Steam is the definitive hub for most PC gamers, merging everything players could realistically need: a marketplace, a community hub, a source of mods, multiplayer support, achievements, and much more.
Looking at the most played games according to Steam is a helpful indicator of what some of the most overall popular games are. Using data from Steam Charts, we can look at the most popular games in terms of total hours played, which takes into account how many players are playing and for how long.
Here are the top 10 most popular games on Steam for October 2022 by total hours played.
10) Cyberpunk 2077 – 44 million hours played
Well, look who’s back from the dead. The Cyberpunk 2077 resurgence is in full swing, following a series of content updates and improvements, in addition to a wave of renewed interest following the release of the critically acclaimed Cyberpunk: Edgerunners animated series on Netflix. Fans are returning to give the game some more time, and a lengthy 50 percent off sale period on Steam has attracted numerous new fans as well.
9) Destiny 2 – 46 million hours played
Destiny 2 is in the midst of its Season of Plunder, a pirating-themed season with new activities to play and challenges to complete. Over the past month, the game also brought back the popular Festival of the Lost event to celebrate Halloween.
8) Rust – 52 million hours played
The sweaty multiplayer survival game Rust is still a favorite on Steam. Its player base is regularly boosted by renewed interest in the game following popular Twitch Rivals events.
7) GTA V – 66 million hours played
GTA V continues to sustain a massive player base. Rockstar is constantly pumping out free updates that include new missions, businesses, vehicles, activities, and more.
6) Team Fortress 2 – 68 million hours played
The classic class-based multiplayer shooter has been held up by a dedicated community. Valve still releases small updates and patches for the game but largely doesn’t do much for TF2 other than that, so the game’s ability to still bring in numbers like this speaks to how solid it is and how passionate its community is.
5) Lost Ark – 109 million hours played
Amazon’s massively multiplayer take on the action RPG series in Lost Ark, developed by Smilegate RPG, is still maintaining a strong player base after a breakout summer this year. Big consistent updates keep the game feeling fresh, highlighted by new classes, locations, and activities.
4) Apex Legends – 132 million hours played
The popular battle royale title from Respawn has maintained an average player count of well over 100,000 since February 2021 and averaged over 200,000 during this past August and September. Many features introduced in Apex Legends like pinging and sliding have been picked up by other titles as well, and a consistent drip of content plus a thriving esports scene keeps the player base engaged.
3) PUBG: Battlegrounds – 143 million hours played
PUBG: Battlegrounds still holds the top spot in the battle royale category. It’s one of the most played titles across the entire world and its average player numbers are slowly increasing after a slight summer dip. It may not have the absurd numbers it once had in 2018, but it is still going strong.
2) Dota 2 – 315 million hours played
Dota 2 is the clear No. 2 when it comes to the most popular games on Steam, and it has been for a while. Valve’s MOBA title and the sequel to the original Dota mod from Warcraft III has been averaging over 400,000 players per month since February 2014 and has one of the most dedicated player bases around.
1) CS:GO – 442 million hours played
There’s no catching the king of Steam. The iconic CS:GO is almost always the most-played game on Steam at any given time, and that is unlikely to change any time soon. While the other titles atop this list have somewhat fallen off a peak, CS:GO continues to trend upward. All hail the FPS king.