Counter-Strike 2, the highly anticipated sequel, has finally launched on the Steam gaming platform. The release has been eagerly awaited, following numerous teasers and a change to the game's Twitter banner. The sequel takes the place of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Steam, keeping most elements from the original game's page such as reviews and release details.

The popularity of Counter-Strike 2 is evident - it is currently the most played game on Steam with over 1.1 million concurrent players at the time of reporting. The game peaked at over 1.3 million concurrent players shortly after its release. This is slightly short from the record of over 1.8 million concurrent players set by its predecessor CS:GO five months ago. But given the strong launch numbers, it's very likely that Counter-Strike 2 will break this record in the upcoming weeks.

Moreover, despite being a free-to-play game, Counter-Strike 2 has clinched the title of Steam's top-selling game. This earning is primarily due to purchases of the $15 Prime Status upgrade and in-game cosmetics, generating more revenue than premium, paid games like Cyberpunk 2077 and EA Sports FC 24. It will be intriguing to see if Counter-Strike 2 can surpass the popularity of Global Offensive.