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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Jack Webb

Gaming platform Steam hits 20 million concurrent users as people self-isolate during coronavirus

Steam recorded it's highest concurrent player count over the weekend (Picture: Steam)

A record-breaking number of users have been playing games on Steam in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to tracking website SteamDB, there were a whopping 20 million concurrent users and 6 million people in-game at one time on Sunday.

In a Tweet, SteamDB said it's "likely due to the many people staying at home due to the #coronavirus."

The top five played games were Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, Rainbow Six: Siege and Grand Theft Auto V.

Counter Strike, which is an eight-year-old game, broke its Steam concurrent player record which previously stood at 924,045 - it has risen to a peak of 1,024,845.

For reference, today SteamDB lists 14 million players online at the time of writing this article.

As pressure continues to mount on the UK Government to clarify self-isolation rules and consider shutting down schools amid the spread of coronavirus, people are seemingly finding solace in playing games.

Boris Johnson is set to hold a Cobra meeting to discuss stricter measures to tackle the outbreak ahead of the first of daily Covid-19 press conferences today.

The move comes as Europe, the US and Australia began locking down cities and borders amid increasing death tolls.

Meanwhile, game developers are battling to survive the pandemic, with EA, Microsoft, Bungie and Rockstar ordering their employees to work from home.

Follow the latest coronavirus updates here.

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