Stellar Blade Emerges as Sony's Major Steam Hit

The PC edition of Stellar Blade just released yesterday, June 11, yet it has already become Sony's largest single-player launch on Steam to date.

Currently, the concurrent player peak stands at nearly 105,000, marking the seventh all-time high the game has achieved since I began writing this article. There's little question that player counts will keep rising, particularly as we approach the weekend.

For context, Ghost of Tsushima maxed out at 77,154 players, God of War reached a peak of 73,529, and Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered recorded a high of 66,436 players. Indeed, the only Sony-published title with a higher concurrent record than Stellar Blade is Helldivers 2, which is, naturally, a multiplayer experience.

PC-exclusive features incorporate AI upscaling through Nvidia DLSS 4 and AMD FSR 3, unlocked framerates, Japanese and Chinese voiceovers, ultrawide display compatibility, enhanced resolution environment textures, and DualSense integration for haptic feedback and adaptive trigger effects.

The PC release was initially region-locked in over 100 countries, but is now accessible in "more than 250 regions." And yes, modding support is available. Numerous mods have emerged, with community creators implementing various adjustments and enhancements since the demo released several weeks ago. Be aware, however, that not all mods are workplace-appropriate...

Stellar Blade has performed so successfully for developer Shift Up that a sequel has already been greenlit. The Sony-published action title launched to favorable reception in April 2024, with players noting its gameplay blends elements from NieR: Automata and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

IGN's Stellar Blade review awarded a 7/10 score. Our assessment stated: "Stellar Blade excels in the most crucial aspects of action gameplay, though unremarkable characters, an underwhelming narrative, and several irritating RPG mechanics prevent it from reaching the genre's highest echelons."