Following its free-to-play weekend, Battlefield 5 had a spike in players on Steam. The game turns three years old on Saturday but is experiencing a concurrent count not seen since it launched in 2018.
According to SteamBD, and spotted by PCGamesN, Battlefield 5 hit an all-time high of 76,456 concurrent players on Steam earlier this week. As the game didn't launch on the service, this is a height not yet experienced for the game all thanks to the free-to-play weekend that started on August 26 and ran through August 29.
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Although the free-to-play weekend for the game has concluded, that doesn't seem to have had a major impact on its newfound popularity. Fans might be sticking with Battlefield 5 on Steam because of its current majorly discounted price, or they could be whetting their appetites before Battlefield 2042 releases later this year.
Despite taking a small dip once it stopped being free, Battlefield 5 players have been returning to the game steadily all week and the numbers are continuing to go up. Last night, the game peaked at 72,050 players, the highest number of concurrent players following the free weekend. Based on its current trajectory, last night's peak should be overshadowed by the number of players tonight, which will then be dwarfed by the number of players logging in for the weekend tomorrow and the days following.
As it draws closer, the excitement for Battlefield 2042 is beginning to reach a boiling point for fans of the franchise. DICE seems to be taking it in a new direction full of bigger maps and game modes as well as the highly anticipated Battlefield Portal.
It seems like fans are eager to try out the ambitious Portal mode that allows custom games to be made spanning the Battlefield's entire history of warfare. Because it's been a few years since the last major game release in the series, Battlefield fans seem like they're dusting off the FPS cobwebs in their minds and getting ready for 2042 by practicing with BF 5.
Battlefield 5 currently sits at number nine in terms of peak concurrent players over the past 24 hours landing above popular live service titles like Rocket League, Rainbow Six Seige, Dead By Daylight, and Rust. It's currently sitting below Team Fortress 2 by several hundred players, but if another spike hits Battlefield 5 for the weekend, it'll likely jump up another slot or two.
Battlefield 5 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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