Steam rises to the console challenge with 65m users, surpassing Xbox Live

Steam
Steam FTW

The imminent arrival of the next-gen Xbox One and PS4 has reignited the age-old debate of PC gaming versus console gaming with the former usually in the minority. However Steam, the popular PC gaming platform, is set to change the board.

Recent numbers released by Valve show a steady 30% rise in active accounts, bringing its total active users to 65 million.

This number overshadows Microsoft, where Xbox Live only boasts 48 million members. On the other hand, Sony's PlayStation Network takes the lead with 110 million accounts, though it's unknown if this number accurately represents active users since one person can create multiple free accounts.

The increase of Steam users may be attributed to the popularity of its free-to-play games, with Dota 2 pulling in more than 500,000 players and Team Fortress 2 around 68,000.

Kicking consoles and taking numbers

There are both pros and cons to PC gaming and console gaming, so the debate really is null.

But if you insist on taking sides and numbers mean nothing to you, know that Steam is definitely not out for the count, especially with its foray into living room territory with Valve's Steam Machines, Steam controller and of course the Steam OS.

Look towards January 2014 for more announcements from the company thanks to the upcoming Steam dev days conference in Seattle, which is right after CES 2014. We hope to hear more about the hardware at the Vegas show too.

TOPICS
Latest in Gaming
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #644)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
With discounts of up to 95%, these are the biggest deals I've managed to find in the Steam Spring Sale
WWE 2K25
I've spent days in the ring with WWE 2K25, and it's like a five-star match ruined by the Million Dollar Man
Asus ROG Ally using Steam
I think Asus could be the perfect partner for an Xbox handheld – but I have questions
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, March 15 (game #643)
Rainbow Six Siege X promotional art.
The Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege X 6v6 mode might finally pull me away from Black Ops 6
Latest in News
Apple iPhone 16 Pro HANDS ON
Leaked iPhone 17 dummy units may have given us our best look yet at all four models
A super close up image of the Google Gemini app in the Play Store
It's official: Google Assistant will be retired for phones this year, with Gemini taking over
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #1147)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #378)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #644)
Three iPhone 16 handsets on show
Apple could launch an iPhone 17 Ultra this year – but we've heard these rumors before