Modern Warfare 2’s launch is doing big numbers on Steam

Players are flocking to Steam to play MW2.

Image via Activision

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is less than a day old and it is already bringing in a record number of players on Steam.

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Since its late-night release, MW2 has reached a peak of 238,522 players on Steam, significantly more than any other CoD game on the PC platform, including the MW2 open beta, according to SteamDB. While it’s not much of a surprise that the game is breaking the franchise’s Steam records since CoD has largely stayed away from Steam over the years, MW2 has been one of the most popular games on Steam today.

Screengrab via SteamDB

The new title’s peak player base is the fifth-most of any game on the platform, only trailing CS:GO, Dota 2, PUBG, and Apex Legends. The game also boasts the fourth-most current players on Steam at time of writing.

These numbers are likely encouraging for Infinity Ward, the game’s developer that has struggled to keep up with server demands and various bugs that have popped up since launch. Fans have also pointed out certain missing elements that have become staples of the CoD franchise, including leaderboards, the Barracks, and the ability to view challenges.

Whether MW2 proves to be ultimately successful will likely be on IW and its plans for keeping the new title fresh and exciting, which may be even more important if reports are true that there will not be another CoD game released in 2023.

Author
Image of Preston Byers
Preston Byers
Dot Esports associate editor. Co-host of the Ego Chall Podcast. Since discovering esports through the 2013 Call of Duty Championship, Preston has pursued a career in esports and gaming. He graduated from Youngstown State University with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2021.