Payday 2 Surpasses Call of Duty: Analysts Name Steam’s Most Popular Games

Valve’s titles aren’t the only ones commanding a massive global audience.

Industry analysts from GameDiscoverCo have released an updated ranking of the most widely-held games, featuring data updated through October 2025.

Their research highlights the staggering reach of Counter-Strike 2, which is currently found in the libraries of nearly 319 million users.

Claiming the second spot is another Valve mainstay, Dota 2, with 226.6 million players, while PUBG: Battlegrounds rounds out the top three with 169.6 million users.

Team Fortress 2 maintains a strong presence in fourth place with 100.5 million players, followed by Apex Legends in fifth with 70 million.

According to the report, Payday 2 managed to edge out Call of Duty, recording 39.5 million copies against 39.1 million—a snapshot taken just prior to the launch of Black Ops 7.

The comprehensive spreadsheet from GameDiscoverCo is accessible via this link.

Source: iXBT.games