Dec 26, 2020
Steam News - andrewl
With the year coming to a close, we're ready to unveil our Best of Steam lists for 2020. You can jump straight into the lists here, or read on below for more specifics.
Also, don't forget to check out the Steam Winter Sale, which is going on now until January 5th. Many of the titles in these lists are discounted, making this a great way to browse games that players loved in 2020.
This list is straightforward - a look at the 100 games earning the most revenue on Steam during 2020. To get the total revenue for each game, we look at game sales, in-game transactions, and DLC sales from January 1st, 2020 through December 18th, 2020.
Since we've been organizing top sellers now for five years, it's interesting to take a look at how the top games have changed from year to year, or in some cases stayed exactly the same. GTA V, Dota 2, and CS:GO all have the honor of making the platinum category five times since we began these lists in 2016. Rainbow Six: Siege and PUBG are not far behind, both with four appearances in the platinum category. Several brand new 2020 releases have also gone straight to the top, with DOOM Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077, and Fall Guys each having tremendous 2020 success. We've linked previous year's Best of Steam lists at the bottom of this post for those who want to jump in and compare even further.
Here are the Top Selling Games of 2020
This list showcases the top releases for each month in 2020, along with the top 25 new releases for the entire year. We generate top new releases by looking at each game's total revenue during the first two weeks after its release.
As we were building out the Top 25 list for the entire year, we were curious which months were the most represented. October & March both stood at the top, each with four of their releases making the yearly Top 25. After that, June, August & September had strong representation, with three new releases a piece. Sadly, May was the only month without a new release in the Top 25 this year, but we have our fingers crossed for 2021.
Here are the Top New Releases of 2020
This list showcases the bestselling VR-only titles of 2020. Just like the Top Sellers list, we look at total revenue for each game, including game sales, in-game transactions, and DLC sales from January 1st, 2020 through December 18th, 2020.
VR continued to gain popularity and grow its catalog in 2020, with more than 800 new VR-only releases on Steam over the course of the year (~30% increase from 2019). Many popular games added or launched with VR support, along with VR-only experiences releasing for many fan-favorite franchises. We're excited to see what new experiences players discover in 2021 as developers continue to push the boundaries of VR.
Here are the Top Selling VR Games of 2020
This list recognizes top games that transitioned out of Early Access during 2020. These are measured by gross revenue earned in 2020, during Early Access and after full release.
2020 was another strong year for Early Access, with plenty of new debuts and successful graduations. This development model continues to benefit developers eager to get direct feedback, while rewarding players who can't wait to get their hands on new content. These successful graduations are a testament of how that relationship can produce some amazing products on Steam.
Here are the Top Early Access Grads of 2020
While the previous lists are all based on commercial success, the Most Played list highlights games that reached the highest peak concurrent player counts throughout 2020. We've included all games that had more than 30,000 concurrent players at some point during the year, grouping them into buckets based on how many players they reached. We've excluded brief spikes in player counts due to things like giveaways and free weekends in order to highlight the games that have built large player bases.
The first thing that immediately jumped out with 2020 was just how much higher the peak concurrent numbers were compared to 2019. For example, Steam saw 12 titles reach more than 100,000 peak concurrent players in all of 2019. That number more than doubled in 2020, with 26 games going above 100,000 players. This increase happened across the board, so we've doubled the size of each bucket for 2020:
Here are the Most Played Games of 2020
This list recognizes the 100 games that found the most success with players who use controllers. We create this list by looking at the highest number of unique controller players a game reached on any given day. The games are further grouped into buckets based on how many controller players each game had.
When we talk about controllers on Steam, we are referring to the dozens of different input devices that players use on Steam. These include the always popular Xbox and PlayStation controllers, as well as joysticks, gamepads, and a multitude of other devices. So, if you're a player who prefers to use something other than a mouse & keyboard with your games, make sure to check this list out for inspiration.
Here are the Most Played Controller Games of 2020
We don't disclose revenue breakdowns for these lists, so we sort the games into buckets to give an idea of how they compare. The games within each bucket are sorted randomly:
Platinum: 1st - 12th Top Seller
Gold: 13th - 24th Top Seller
Silver: 25th - 40th Top Seller
Bronze: 41st - 100th Top Seller
You may also be curious about previous years, which are linked here:
-Happy Holidays from everyone on the Steam Team!
