Marvel Rivals was briefly the most played game on Steam

Marvel Rivals is rapidly becoming one of the most popular multiplayer video games running right now, and it’s just reached a massive milestone on Steam. For a few hours, Marvel Rivals was the most-played game on Steam, outperforming some top-tier competitors and proving its staying power within the multiplayer scene.

Marvel Rivals’ Season 1 launch turned it into the most-played game on Steam

When Marvel Rivals launched in December last year, it instantly became one of the most popular games on Steam. The game amassed over 2,000,000 players on Steam within hours of its release, shattering expectations. However, some people remained unconvinced the game’s time in the spotlight would last long. Some onlookers, including former Blizzard head Mike Ybarra, downplayed the game’s success, predicting its post-launch hype would fizzle out fast.

Luckily for fans, Marvel Rivals‘ harshest critics got a huge reality check when Season 1 dropped on January 10, 2025. According to SteamDB, Marvel Rivals racked up 644,269 concurrent players in the hours after Season 1 went live, breaking its previous all-time peak player count and sending it flying to the top of Steam’s most-played game chart.

While Marvel Rivals would lose its spot at the top of the pyramid within a few hours, it’s impossible to deny how impressive that accomplishment is. In the short time it was the most-played game on Steam, Marvel Rivals outperformed some stiff competition. This included Path of Exile 2, Palworld, and Counter-Strike 2, all of which have become mainstays on Steam’s most-played lists.

With Season 1 in full swing, the odds of Marvel Rivals‘ player count getting swelled by word-of-mouth are pretty high. If that happens, the little hero shooter that could might end up topping Steam’s most-played list soon.