Grim Dawn's Expansions Scorch Launch Weekend

Path of Exile 2 and Marvel Rivals ignited the gaming world with spectacularly successful launch weekends. Let's delve into the impressive numbers.

A Half-Million Strong Player Base

A Weekend of Record-Breaking Launches

The weekend of December 6th and 7th witnessed the simultaneous release of two highly anticipated titles, each attracting an astounding 500,000 players on their launch day. Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play team-based PVP arena shooter, debuted on December 6th, followed by Path of Exile 2's Early Access launch on December 7th.

Path of Exile 2's Early Access launch on Steam alone peaked at a remarkable 578,569 concurrent players – a truly impressive achievement for a paid Early Access title. Twitch viewership for the game exceeded 1 million on launch day. The game's immense popularity even temporarily overwhelmed the SteamDB database, resulting in a humorous public acknowledgment from SteamDB itself.

Even before its release, Path of Exile 2 had already surpassed 1 million pre-orders, a number that rapidly climbed in the hours leading up to launch. This unprecedented surge in Early Access purchases forced a last-minute database upgrade by the development team to handle the influx of players. Despite the server expansion, some players still encountered login issues and disconnections, highlighting the game's highly anticipated nature and massive player demand.

Read Game8's Path of Exile 2 Early Access review for a comprehensive look!