These Are Steam’s Top-Selling and Most-Played Games at the Start of the Year

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Recent data from Steam shows which games are selling and being played the most at the beginning of the year. While games like Counter-Strike 2 are still popular, it will be interesting to watch how the rankings change over time.

Steam is the leading digital store for PC games, offering players a huge variety of choices. Thousands of new games are added every year – over 19,000 in 2025 alone! While quality varies with so many daily additions, the past year brought several popular releases. Big titles like Battlefield 6 and ARC Raiders had their full launches, and critically acclaimed indie games such as Hollow Knight: Silksong and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also debuted. While many games do well on Steam, a few have really stood out with exceptional numbers.

Steam Top Sellers List

  1. ARC Raiders
  2. Steam Deck
  3. Counter-Strike 2
  4. Marvel Rivals
  5. Baldur’s Gate 3
  6. Warframe
  7. Battlefield 6
  8. Clair Obsur; Expedition 33
  9. Dispatch
  10. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Early in 2026, Steam has released data showing which games are currently the most popular and best-selling on the platform. Valve regularly updates these charts, and the latest information shows a mix of new 2025 releases and older favorites at the top. Currently, ARC Raiders is the best-selling game, surpassing even Counter-Strike 2. Interestingly, Counter-Strike 2 is actually third on the list, because the Steam Deck (Valve’s handheld console) is ranked second. The top five also includes Marvel Rivals and Baldur’s Gate 3. Completing the top ten are Warframe, Battlefield 6, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.

Steam Most-Played Games List (Daily Players)

  1. Counter-Strike 2
  2. Dota
  3. PUBG: Battlegrounds
  4. Wallpaper Engine
  5. Arc Raiders
  6. Geometry Dash
  7. Battlefield 6
  8. Apex Legends
  9. War Thunder
  10. Marvel Rivals

When looking at the games with the most daily players, the list changes quite a bit. Counter-Strike 2 is the clear leader, with over 1.5 million players in the last 24 hours – more than 800,000 ahead of Dota 2 in second place. PUBG: Battlegrounds comes in third, followed by Wallpaper Engine. Interestingly, ARC Raiders is the first paid game on the list, landing in fifth place. Geometry Dash and Battlefield 6 follow, and the top 10 is completed by three more free-to-play titles: Apex Legends, War Thunder, and Marvel Rivals.

As a Steam user, I always check out their ‘Most Played’ list – it’s a great way to see what everyone’s jumping into right now. Unlike the daily player count, this list updates every 15 minutes to show the top 100 games on PC. It’s interesting because I noticed some games on this list that weren’t on the daily player chart, like Rust, Bongo Cat, Path of Exile 2, and Baldur’s Gate 3. Of course, popularity can shift quickly, especially since some games are huge in certain parts of the world.

Image via Embark Studios

It’ll be fascinating to watch how the most popular games change throughout the year. Since its full release on October 30th, ARC Raiders has proven to be surprisingly durable on Steam. If Embark Studios continues to update the game and keep it engaging, it looks likely to stay near the top of the charts. Meanwhile, Battlefield 6 has seen a significant drop in players since launch, and it remains to be seen if DICE can bring it back into the top 10 in the coming months. Several new games are also planned for release in the first half of 2026, which could shake up the rankings. However, consistently popular titles like Counter-Strike 2 are expected to remain at or near the very top for a long time to come.

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2026-01-02 04:10