Steam “Best of 2017” Report

Steam has published its annual report of the best of the best to showcase the year’s top performing titles in the service of online distribution.

Based on community feedback and showcasing the many ways people shop and play games on Steam, 2017’s year-end reporting expands beyond the top grossing titles to also include charts for the top VR titles, Early Access titles, Most Played titles and titles that enjoyed the best Opening Week performance.

The Top Sellers of 2017:

• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands is an open world tactical shooter video game in development by Ubisoft Paris. It is the tenth installment in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise and the first Ghost Recon game to feature an open world environment.
• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds -PUBG is 64-player last-man-standing Survival Shooter. It originally came from H1Z1 Battle Royale mod and is developed in cooperation with its creator, PlayerUknown, and Bluehole Studio.
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – the game invites players to master the art of destruction. Intense close-quarters confrontations, high lethality, tactics, team play, and explosive action are at the centre of the experience. The gameplay sets a new bar for intense firefights and expert strategy in the rich legacy of past Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six games.
• Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a story-driven adventure RPG featuring deep, turn-based tactical combat, a living world reacting to the players’ choices, relationship system with the companions and much more. It is developed by Larian Studios for PC. Players can choose between creating a unique new character or picking one of the Origins, who otherwise will join up as companions. Join up to 3 other players – but know that only one of you will have the chance to become a God.
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – CS: GO expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 14 years ago. CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content.
• The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt – The Witcher is a story-driven, next-generation open world role-playing game, set in a visually stunning fantasy universe, full of meaningful choices and impactful consequences.

You can find the other entries in the top 100 following the link above.

The Top New Releases:

This list shows off the top games released each month of 2017. You can find some titles below or follow the link above to the full list:

• Torment: Tides of Numenera (January) – Players take on the role of the Last Castoff and work through the game in an attempt to recapture who they are and what their purpose is in Numenera. Characters reconnect with themselves through the stories that others tell about them.
• Conan Exiles (January) – Conan Exiles is a brutal new online sandbox RPG from the creators of Age of Conan, and the mind of Robert E. Howard. Developed by Funcom studios in Oslo, Norway on the Unreal Engine 4, Conan Exiles takes a lot of inspiration from titles like Rust, DayZ, ARK, and even Minecraft. As a banished Exile from Conan’s kingdom, it’s your goal to grow stronger, gain influence over the world and the gods, and build your own kingdom in the wastelands of Hyboria.
• Spellforce 3 (December) – It is the year 518. The rebellion of the renegade mages, known as the Mage Wars, has been quashed by the Crown. However, it was a Pyrrhic victory: Whole regions have fallen into anarchy, refugees roam the lands in search of shelter, and a mysterious, deadly plague called the “Bloodburn” has arisen and is spreading rapidly.
• Assassin’s Creed: Origins (October) – Assassin’s Creed: Origins is an Action RPG developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PC, Xbox One as well as PlayStation 4. It is the tenth game in the Assassin’s Creed series. The events of the game will take place in Ancient Egypt during Kleopatra’s rule. The game offers players an open world that can be explored on foot, horseback or by driving a boat.
• DiRT 4 (June) – DiRT 4 is an off-road racing game that is all about the thrill, exhilaration, and adrenaline. Players will be able to pick the most powerful machines ever made to race through the toughest roads of the planet in rally, rallycross & landrush.

Top Selling VR Games:

You can find the full lengthy list following the link above. Here are some titles:

• Fallout 4 VR –  Fallout 4, the legendary post-apocalyptic adventure from Bethesda Game Studios and winner of more than 200 ‘Best Of’ awards, including the DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year, comes in its entirety to VR.
• Doom VFR – Set shortly after the demonic invasion on the UAC’s Martian research facility, you are the last known human survivor – until your death. Under a top-secret UAC operational contingency protocol, your consciousness is transferred to an artificial brain matrix. Your designated purpose: restore operational stability and use any means necessary to stop the onslaught of demons.
• Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality – Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is a fast-paced, chaotic VR adventure complete with mechanics and mayhem only possible in VR. Fans will experience the show in a totally new way– personally living life as a clone of Morty and all the trauma that comes with it. Navigate and rummage through Rick’s garage and the Smith household, and step through portals to alternate worlds. Follow Rick’s directions at your own risk to solve puzzles and complete missions in room-scale virtual reality.

Top Early Access Graduates:

Of course, PUBG is topping the charts, but let’s check out some other titles. The full list can be found following the link above,

• The Long Dark –  The Long Dark is a thoughtful, exploration-survival experience that challenges solo players to think for themselves as they explore an expansive frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. There are no zombies — only you, the cold, and all the threats Mother Nature can muster.
• ARK: Survival Evolved – Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate… and escape!
• Everspace – EVERSPACE combines fast-paced combat with roguelike elements, great visuals and a captivating story. It takes you on a challenging journey through an ever-changing, beautifully crafted universe full of surprises. Shoot, craft and loot your way to victory while the odds are stacked against you.
• Starpoint Gemini Warlords – Strategy from the front lines! Starpoint Gemini Warlords combines 3rd person capital spaceship combat with 4X strategy and RPG gameplay elements. Build mighty war fleets and send them into battle or lead them into combat yourself. Become the Warlord and conquer the Gemini system!

Most Simultaneous Players:

The games with the highest peak simultaneous players this year. The titles that had over 100k players online at the same time:

• Payday 2 – PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew – Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains – as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.
• Ark: Survival Evolved – Stranded on the shores of a mysterious island, you must learn to survive. Use your cunning to kill or tame the primeval creatures roaming the land, and encounter other players to survive, dominate… and escape!
• DOTA 2 – Every day, millions of players worldwide enter battle as one of over a hundred Dota heroes. And no matter if it’s their 10th hour of play or 1,000th, there’s always something new to discover. With regular updates that ensure a constant evolution of gameplay, features, and heroes, Dota 2 has truly taken on a life of its own.
• Grand Theft Auto 5 – The risks are colossal, the enemies all but unstoppable… but the rewards are mouth-watering and a massive adrenaline spike is absolutely guaranteed. Assemble your crew for the biggest Online adventure yet, across 3 sprawling acts.
• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – CS: GO expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 14 years ago. CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content
• PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds -PUBG is 64-player last-man-standing Survival Shooter. It originally came from H1Z1 Battle Royale mod and is developed in cooperation with its creator, PlayerUknown, and Bluehole Studio.
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – the game invites players to master the art of destruction. Intense close-quarters confrontations, high lethality, tactics, team play, and explosive action are at the centre of the experience. The gameplay sets a new bar for intense firefights and expert strategy in the rich legacy of past Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six games.
• H1Z1 – H1Z1 is a fast-paced, highly competitive, battle royale shooter. Parachute in and search for weapons, ammo, vehicles and supplies to stay alive
• Warframe – Warframe is a cooperative free-to-play third person online action game set in an evolving sci-fi world.