Summary
Despite soon approaching its 14th anniversary, Valve’s first-person puzzle titlePortal 2is currently experiencing a big player count boost on Steam. It’s unclear exactly whyPortal 2has experienced a significant influx of players, although there are a few potential reasons.
Portal 2launched in 2011 as the long-awaited sequel to the 2007 original. The game continued Valve’s hot streak of great titles, and received massive amounts of critical acclaim from fans and critics alike. Blending outstanding humor and storytelling with complex puzzles,Portal 2has long been considered one of, if not thebest puzzle gameever made.It’s among Valve’s best-ever games, which is a high standard for the studio behind theHalf-Life,Left 4 Dead,Team Fortress, andCounter-Strikeseries.
Looking atPortal 2’s recent player count onSteamDB, the game has a 24-hour peak of 9,862 at the time of writing. It last achieved similar numbers in January 2024 whenfan modPortal Revolutionwas released, and only went higher in March 2023. Before that, it was 2020 beforePortal 2last had any notable player count spike. Over the last month,Portal 2has averaged near the 2,000 to 3,000 player mark, with its notable rise in players beginning on February 11 and only rising from there.
Portal 2’s Steam Player Count Approaches 10,000
There are a few reasons thatPortal 2may be currently experiencing a massive player count boost. The first is the price. Since February 10,Portal 2has been available for just $0.99 on Steam as part of the Couch Co-Op Fest sale. In terms of value for money, there aren’t many better deals available on the entire platform right now. It’s possible timing has played a part, too. WhilePortal 2is known for its iconic single-player story, it’s also one of thebest co-op games of all time, perfect for couples looking for something cheap and fun to play over Valentine’s Day. It could be a combination of several factors, and it’s possible thatPortal 2may continue its player count surge over the next few days.
It’s hard to believe that it has almost been 14 years since the release ofPortal 2. Like other Valve series, it has fallen victim to the developer’s reluctance to make third entries into its popular franchises. A couple of years back,Portalwriter Erik Wolpaw explained why Valve may be hesitant to make a third game, and there has still been no movement on this. Valve is typically radio silent on rumors, so if any version ofPortal 3ever comes to fruition, it will likely come as a big surprise.
