POE2 and Marvel Rivals Launch Dominates Gaming Weekend

Path of Exile 2 and Marvel Rivals ignited the gaming world with remarkably successful launch weekends. Discover the impressive milestones achieved by both titles.

A Half-Million Strong Player Base

A Weekend of Record-Breaking Launches

The weekend saw two phenomenal game launches, each attracting an astounding 500,000 players on their respective launch days. Marvel Rivals, a free-to-play team-based PVP arena shooter, debuted on December 6th. Path of Exile 2, an action RPG, followed closely on December 7th, entering Early Access.

Path of Exile 2's Early Access launch on Steam alone reached a peak of 578,569 concurrent players—a truly impressive achievement for a paid Early Access title. The game's launch day also generated over 1 million Twitch viewers. The sheer popularity even briefly overwhelmed the SteamDB database, prompting a humorous acknowledgment from SteamDB itself.

Prior to launch, Path of Exile 2 surpassed 1 million pre-orders, a number that continued to climb rapidly in the hours leading up to release. The unexpected influx of players purchasing Early Access prompted a last-minute database upgrade to manage the traffic. Despite this expansion, some players experienced disconnections and login issues, highlighting the immense anticipation surrounding the game's release.

Read Game8's review of Path of Exile 2's Early Access build!