part of eXputer's community.