CS2 Player Count
How many people play Counter-Strike 2 right now, checked with Steam every 5 minutes, with peaks, charts and the hours when most people are on
Every 5 minutes I ask Steam how many people have CS2 running and save the answer. The big number below is the latest one, and it changes on the page by itself. Everything else - peaks, charts, the heat map, the months - is built from the answers I collected.
It is Steam's own count: matchmaking, community servers, deathmatch and people sitting in the main menu all go into it. Steam's current-player API provides no breakdown or historical data, so my records start on the day I began collecting them.
For community servers specifically, CS2 Community Servers checks the Steam server list every 10 minutes, filters out fake servers and bots, and tracks estimated real player counts across maps, modes and countries.
Steam's own count of everyone who has CS2 running - matchmaking, community servers and the main menu alike. I ask Steam every 5 minutes and keep every answer.
- Peak, last 24 h14:20 UTC1,088,326
- Low, last 24 h04:20 UTC438,718
- Average, last 24 hevery 5 minutes727,202
- Than 24 h agothe same time yesterday -28,791
Players over time
When CS2 is played
last 30 days · your timeCS2 and CS 1.6
right now, SteamFor every person in CS 1.6 there are 81 in CS2.
Both are Steam's numbers: everyone with the game open. For CS 1.6 that includes the menu and LAN. Real players on CS 1.6 servers, with fake servers filtered out, are counted in CS 1.6 Steam Server Stats.
CS2 players by month
Steam, UTC months| Month | Average | Peak | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 so far | 785,560 | 1,287,939 | -24,565 (-3%) |
| October 2026 | 810,125 | 1,347,645 | - |
Day by day, last 30 days
| Day | Peak | Low | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, 2 Nov so far | 1,088,326 | 438,718 | 719,553 |
| Sun, 1 Nov | 1,287,939 | 500,372 | 841,941 |
| Sat, 31 Oct partial | 1,270,819 | 512,434 | 855,758 |
| Fri, 30 Oct | 1,245,206 | 408,573 | 790,435 |
| Thu, 29 Oct | 1,200,313 | 440,473 | 771,856 |
| Wed, 28 Oct | 1,275,584 | 427,299 | 784,994 |
| Tue, 27 Oct | 1,136,832 | 405,475 | 724,366 |
| Mon, 26 Oct partial | 1,061,567 | 435,589 | 718,582 |
| Sun, 25 Oct | 1,338,829 | 535,776 | 873,652 |
| Sat, 24 Oct partial | 1,347,645 | 644,842 | 1,101,511 |
Steam refreshes this number roughly every 10-15 minutes, so the 24-hour line moves in small steps. Steam keeps no history of its own: everything here starts on 24 Oct 2026, 11:35 UTC, when I started counting.
What the Numbers Mean
Every block of the page, top to bottom
- Big number
- People with CS2 open at the last check. The badges show when that was and when the next one is due. The page picks up the new number on its own, no reload needed.
- Last 24 hours
- The column next to it: the highest and the lowest number over the last 24 hours with the time it happened (in your time zone), the average of all checks (up to ~288), and the difference from the same time yesterday.
- Peaks
- The highest number in 7 days and in 30 days. Highest I've seen is the top since I started counting, not the all-time record of the game - CS2 had bigger days before that.
- Players over time
- The chart, from 24 hours to everything I have. Over 24 hours every point is one check. Over longer periods a point covers half an hour, two hours or a day: the line is the average inside it, the shaded band goes from its lowest to its highest number. Hover for exact values.
- When CS2 is played
- Every hour of the week over the last 30 days, in your own time zone. Brighter means more people, the square for right now is outlined. Under it: the busiest and the quietest hour and how much the weekend adds.
- By month
- The average and the peak of every month, and the change against the month before. The current month is marked so far. Day by day for the last 30 days is folded under it.
One thing you will notice on the 24-hour chart: the line moves in small steps. Steam refreshes this number roughly every 10-15 minutes, so two or three checks in a row often get the same answer. Now and then Steam answers with 0 or a number far too low - those answers are kept apart and never reach the charts or the peaks.
Why CS2 Player Counts Differ
Why the same question gets different answers
- SteamDB, Steam Charts and similar sites read the same Steam number. Their history goes back years, mine starts on the day I started counting. At the same minute the numbers should match; small differences come from when each site asks.
- The Steam store and the Steam stats page show the same kind of number, people in the game right now.
- Monthly active players, a figure you will often see quoted for CS2, is a different thing: everyone who played at least once in a month. It is always many times bigger than any number on this page.
CS2 vs CS 1.6 Player Count
The same count for the original game
I ask Steam about CS 1.6 at the same moments, so the block next to the heat map compares both games live. The gap is huge, but the CS 1.6 number tells only part of its story: a lot of CS 1.6 is played on non-Steam clients, which Steam never sees.
For CS 1.6 I also count the other way round - not who has the game open, but who is really on a server. CS 1.6 Steam Server Stats checks every server in the Steam list every 10 minutes and leaves out the fake ones, which claim millions of players with nobody on them.
CS2 Player Count FAQ
Short answers
How many people play CS2 right now?
The big number at the top of this page. It is Steam's own count of everyone with CS2 open, checked every 5 minutes.
When is the best time to find a match fast?
Look at "When CS2 is played". It is in your time zone, and the brightest squares are the hours with the most people. Queue times also depend on your region and rank, which Steam does not show.
Does the number include bots or fake accounts?
It includes every account that has CS2 running, whatever it does there. Steam does not say how many of them are farm accounts or idle, so neither can I.
Is "Highest I've seen" the CS2 record?
No. It is the highest number since I started counting. Steam does not give past numbers, so anything before that day is not in my data.
Why does the chart move in steps?
Steam refreshes this number about every 10-15 minutes, and I ask every 5. Two or three checks in a row often get the same answer.
Is CS:GO counted here?
CS:GO and CS2 are the same app in Steam (appid 730), and Steam counts the app, not the version. Almost everyone in this number is in CS2; the few people running the old CS:GO legacy build would be counted too.
How many people play CS 1.6?
The block next to the heat map shows Steam's count for CS 1.6 right now. For real players on servers, with fake servers filtered out, see CS 1.6 Steam Server Stats.
More Steam Tools
The other tools on this site that work with Steam: accounts, demos, inventories and live server numbers
- // lookupSteamID LookupAny ID or profile link in, every format out, plus bans, account age, hours and what they play now.open →
- // demo parserCS2 SteamID ExtractorDrop a CS2 demo, get every player's SteamID64 with their nickname.open →
- // demo parserCS 1.6 Demo AnalyzerScoreboard, rounds, kill feed, chat, SteamIDs and a 2D replay from a GoldSrc demo, in the browser.open →
- // inventoryInventory ValueWhat a public CS2 inventory is worth at current prices, and which items make up the number.open →
- // server queryCS 1.6 Server InfoWho is on a server right now, its map, cvars, plugins and ping from other countries.open →
- // live statsCS 1.6 Steam Server StatsReal players on every CS 1.6 server in the Steam list, fake farms filtered out, with history.open →
- // live statsCS2 Community ServersReal players on CS2 community servers, fakes filtered out: servers, maps, modes and countries.open →