Remnant 2 hits series-best concurrent player record within days of release

Gunfire Games' Remnant 2 has only been out for a few days, and it's already proving it'll have legs on Steam. Per SteamDB (and first spotted by VG247), the co-op game has now hit a peak of over 88,500 concurrent players at time of writing. 

For reference, that's nearly double the peak player count of its predecessor, 2019's Remnant: From the Ashes. When that game released four years ago, its own peak was around 48,300 concurrent players. Numbers for Remnant 2 only reflect the PC version, meaning its overall player count could be more (or less) when taking consoles into account.

The first Remnant game went on to sell 1 million copies in two months of release. By the end of 2021, it sold over 3 million copies.

Remnant 2 released earlier in the week on July 25, and it quickly rose from its 16th place spot to become Steam's second top-selling title behind the free-to-play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. That list is based on revenue, which makes its shot up the ranks even more noteworthy. 

Unlike most other big games currently out now, Remnant 2 is priced at $50 for its standard edition across PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. Extra additions with additional in-game flourishes cap off at $70. 

Hot game summer

The success of Remnant 2 isn't too dissimilar from that of Dambuster's Dead Island 2 back in April. The zombie sequel has sold 2 million copies (as of late May), and is shaping up to potentially be a surprise hit for the year. As it stands, it's already the largest launch for its publisher, Deep Silver.

At time of writing, Gunfire hasn't divulged sales numbers for Remnant 2, but the strong reception and player count indicate it may have a similar long tail as its predecessor.

Being priced lower than other similar games of its ilk definitely works in its favor. And its frequent appearance at events such as Summer Games Fest have helped catch the attention of those who may not have even known what the Remnant franchise is. 

It also doesn't hurt that it's really hot in several parts of the United States. Summer can often a bit of a drought for new games, but this year has had several titles to occupy players' time. It's not nothing that the likes of Remnant 2 and Dead Island 2 are able to stand out amidst the likes of Street Fighter 6 and Final Fantasy XVI.