Starfield surpasses Skyrim's steam concurrent player record in debut weekend

Bethesda's newly released space epic, Starfield, has eclipsed The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim's all-time concurrent player record on Steam just days after its full launch.

According to SteamDB data, Starfield now occupies the 27th position on Steam's all-time list, with Skyrim slipping to 31st place. On September 10th, Starfield reached a peak of 330,723 concurrent players, outperforming Skyrim's 12-year-old record of 287,411. While it didn't quite surpass Fallout 4's 472,962 concurrent players, this is still a remarkable feat.

However, Starfield's inclusion in Xbox Game Pass may have skewed its player statistics, as it's available at no extra cost to subscribers, drawing players who might have otherwise bought it on Steam.

Despite this, Starfield's victory over Skyrim is notable. The game also secured the top spot on the UK boxed chart, according to GI.biz head Christopher Bing. Nevertheless, its presence on Game Pass might hinder its chances of entering Steam's top 10, which includes recent releases like Baldur's Gate 3 and Hogwarts Legacy.

Starfield's launch has also brought intriguing stories to light, including Bethesda's unconventional decisions about labradors, players' attempts to recreate the game on PlayStation, and even potatoes demonstrating the game's "mind-blowing" physics.