The newly launched Remastered edition of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has reignited enthusiasm for CD Projekt Red’s acclaimed role-playing game, reaching a remarkable milestone with its highest recorded concurrent player count on Steam since its release 11 years ago.
At the time of this report, The Witcher 3 is being played by nearly 120,000 people on Steam, ranking it as the ninth most popular game on the PC platform. This figure does not account for players on other platforms such as GOG, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation, Switch 2, and Xbox, where the game is also available.
Data from the Steam tracking website SteamDB reveals that this marks the highest number of simultaneous players the game has experienced on Steam. The latest count surpasses both the 92,000 peak at its initial launch in 2015 and the previous high of 103,000 players in January 2020. The latter peak coincided with the popularity surge caused by Netflix’s Witcher series. Another significant spike was observed with 89,000 concurrent players in December 2022, following the next-gen update.
These numbers highlight the enduring appeal of The Witcher 3, which boasts a player base of 65 million. The recent spike in players is indicative of the excitement surrounding the remaster, with potential for even greater engagement as more regions, including America, begin to access and update the game.
The Remastered edition, launching today, introduces a range of visual and gameplay enhancements. While these updates maintain the core essence of the original game, they provide a refreshed experience. An added incentive for players is the fact that this update is free for all existing owners of The Witcher 3, along with its expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. This move underscores CD Projekt Red’s commitment to its player community and sets the stage for the upcoming expansion, Songs of the Past, scheduled for release next year.
Reporting based on coverage first published by eurogamer.net.