Summary
- Portal 2’s player count on Steam significantly increased, nearing 10,000 users.
- The surge in players may be due to the game being available for $0.99 during a sale.
Despite soon approaching its 14th anniversary, Valve’s first-person puzzle title Portal 2 is currently experiencing a big player count boost on Steam. It’s unclear exactly why Portal 2 has experienced a significant influx of players, although there are a few potential reasons.
Portal 2 launched in 2011 as the long-awaited sequel to the 2007 original. The game continued Valve’s hot streak of great titles, and received massive amounts of critical acclaim from fans and critics alike. Blending outstanding humor and storytelling with complex puzzles, Portal 2 has long been considered one of, if not the best puzzle game ever made. It’s among Valve’s best-ever games, which is a high standard for the studio behind the Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike series.
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Looking at Portal 2‘s recent player count on SteamDB, the game has a 24-hour peak of 9,862 at the time of writing. It last achieved similar numbers in January 2024 when fan mod Portal Revolution was released, and only went higher in March 2023. Before that, it was 2020 before Portal 2 last had any notable player count spike. Over the last month, Portal 2 has averaged near the 2,000 to 3,000 player mark, with its notable rise in players beginning on February 11 and only rising from there.
Portal 2’s Steam Player Count Approaches 10,000
There are a few reasons that Portal 2 may be currently experiencing a massive player count boost. The first is the price. Since February 10, Portal 2 has been available for just $0.99 on Steam as part of the Couch Co-Op Fest sale. In terms of value for money, there aren’t many better deals available on the entire platform right now. It’s possible timing has played a part, too. While Portal 2 is known for its iconic single-player story, it’s also one of the best co-op games of all time, perfect for couples looking for something cheap and fun to play over Valentine’s Day. It could be a combination of several factors, and it’s possible that Portal 2 may continue its player count surge over the next few days.
It’s hard to believe that it has almost been 14 years since the release of Portal 2. Like other Valve series, it has fallen victim to the developer’s reluctance to make third entries into its popular franchises. A couple of years back, Portal writer Erik Wolpaw explained why Valve may be hesitant to make a third game, and there has still been no movement on this. Valve is typically radio silent on rumors, so if any version of Portal 3 ever comes to fruition, it will likely come as a big surprise.
- Released
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April 18, 2011
- ESRB
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E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language