Destiny 2’s player count is reaching an all-time low, with matchmaking becoming increasingly difficult for raids, dungeons, and other activities.
Destiny 2, once a shining example of live-service gaming, is facing what might be its toughest challenge yet. Bungie’s flagship game has seen a steady decline in its player base over the past months. The release of Episode Revenant already saw the lowest day-one population, and it keeps getting worse due to bugs, glitches, and content.
Players have been vocal about their frustration, with many feeling let down after the hype of The Final Shape. It’s clear that the game’s post-expansion episodic content release has failed to live up to expectations for many players.
Long-standing issues like repetitive gameplay loops and delayed quality-of-life updates have further eroded player morale. On top of that, the recent layoffs at the company didn’t help either. All of this has led to a steep decline in the game’s player base.
Destiny 2 Fans Are Struggling to Find Other Players with Low Population
With fewer players logging in, finding fireteams for group activities like raids and dungeons has become a struggle. Matchmaking queues are taking longer than ever, and even tools like the in-game Fireteam Finder and Discord LFG servers aren’t helping much. Many posts in LFG now demand “experienced players only,” shutting out those who are new or unfamiliar with the content.
Reddit user Flailus summed up the situation: “Was trying to do a Garden of Salvation and it took forever to find a team. … I had to use a combination of the Discord LFG and the in-game fireteam finder just to find a team, and even then it still took a pretty long time.”
This sentiment is echoed by many others who feel that the shrinking community is making the game less enjoyable.
Destiny 2 Player Numbers Are Dropping Fast
According to data from Cbro, Destiny 2’s total hourly active player count during peak hours hovers around 60,000 across all platforms, while it drops to roughly 35,000 to 40,000 during off-peak hours. At the time of writing, here’s the breakdown of hourly active players across all platforms:
- Overall: 59,771
- PlayStation: 24,543
- Xbox: 22,022
- Steam: 11,243
- Epic Games: 877
For Steam specifically, SteamDB reports that the game is peaking at under 20,000 concurrent players. These figures reflect a significant decline compared to the game’s heyday, when player counts regularly exceeded 80,000.
There are multiple factors to Destiny 2’s declining player population: the conclusion to the 10-year saga, persistent bugs, and glitches, combined with the grind-heavy gameplay, have left many players frustrated.
Bungie’s handling of these issues, including repetitive seasonal content, has further alienated the community. Additionally, the release of massive new games like Marvel Rivals and Path of Exile 2 has diverted players’ attention, pulling them away from Destiny 2 and offering fresh alternatives to explore.
Players haven’t been shy about sharing their thoughts. One Reddit user said, “The content is just stale. The formulaic seasonal grind is stale. The events are nothing but tedium distilled.” Another user, GT_GZA, pointed out the player base’s struggles: “The player base is at or near all-time lows. Most players don’t raid at all.”
Adding to the frustration, mimisayshi_ commented on the unwelcoming nature of LFG posts: “I’m a newer player but I don’t think most of the people raid. Need someone to teach and 90% of the posts I see are strictly KWTD [Know What To Do] or kick.”
Meanwhile, iamthedayman21 highlighted the struggle of finding players in matchmade activities: “I’ve been trying to play Hardware Supremacy today and never got a full game. Realistically, I don’t think the population will ever rebound. We beat the final boss in June, a lot of people left and won’t be back.”
Many in the community agree that unless Bungie makes significant changes soon, the situation will only get worse. Destiny 2’s declining population is a wake-up call for Bungie.
With fewer players, longer matchmaking times, and growing frustration among the community, it’s clear that the game needs a major shake-up. Whether the upcoming Codename Frontiers expansions can restore the player base to its former glory remains to be seen.
What are your thoughts on Destiny 2’s current state? Share your opinion in the comments below!