Also, don't forget to check out the Steam Winter Sale, which is going on now until January 5th. Many of the titles in these lists are discounted, making this a great way to browse games that players loved in 2020.
Top Sellers
This list is straightforward - a look at the 100 games earning the most revenue on Steam during 2020. To get the total revenue for each game, we look at game sales, in-game transactions, and DLC sales from January 1st, 2020 through December 18th, 2020.
Since we've been organizing top sellers now for five years, it's interesting to take a look at how the top games have changed from year to year, or in some cases stayed exactly the same. GTA V, Dota 2, and CS:GO all have the honor of making the platinum category five times since we began these lists in 2016. Rainbow Six: Siege and PUBG are not far behind, both with four appearances in the platinum category. Several brand new 2020 releases have also gone straight to the top, with DOOM Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077, and Fall Guys each having tremendous 2020 success. We've linked previous year's Best of Steam lists at the bottom of this post for those who want to jump in and compare even further.
Here are the Top Selling Games of 2020
Top New Releases
This list showcases the top releases for each month in 2020, along with the top 25 new releases for the entire year. We generate top new releases by looking at each game's total revenue during the first two weeks after its release.
As we were building out the Top 25 list for the entire year, we were curious which months were the most represented. October & March both stood at the top, each with four of their releases making the yearly Top 25. After that, June, August & September had strong representation, with three new releases a piece. Sadly, May was the only month without a new release in the Top 25 this year, but we have our fingers crossed for 2021.
Here are the Top New Releases of 2020
Top Selling VR Games
This list showcases the bestselling VR-only titles of 2020. Just like the Top Sellers list, we look at total revenue for each game, including game sales, in-game transactions, and DLC sales from January 1st, 2020 through December 18th, 2020.
VR continued to gain popularity and grow its catalog in 2020, with more than 800 new VR-only releases on Steam over the course of the year (~30% increase from 2019). Many popular games added or launched with VR support, along with VR-only experiences releasing for many fan-favorite franchises. We're excited to see what new experiences players discover in 2021 as developers continue to push the boundaries of VR.
Here are the Top Selling VR Games of 2020
Top Early Access Graduates
This list recognizes top games that transitioned out of Early Access during 2020. These are measured by gross revenue earned in 2020, during Early Access and after full release.
2020 was another strong year for Early Access, with plenty of new debuts and successful graduations. This development model continues to benefit developers eager to get direct feedback, while rewarding players who can't wait to get their hands on new content. These successful graduations are a testament of how that relationship can produce some amazing products on Steam.
Here are the Top Early Access Grads of 2020
Most Played Games
While the previous lists are all based on commercial success, the Most Played list highlights games that reached the highest peak concurrent player counts throughout 2020. We've included all games that had more than 30,000 concurrent players at some point during the year, grouping them into buckets based on how many players they reached. We've excluded brief spikes in player counts due to things like giveaways and free weekends in order to highlight the games that have built large player bases.
The first thing that immediately jumped out with 2020 was just how much higher the peak concurrent numbers were compared to 2019. For example, Steam saw 12 titles reach more than 100,000 peak concurrent players in all of 2019. That number more than doubled in 2020, with 26 games going above 100,000 players. This increase happened across the board, so we've doubled the size of each bucket for 2020:
2019
2020
100,000
200,000
50,000
100,000
25,000
50,000
15,000
30,000
Top Controller Games
This list recognizes the 100 games that found the most success with players who use controllers. We create this list by looking at the highest number of unique controller players a game reached on any given day. The games are further grouped into buckets based on how many controller players each game had.
When we talk about controllers on Steam, we are referring to the dozens of different input devices that players use on Steam. These include the always popular Xbox and PlayStation controllers, as well as joysticks, gamepads, and a multitude of other devices. So, if you're a player who prefers to use something other than a mouse & keyboard with your games, make sure to check this list out for inspiration.
Here are the Most Played Controller Games of 2020
Notes
We don't disclose revenue breakdowns for these lists, so we sort the games into buckets to give an idea of how they compare. The games within each bucket are sorted randomly:
Platinum: 1st - 12th Top Seller
Gold: 13th - 24th Top Seller
Silver: 25th - 40th Top Seller
Bronze: 41st - 100th Top Seller
You may also be curious about previous years, which are linked here:
-Happy Holidays from everyone on the Steam Team!
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