The Witcher 3 Remastered Shatters Its Own Steam Player Record

The freshly launched Witcher 3 Remastered has already driven the aging RPG to a new all-time peak on Steam. According to data from SteamDB reported by IGN, the game reached 114,696 concurrent players shortly after launch, smashing its previous record of 103,329 set in January 2020 when the Netflix series boosted its popularity.

Eurogamer notes the count has climbed even higher, reaching nearly 120,000 players and making it the ninth most-played title on Steam. This new peak also surpasses the game's original launch numbers from 2015. The surge represents a massive 258% jump from player counts just last month.

The free update is a major driver, available to anyone who already owns the base game. Kotaku adds that a 50% off sale on the title is also pulling in new players. The remaster bundles in the game's expansions and introduces a host of visual upgrades, gameplay tweaks, and a new photo mode.

While the Steam numbers are soaring, outlets note this doesn't account for players on consoles like PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and the Nintendo Switch 2, or on other PC storefronts. IGN reported an early issue with AMD graphics cards, which has since been resolved with a driver update.

CD Projekt Red's generosity appears to be paying off, priming the audience for next year's planned expansion, Songs of the Past. With the weekend approaching, the player count is expected to climb even higher.