Counter-Strike: Global Offensive might have been released in 2012, but it is as popular now as ever.
Even after over a decade on the shelves, CS:GO has again broken its all-time player record count. With more people officially playing the game than ever before, join us at Gamelevate as we explore why CS:GO is still Esports’ top dog.
Breaking The Record
CS:GO has consistently shown itself to be a timeless classic in the world of Esports. However, as it enters its second decade in the gaming world, it looks like only bigger and better things lie on the horizon.
On February 11 2023, CS:GO’s player count hit 1,320,219, marking the highest-peak record in the game’s history according to SteamCharts.
CS:GO is one of only four games to break the million-player concurrent player mark, alongside PUBG, Lost Ark and Dota 2.
The CS:GO player count record had stood at 1,308,963, which had stood for three years after being set during the opening months of the COVID lockdowns.
Not bad for a game that began life as a fan-made mod for Half-Life.
Why Is CS:GO So Popular?
For starters, the game is free-to-play. We’ve seen across the board how transitioning to this type of model can bring a slew of new gamers along with it. Couple this with CS:GO’s impressive skill ceiling, and you have a game that is accessible for all, but that also requires consistent practice to master.
Secondly, the collaboration kit with rapper Denzel Curry, the release of the Revolution Case and a new competitive season at IEM Katowice 2023 have all helped put the game in the spotlight in recent weeks. The fact that the CS:GO player count was broken on the eve of the IEM Katowice 2023 semi-finals is undoubtedly not a coincidence.
Finally, CS:GO is one of the defining PC games, and gaming on the system has, in general, been shooting upwards recently.
Back in November 2022, Steam smashed its player count record of active users twice in the same day, only to break the record again in the new year when it recorded 33,078,963 concurrent players.
