Stellar Blade Hits PC, Becomes Major Sony Steam Launch

The PC release of Stellar Blade debuted just yesterday, June 11, yet it has already become Sony's most successful single-player launch on Steam.

Currently, the concurrent player peak stands at nearly 105,000, marking the seventh all-time high the game has achieved since I began writing this article. Player counts are expected to rise further, particularly as we approach the weekend.

For context, Ghost of Tsushima reached a maximum of 77,154 concurrent players, God of War peaked at 73,529, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered recorded a peak of 66,436. In fact, the only Sony-published title with a higher concurrent player record than Stellar Blade is Helldivers 2, which is a multiplayer-focused game.

PC-exclusive features include AI upscaling through Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, an uncapped framerate, Japanese and Chinese voiceovers, ultrawide display compatibility, higher-resolution environment textures, and DualSense support for haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

The PC version was initially region-locked in over 100 countries but is now accessible in more than 250 regions. Mods have also emerged. Numerous modifications have surfaced since the demo released a few weeks ago, with modders implementing various adjustments and enhancements. It's worth noting that not all mods are suitable for all audiences.

Stellar Blade has performed exceptionally well for developer Shift Up, leading to confirmation of a sequel. The Sony-published action game, which launched in April 2024, was well-received, with players noting its gameplay blends elements from NieR: Automata and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

IGN's Stellar Blade review awarded it a 7/10. Our assessment stated: "Stellar Blade excels in the core aspects of an action game, but its unremarkable characters, underwhelming narrative, and some frustrating RPG mechanics hold it back from reaching the pinnacle of the genre."