Following the expansion's launch on July 15, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate has experienced low Steam player count numbers when compared to Destiny 2's past expansions. The Edge of Fate kicked off the Year of Prophecy of Destiny 2, but the Steam player count may point toward players wanting more from the game before diving into the expansion.
Serving as the start of the new multi-year Fate saga, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate takes players to a new destination called Kepler, which is located on the outskirts of the solar system. The expansion introduces a new mystery involving the Nine, a new character named Lodi, and Orin the Lost, who was formerly known as the Emissary of the Nine. Along with the new expansion, Destiny 2 players now have a new artifact to level and unlock perks from. The expansion may mark the start of a new Destiny 2 saga, but it appears that many players who enjoyed The Final Shape are not returning to the game.
Related Destiny 2 Obviously Needs More Than Edge of Fate to Reignite Its Fire
Destiny 2’s new direction with The Edge of Fate has only just begun, but it's already met its first major hurdle thanks to one clear metric.
PostsAs reported by TheGamer, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate only brought in a peak concurrent player count of 99,193 players on Steam on launch day, according to SteamDB charts. The concurrent player count has since fallen to around 89,000 players on July 16, and The Edge of Fate is now one of the most under-performing expansions in Destiny 2's history. For example, Destiny 2: The Final Shape experienced a peak player count of 314,000 on Steam in June 2024. When compared to Destiny 2: The Final Shape's success, The Edge of Fate has roughly one third of the player base that The Final Shape once had at launch. 2022's The Witch Queen expansion reached over 290,000 players on Steam at the time of its launch, and Beyond Light experienced similar success at launch with 240,000 Steam players in 2020.
Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate Pulls in the Lowest Launch Steam Player Count in Destiny 2's History at 99,193 Players
CloseGrowing player fatigue is likely one of the main factors that contributed to Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate's underperformance on Steam, along with the compounding list of problems at Bungie. However, there's still plenty of time for Destiny 2 to pull things around, as the game is set to receive major expansions during The Year of Prophecy.
The next expansion, Destiny 2: Renegades, is inspired by Star Wars and will launch in December 2025. Although Renegades has the chance to bring back lapsed players, only time will tell if Destiny 2 will hold a healthy player base and return to The Final Shape-esque player counts.
