Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has been officially released, and proven that its popularity wasn’t a fluke. The game initially became playable over the weekend for those who opted for its gold and ultimate editions, and it managed to attract millions of players, enough for it to reach nearly 135,000 concurrent players on Steam, well ahead of the original Space Marine.

Even prior to Monday’s proper launch, those numbers were enough to make it one of Steam’s most popular releases in 2024. Once Monday rolled around and the game unlocked for more players, however, things only got better.

Space Marine 2 has achieved a new peak concurrent on Steam, at 225,690 players. Considering the positive word of mouth, great critical reception, and general good vibes around the game, it was bound to break its initial Steam record.

At the time of this writing, it remains the number one top-selling game on Steam, which explains why so many people logged in to play at the same time. Reviews on Steam have reached Very Positive, based on over 32,000 user reviews, and the memes have started appearing, both on Steam itself and elsewhere online.

This all firmly cements Space Marine 2’s position as one of the year’s top-selling games. Based on Steam numbers alone, it’s already one of the platform’s biggest launches in 2024, and things are likely similarly hot on consoles. We’ll have to wait for the Circana report for September to see how the game ranked overall, but I’d be surprised if it lands anywhere outside the top three.

In the meantime, why not check out our guides for the top classes for Space Marine 2’s Eternal War multiplayer mode. It’s actually much better than you think, and is definitely well worth playing after you’re done with the campaign. For our more general recommendations for Bolt Rifle and Heavy Bolt Rifle perks (useful across PvP and PvE), hit up those links.