Steam's Record Breaking December
PC gaming has been on a roll, and the latest numbers from Steam prove it. According to industry analysis from Alinea Analytics, December 2025 was Steam's highest grossing December in the platform's history. For PC gamers, that means more players online, healthier multiplayer communities, and strong support for new and existing games.
The report estimates that over 100 million Steam users generated around 1.6 billion dollars in gross revenue during December 2025 alone. That is a huge milestone for Valve's platform and marks a massive 22.7 percent increase over December 2024. It even beat the pandemic fueled high of December 2020, which previously hit around 1.4 billion dollars.
In other words, PC gaming on Steam is not slowing down. It is accelerating.
Why Steam Keeps Dominating PC Gaming
Steam has had competitors for years, from the Epic Games Store to publisher specific launchers, but this new data shows Valve’s ecosystem is still the main home for PC gamers. Despite controversies, store exclusives elsewhere, and new platforms trying to carve out a slice of the market, Steam continues to pull in more users and more spending.
The scale is enormous. Recent stats put Steam's concurrent user record at over 41 million people online at once, which is more than the population of many countries, including Canada. When that many players gather in a single ecosystem, several things happen that matter directly to PC gamers:
- Healthier matchmaking More players means faster queues, better regional matches, and more reliable lobbies for multiplayer and co op games.
- Longer game lifespans Even niche titles can maintain active communities for years because there is always a critical mass of players.
- More sales and bundles The bigger the audience, the more aggressive Steam and publishers can be with discounts, seasonal events, and special offers.
- Stronger support for PC features With so much money flowing through the platform, publishers have strong incentives to invest in PC specific optimizations like higher frame rates, ultrawide support, and graphics options for powerful GPUs and CPUs.
For Valve itself, the revenue is enormous. Industry estimates have long painted Valve as one of the most profitable companies per employee in the gaming world, and another record holiday season only reinforces that image. It is the kind of money that famously helped Gabe Newell buy yachts and even an entire yacht company. As long as that revenue keeps rolling in, it is very unlikely that Steam’s dominance will be seriously threatened.
Arc Raiders and the Rise of Extraction Shooters
One of the standout stories from December 2025 is the performance of Arc Raiders, which has become one of the season’s biggest success stories on Steam. While Counter Strike 2 remains the eternal top earner, Arc Raiders secured the number two spot for the period, proving that extraction shooters are not just a hardcore niche.
Between December 21 and January 4, Arc Raiders reportedly sold around 1.2 million copies. That is a huge spike in only a couple of weeks. The momentum did not stop there either. Overall, the game has reached roughly 12 million copies sold, an impressive number for any new IP competing in a crowded market.
The Boxing Day statistics alone are eye catching. On that single day, around 250,000 copies of Arc Raiders were sold, and almost 3.2 million players jumped in. About half of those players were on Steam, showing how central the platform is for multiplayer focused PC titles.
Before launch, there were questions about whether the extraction shooter genre could appeal to more casual players. The style of game, where you drop into a map, gather loot, and then try to extract without dying, can be tense and punishing. Arc Raiders appears to have smashed those doubts. Its design and accessibility have drawn in a wide audience, and its sales prove that gamers are hungry for fresh twists on competitive and cooperative formats.
For PC gamers, this is good news on several fronts. A hit extraction shooter means:
- More investment in the genre Expect more studios to experiment with extraction style gameplay, blending it with RPG, co op, and tactical elements.
- Better long term support Successful live service style games are more likely to get regular updates, events, and technical optimizations.
- Pressure on hardware Large scale, visually rich shooters often push GPUs and CPUs hard, which encourages developers to implement performance options, DLSS or similar tech, and optimizations for high refresh rate monitors.
What This Means For PC Gamers Going Into 2026
With Steam breaking records and games like Arc Raiders pulling in millions of players, the PC gaming ecosystem looks very strong heading into 2026. A big, engaged player base has knock on effects across everything from indie experiments to triple A blockbusters.
For players building or upgrading their rigs, this environment reinforces that PC is still the place to be if you want the widest choice of games, the highest performance options, and the most active online communities. Steam’s growth suggests that support for advanced graphics settings, high resolution textures, ultrawide displays, and high frame rates will only become more common as developers chase this giant audience.
Looking ahead, there is already a packed lineup of upcoming PC releases scheduled for 2026, spanning everything from shooters and RPGs to co op experiences and free to play titles. Combine that with a thriving back catalog of the best PC games, a huge collection of free games, and an ever growing library of FPS, RPG, and co op hits, and the message is clear: PC gaming is not just alive, it is thriving.
If December 2025 is any indication, the next few years on Steam will continue to be very good for anyone with a gaming PC and a growing backlog.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/steam-reportedly-raked-in-a-record-breaking-usd1-6-billion-in-december-with-arc-raiders-alone-moving-over-a-million-copies/
