Steam Ranking: Echoes of Aincrad Debuts at No. 2 Amid Mixed Reviews
Echoes of Aincrad's strong sales debut contrasts with its middling critical reception, suggesting that brand loyalty drives purchases even when gameplay fails to meet expectations.
Key Facts
- Echoes of Aincrad released on July 9, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and on July 10 for PC via Steam.
- The game holds a Metascore of 60 on PC (9 reviews) and 64 on PS5 (34 reviews) as of July 13, 2026.
- Counter-Strike 2 remained the top-selling game on Steam in Japan for the week ending July 13, 2026.
- Palworld, now out of early access, ranked No. 4 with a temporary 30% discount to ¥2,380.
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Re:Sync, a remake of the 2013 title, debuted at No. 9.
Reporting from 2 sources: ASCII.jp, Game Spark.
ASCII.jp's weekly Steam sales ranking for Japan, as of July 13, 2026, shows Valve's Counter-Strike 2 holding the top spot for another week. Bandai Namco's Sword Art Online title Echoes of Aincrad, released on July 9 (Steam version July 10), enters at No. 2 with a price of ¥8,910. Cygames' Granblue Fantasy: Relink, boosted by its Endless Ragnarok expansion, ranks third. Other notable entries include Pocketpair's Palworld at No. 4, now out of early access, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Black Flag Re:Sync at No. 9. The ranking also features free-to-play titles Apex Legends, eFootball, and Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, as well as the indie hit Meccha Cameleon and Kuro Games' Wuthering Waves. Meanwhile, Game Spark's roundup of international reviews for Echoes of Aincrad reports a Metascore of 60 on PC (9 reviews) and 64 on PS5 (34 reviews). Critics praise the story but criticize repetitive design, limited exploration, and technical issues, with some outlets calling it the weakest entry in the series.
ASCII.jp's weekly Steam top sellers for Japan, published July 13, 2026, ranks the 10 best-selling titles on the platform as of 1:00 PM that day. Counter-Strike 2 remains at No. 1, followed by the newly released Echoes of Aincrad at No. 2. The ranking includes a mix of free-to-play games (Apex Legends, eFootball, Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond) and premium titles such as Granblue Fantasy: Relink (¥4,840) and Palworld (¥2,380, on sale until July 24). The indie game Meccha Cameleon, which previously topped the chart, now sits at No. 6. Separately, Game Spark compiled international Metacritic reviews for Echoes of Aincrad, which launched on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game's story received praise, but reviewers consistently noted repetitive combat, shallow exploration, and technical problems. Combo Infinito gave it 50/100, calling it the worst game adaptation in the series' history, while IGN and IGN Spain each scored it 60/100. The highest score came from TrueGaming at 75/100, which recommended it for dungeon-crawling fans but not for those seeking an open-world RPG.
- Counter-Strike 2: Rank 1, free-to-play, by Valve
- Echoes of Aincrad: Rank 2, ¥8,910, by Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Granblue Fantasy: Relink: Rank 3, ¥4,840, by Cygames
- Palworld: Rank 4, ¥2,380 (on sale until July 24), by Pocketpair
- Apex Legends: Rank 5, free-to-play, by Electronic Arts
- Meccha Cameleon: Rank 6, ¥790, by lemorion_1224
- Wuthering Waves: Rank 7, free-to-play, by Kuro Games
- eFootball: Rank 8, free-to-play, by Konami
- Assassin's Creed Black Flag Re:Sync: Rank 9, ¥8,360, by Ubisoft
- Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond: Rank 10, free-to-play, by Cygames
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.