Brand-new Steam MMO Aion 2 has managed to achieve a concurrent player count of almost 400,000 players upon its release. Aion 2 has been released for six days now, but the player counts for the new Steam MMORPG are holding extremely steady.
Aion 2 is the sequel to 2009’s Aion: The Tower of Eternity. The original game was successful and received multiple expansions, becoming regarded as one of the best games by developer NCSoft. The studio is an expert in the MMORPG genre, having also developed the Blade & Soul series and published ArenaNet’s Guild Wars titles.
Aion 2 Reaches Almost 400,000 Concurrent Steam Players, Despite Mixed Reviews
According to SteamDB’s numbers, Aion 2 has had a very successful start. The game amassed a concurrent Steam player count of 397,905 on its release day, and has comfortably surpassed the 300,000 player mark every day since. Like many MMOs, Aion 2 really starts to get going after hitting the max level, so players are on the grind to get there early for that endgame content.
It’s easy to see why Aion 2 has caught gamers’ attention. The Unreal Engine 5 title is stunning, and uses verticality as a key gameplay mechanic. While most fantasy MMOs have flight options in the form of mounts, in Aion 2, it’s central to everything, including exploration and combat. There are still plenty of classic MMO features to be found here, including dungeons and raids, but the verticality focus is definitely its unique selling point.
Despite its strong player counts, Aion 2‘s Steam reviews paint a more complicated picture. It currently has “Mixed” reviews, with just 55% of them being positive right now. A lot of the complaints seem to focus on Aion 2‘s monetization model rather than the gameplay itself. One particularly brutal review describes the game as “a cash grab wearing the skin of something you used to love,” saying that the developer “took everything that made the original special and ran it through a grinder.” Because it’s a free-to-play MMO, some microtransactions are to be expected, but players believe Aion 2 goes too far by seriously time-gating content for non-paying players.
It remains to be seen whether the player reception impacts Aion 2 in the long run. Its predecessor receiving expansions for seven years after its release, and as an MMO, new content is the minimum expectation for players. Aion 2 has enjoyed a strong release, sure, but that could all change if players aren’t satisfied long-term.
- Released
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October 5, 2026
- Developer(s)
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NCSoft
- Publisher(s)
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NCSoft
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
