Last month, Chinese-speaking players made up 50% of Steam’s users.
According to Valve’s recent Steam Hardware and Software Survey, Simplified Chinese users grew by 20.88% in February 2025, reaching this significant milestone. This growth is notable, especially since February typically sees more Chinese players due to the Chinese New Year holidays.
As reported by Automaton, this year’s increase was much more pronounced than last year’s 7.26% spike.
English-speaking users followed, making up nearly 24% of the player base, with Christmas often boosting these numbers as well.
One reason for the surge in Chinese users may be the success of Game Science’s Black Myth: Wukong, which, despite a drop in players post-launch, still ranks as a top title with the second highest player count on Steam.
Additionally, the popular demo of Mecha Break, a mech shooter from Amazing Seasun Games, recently drew impressive attention during Steam Next Fest, reaching a peak of over 300,000 players.
Other factors include NetEase’s Marvel Rivals, which launched a new season during this time, and the late February release of Monster Hunter Wilds, driving immense player activity on Steam.
This growth trend shows no signs of slowing down. The full release of Mecha Break later this year is highly anticipated and promises to attract even more players.
Upcoming titles like PlayStation’s Lost Soul Aside and Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, along with NetEase’s free-to-play game FragPunk, highlight the strong momentum of Chinese developers in the gaming scene.
However, political tensions between the US and China are creating challenges for this growth. For example, NetEase recently laid off some developers from its US team, despite Marvel Rivals’ success. Additionally, Tencent faces scrutiny in the US, with accusations of being a military company leading to legal threats.
