Destiny 2 just hit its lowest player count on Steam since launch. Between new systems introduced in the Edge of Fate, controversial changes, and fading trust in Bungie, long-time fans are walking away.
If you’ve been following the news lately, you probably know that Bungie’s popular MMO, Destiny 2, is not doing so well right now. Back in July, the studio launched Edge of Fate, the latest expansion that kicked off the next multi-year saga for the game. Now, over two months later, the game’s population has sunk to the lowest ever in history.
The Edge of Fate launched with just 98,211 players on Steam, less than one-third of The Final Shape’s 314,634 day-one peak. That drop wasn’t entirely unexpected, since The Final Shape marked the end of Destiny’s ten-year Light and Darkness saga, a natural stopping point for many longtime players.
With Edge of Fate, however, Bungie made a bunch of major system-wide changes to how Destiny 2 plays. One of the core additions was The Portal, a new system meant to give players more options to play, improve the new player experience, and overall replayability of the game.
But since it launched, The Portal has become one of the most debated features in the community. Many players say it overcomplicates the experience instead of improving it.
It’s clear that the mood in the community feels worse than ever, and the player count is showing that.
Destiny 2 Player Count Hits Record Low
According to Steam Charts, Destiny 2’s average player count on Steam over the last 30 days is just 18,439, the lowest it’s ever been since the game arrived on Steam in 2019. Even January 2025, which previously held that record at 18,542, has now been passed. September 2025’s monthly average was 19,307, which is -44% month-over-month vs August and -23% year-over-year vs September 2024.
For comparison, Destiny 2’s highest monthly average was 165,307 back in October 2019. Today, during non-peak hours, the game dropped below 8,000 concurrent players on Steam, possibly one of the first times it’s ever fallen that low.
Here’s the month-by-month breakdown of Destiny 2’s average and peak player counts on Steam, from January 2024:
- Last 30 Days: 18,439 average / 54,297 peak
- September 2025: 19,307 average / 54,297 peak
- August 2025: 34,575 average / 74,961 peak
- July 2025: 41,220 average / 108,362 peak
- June 2025: 21,028 average / 38,074 peak
- May 2025: 27,372 average / 59,826 peak
- April 2025: 22,846 average / 49,891 peak
- March 2025: 30,968 average / 67,473 peak
- February 2025: 40,162 average / 77,252 peak
- January 2025: 18,542 average / 36,488 peak
- December 2024: 20,930 average / 36,896 peak
- November 2024: 30,114 average / 53,135 peak
- October 2024: 36,169 average / 89,512 peak
- September 2024: 25,233 average / 41,373 peak
- August 2024: 35,747 average / 63,464 peak
- July 2024: 62,149 average / 100,435 peak
- June 2024: 123,023 average / 314,379 peak
- May 2024: 72,527 average / 116,100 peak
- April 2024: 60,106 average / 125,545 peak
- March 2024: 39,479 average / 74,473 peak
- February 2024: 32,567 average / 46,511 peak
- January 2024: 39,012 average / 58,769 peak
Destiny 2 Expansion Launch Day-1 Peak Player Counts
As for the peak player numbers, here’s how each major Destiny 2 expansion has performed on launch day:
- Lightfall: 316,750
- The Final Shape: 314,634
- The Witch Queen: 290,112
- Beyond Light: 242,284
- Shadowkeep: 214,100
- The Edge of Fate: 98,211
It’s a staggering 69% drop compared to The Final Shape.
Community sentiment around Destiny 2 and Bungie has been sliding with each patch. On Steam, Edge of Fate holds a recent review rating of “Overwhelmingly Negative” with only 4% positive reviews out of the 370 total.
On Reddit and X (Twitter), there’s been plenty of discussion around Destiny 3 and if players would want something like that. One user said, “I don’t trust Bungie anymore with this franchise. I’m already off the Destiny 2 train, and I have no clue what they could do to bring me back on board with anything Bungie does next.”
That sentiment isn’t limited to players. Top creators like Datto, Gladd, and GrenaderJake have all stepped away from Destiny 2 in recent weeks, citing burnout, frustration with PvP, and the constant wave of negativity around the game. Datto even said, “The community will push me out well before the game does.”
Destiny 2’s next big hope is the Star Wars-themed Renegades expansion coming this December, but unless Bungie can win back trust and fix the issues driving players away, this low point could become the new normal.
What do you think? Are you still playing Destiny 2? Let us know how you’re feeling about the state of the game in the comments below!
