PoE2 and Marvel Rivals Unleash Gaming Firestorm

Path of Exile 2 and Marvel Rivals ignited the gaming world with remarkably successful launch weekends. Discover the impressive player numbers and impactful milestones achieved!

A Half-Million Strong Player Base

A Weekend of Record-Breaking Launches

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

Path of Exile 2's Early Access launch on Steam alone reached a peak of 578,569 concurrent players—a significant achievement for a paid Early Access title. Twitch viewership for the game exceeded 1 million on launch day. The overwhelming popularity even temporarily overloaded SteamDB, the database tracking Steam statistics, prompting a humorous acknowledgment from SteamDB itself.

Prior to launch, Path of Exile 2 had already surpassed 1 million pre-orders, a figure that rapidly climbed in the hours leading up to the servers going live. This unprecedented demand necessitated a last-minute database upgrade to handle the influx of new players purchasing Early Access. Despite this expansion, some players experienced temporary disconnections and login issues, highlighting the game's immense anticipation and the resulting server strain.

Read Game8's review of Path of Exile 2's Early Access version!