- Slay the Spire 2 has hit over 280k peak player count on Steam at the time of writing.
- The game has crushed the player numbers of Marathon, having over 200k more peak players, even though they released around the same time.
- This is a clear indication that indie games are likely going to dominate the gaming scene again this year.
Gaming in 2026 is looking very strong, with Resident Evil Requiem setting the tone, following up with Marathon, and now Slay the Spire 2. Both games were released one after another, and although both are doing well, Slay the Spire 2 is breaking all its personal records with massive concurrent player numbers. In just a few hours, Slay the Spire 2 has crossed 250k concurrent player count on Steam, surpassing Marathon on its launch day.
Slay the Spire 2 Hits 280K Peak Steam Player Count on Launch Day, Beating Marathon to Dust
The sequel to one of the best roguelike deckbuilders, Slay the Spire, is garnering equally brilliant feedback from players, sitting at Overwhelmingly Positive reviews. Slay the Spire 2 has reached over 280k peak player count on Steam, and continues to go strong even now. The first Slay the Spire only managed to hit 57k peak players, almost three months back, so it’s a massive leap for the new sequel.
The game directly competes with Marathon on release on March 5, 2026, a juggernaut from the AAA developer studio Bungie, even though the genres for both games are completely different. MegaCrit, developers of Slay the Spire 2, have also comeout and made a sarcastic X post, calling Marathon a game by indie developers. Jokes aside, not only does Slay the Spire 2 compete, but it crushes the Marathon’s player count by over 200k players.
While the community was discussing Marathon vs Arc Raiders, no one expected Slay the Spire 2 to steal the spotlight. This clearly shows the same pattern from last year, as small indie studios already start to dominate the new age of gaming.
A fun fact is that Slay the Spire 2 has not even released completely, and has only entered early access. This shows the amount of trust the gaming community places on small indie studios nowadays. And why shouldn’t they? Most indie studios are the only ones nowadays that actually listen to player feedback, something that was widely followed by every developer back in the day.
Are you one of the gamers who have jumped onto the Slay the Spire 2 bandwagon? Let us know what you love about the game in the comments below.
