For the past couple of weeks, Steam’s rogue rankings have felt almost set in stone. Last week, the same familiar names occupied the top spots, the order barely changed, and the biggest talking point was usually how long they could keep holding on.
This week, things finally got a little more interesting.
The top four are still exactly where you’d expect them to be, but further down the leaderboard there are two fresh faces making an immediate impact. One is a newly launched game that has wasted no time climbing into the top five, while the other is a demo proving that you don’t need a full release to attract a huge audience on Steam.
As always, these rankings are based on each game’s 24-hour peak concurrent players on SteamDB. They aren’t a measure of sales or review scores, but they do provide one of the clearest snapshots of which rogue games players are spending the most time with right now. And after a couple of relatively predictable weeks, this latest chart finally gives us something new to talk about.
| Rank | Game | 24-Hour Peak Players |
|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 126,375 |
| 🥈 | Slay the Spire 2 | 105,581 |
| 🥉 | Don’t Starve Together | 67,002 |
| 4️⃣ | ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN | 35,640 |
| 5️⃣ | Pass the Fear | 18,687 |
| 6️⃣ | Guildrun Demo | 13,255 |
| 7️⃣ | Brotato | 13,145 |
| 8️⃣ | Slay the Spire | 10,833 |
| 9️⃣ | The Scroll of Taiwu: Beyond The Dome | 9,654 |
| 🔟 | Balatro | 8,750 |
Pass the Fear Makes an Instant Impact
The biggest story this week belongs to Pass the Fear. Fresh off its launch, it’s wasted no time climbing straight into fifth place with a 24-hour peak of 18,687 concurrent players. That’s enough to leapfrog established names like Brotato, Slay the Spire, The Scroll of Taiwu: Beyond The Dome, and Balatro in its very first week on the chart.
It’s exactly the kind of debut every developer hopes for. Launch week always brings curiosity, but reaching the top five of Steam’s rogue rankings is no easy feat. With so many well-established games competing for players’ attention, breaking into this list is an achievement in itself. The next challenge will be maintaining that momentum once the excitement of launch week begins to settle.
A Demo Proves It Doesn’t Need a Full Release
One of the more surprising entries this week isn’t even a finished game. The Guildrun Demo has climbed into the top ten with a 24-hour peak of 13,255 concurrent players, narrowly edging out Brotato to claim sixth place. It’s a reminder that Steam demos have become far more than simple previews. For many players, they’re now events in their own right.
Whether the game can convert that early interest into a successful full launch remains to be seen, but attracting more than 13,000 players before release is an encouraging sign. It also shows there’s no shortage of players eager to try something new, even when it isn’t a complete product yet.
The Leaders Still Aren’t Looking Over Their Shoulders
While the middle of the chart has become far more interesting, the battle for the top spots remains surprisingly one-sided.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth continues to sit comfortably at number one, with Slay the Spire 2 holding onto second place and Don’t Starve Together remaining third. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN once again rounds out the top four, and despite player counts naturally settling after recent sales and launches, the gap between these games and the rest of the field is still considerable.
That’s becoming the real story at the top of the rankings. The numbers may fluctuate from week to week, but nobody has managed to seriously challenge Steam’s biggest rogue heavyweights just yet.
Familiar Faces Continue to Hang On
Further down the leaderboard, The Scroll of Taiwu: Beyond The Dome continues to prove it deserves its place among Steam’s most-played rogue games. Although it has slipped behind a couple of this week’s newcomers, it still recorded a healthy 9,654 concurrent players over the past 24 hours, enough to comfortably remain inside the top ten.
Balatro also keeps its place on the leaderboard, albeit in tenth this week. After spending several weeks hovering around the middle of the chart, it’s gradually moved further down as newer releases and demos attract players’ attention. Even so, remaining in Steam’s top ten is no small feat, particularly in a genre that’s seeing fresh releases almost every week.
We’ll Be Back Next Week
This week’s rankings finally delivered the shake-up we’ve been waiting for. Pass the Fear has announced itself in style, Guildrun has shown just how much excitement a promising project can generate before launch, and the battle for the lower half of the chart suddenly feels far more competitive.
The question now is whether these newcomers can hold onto their places. Launch week momentum doesn’t last forever, demos eventually disappear, and there’s always another rogue game waiting in the wings. We’ll be back next week to see whether Steam’s latest challengers can stick around, or if the leaderboard has another surprise in store.