Diablo 4 has officially set a new concurrent player count record on Steam, nearly three years after its initial launch on the platform. The rise in player count can easily be attributed to the hype surrounding Diablo 4‘s Lord of Hatred expansion, which has seen players return to the game in droves.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred is the second major expansion for Blizzard’s action RPG, following 2024’s Vessel of Hatred. The developer’s original plan was to release one expansion per year for the game, but missing that target in 2025 has only made fan anticipation for the latest offering higher than ever. Among critics, Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred was met with strong reviews, with endgame changes and its story conclusion to the Age of Hatred arc standing out as highlights.
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Diablo 4 is Still Setting Steam Player Count Records After Nearly Three Years
The solid reception for Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred has quickly translated into huge player count numbers on Steam. The game has set a new all-time peak of 64,518 players on the platform, eclipsing the former record of 55,561 set in October 2024 during the release period of Vessel of Hatred. It was released on Steam in October 2023, four months after its initial launch, but even that excitement could not eclipse the hype for Lord of Hatred. It should be noted that these figures are only representative of Diablo 4‘s Steam player count, and it’s unclear if it has broken similar records on Battle.net or consoles. However, it’s a positive sign that players are still really engaging with the game almost three years after its release.
Diablo 4‘s player count always comes in waves. Its seasonal content model ensures the game sees a significant boost in player count at the start of each season, which slowly tails off as more gamers reach Diablo 4‘s endgame. In recent seasons, the seasonal mechanics have been very well received by players, but this still cannot compete with the hype generated by a new Diablo 4 expansion.
Despite its largely positive reception, Diablo 4 was recently review-bombed after some players complained about Blizzard’s approach to expensive cosmetic microtransactions in the game. This has caused the game’s recent reviews to fall to “Mixed” on Steam. It’s clear that these negative player reviews are not affecting Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, given its new player count record.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
It’s impressive to see Diablo 4 continuing to go from strength to strength. Upon its initial launch, the game received more of a mixed reception among players, but this sentiment has come a long way, despite its recent review-bombing. The series as a whole is in a strong place right now, and it doesn’t seem like Blizzard is slowing down any time soon. Earlier this year, one Blizzard developer revealed that the studio would like to speed up the development of future Diablo games. Considering the huge gap between new mainline games in the series, it makes sense that Blizzard would want to avoid a wait of a decade or longer to release another Diablo title.
- Released
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June 5, 2023
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
