It’s no secret that 2023 is not Destiny 2’s strongest year. However, the last 30 days have been exceptionally bad, with the game experiencing an all-time low of players on Steam. Data on the game’s console players are harder to come by. However, its poor Steam performance could indicate broader problems for Bungie.
Destiny 2 has its worst-ever month on Steam
According to SteamCharts, Destiny 2 averaged 34,297 concurrent players over the last 30 days. That’s the lowest since the game arrived on Steam in 2019. The game’s monthly peak player numbers were also the worst it’s ever been, with only 59,076. That is down from 68,148 in October and 145,390 in September. The game saw its popularity in March 2023, with an average of 135,102 and a peak of 312,925. Since then, Destiny 2’s concurrent player numbers have experienced a pretty steady decline.
It is no secret that Destiny 2 is not performing as well as it used to or as well as its developer would like. Bungie recently admitted that Destiny 2 is underperforming, and the game’s been bleeding players for some time. However, these new lows demonstrate how grim the situation is, especially with Bungie already facing significant layoffs.
Notably, the game’s rapidly declining popularity is a significant reversal from the growth it experienced in early 2023. In fact, the game’s all-time peak of 316,651 concurrent players happened in February, around the release of Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion. Players’ disaffection with Lightfall is likely the primary contributor to their waning interest in the game.
Meanwhile, there hasn’t been much word on the rumored Destiny movie or TV show. The same upcoming Season of the Witch and Taken Shape expansion has the potential to reinvigorate the player base. However, Taken Shape will also mark Destiny 2’s transition from seasons to episodic content, which some believe will lead to further loss of players.
