Palworld Becomes Most Played Game on Steam, Surpasses Counter-Strike 2 Peak
The milestone shows that Palworld's full version release successfully brought back a large player base, allowing it to briefly surpass a Steam staple like Counter-Strike 2 in peak concurrent users.
Key Facts
- Palworld recorded a peak of approximately 850,000 concurrent players on Steam on July 16, 2026.
- That peak surpassed the peak concurrent player count of Counter-Strike 2.
- Palworld's full version 1.0 was released on July 10, 2026, after entering early access in 2024.
- The Xbox version of Palworld saw a 427% increase in users after the full version release.
- Twitch average viewers for Palworld increased by 4,200% month-over-month.
Reporting from 2 sources: Inside, Game Spark.
Pocketpair's Palworld reached the top of Steam's concurrent player rankings on July 16, 2026, recording a peak of approximately 850,000 players. That figure surpassed the peak of Counter-Strike 2, making Palworld the most played game on the platform at that moment. The surge followed the July 10 release of the full version 1.0, which added new Pals, technologies, and a 27-page patch note document. Over the weekend after the full launch, the game had already hit 850,000 concurrent and become the second most played on Steam. CEO Takuro Mizobe announced the milestone on X. The Xbox version saw a 427% increase in users, and Twitch average viewers rose 4,200% month-over-month. Palworld is available on PC, Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Game Pass.
The milestone was reached around 1:30 PM on July 16, according to CEO Takuro Mizobe's post on X. The game entered early access in 2024, approximately two and a half years before the full version 1.0 release. It supports up to 32-player multiplayer.
Shortly after the 1.0 release on the night of July 10, Steam concurrent users exceeded 470,000. Over the weekend, the peak surpassed 850,000, making it the second most played game on Steam at that time. As of around 2:35 PM on July 16, the game ranked second on Steam's "Most Played" page, but the peak concurrent count had already exceeded Counter-Strike 2's peak.
The official X account has been introducing new Pals appearing in the full version. The full version added new areas, an awakening system, and major quality-of-life improvements alongside the new Pals and technologies. The 27-page PDF patch notes became a topic of discussion. The game is available on PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, Mac via Mac App Store, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One, and is included with Game Pass.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.