All good video game franchises evolve over time, although this evolution isn’t always for the better.Some sequels fail to live up to the lofty standards set by their predecessors, while others simply lack the sticking power needed to keep players engaged for the long haul.
As a result, there are plenty ofSteamgames that are outperforming their sequels, despite releasing many years earlier and being developed on smaller budgets. These enduring fan-favorite titles prove that newer isn’t always better and thatunique and engaging gameplaycan be far more important than graphical polish.
All of the figures used in this piece come courtesy ofSteamDBand are accurate as of the time of publication.
1Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Despite Ubisoft’s repeated assertions thatAssassin’s Creed Shadowshas been a huge success, it didn’t take too long for players to move on to other games. Many appear to have returned to one of the series' earlier entries, withAssassin’s Creed Odysseycurrently the franchise’s most popular game on Steam. It not only beats outShadows, but alsoMirageandValhalla, both of which were released several years later.
2Sid Meier’s Civilization VI
Civilizationgames have always been slow out of the blocks, but the series' seventh mainline installment took things to a whole new level. Within a few weeks of its launch, many series fans had already returned toCivilization VI, andCiv 7player counts have continued to drop off ever since. Just to rub extra salt in the wound, there are currently around twice as many people playingCiv 5as there areCiv 7, despite the former releasing a decade and a half earlier.
3Microsoft Flight Simulator
To say thatMicrosoft Flight Simulator 2024never really took offwould perhaps be a bit of an understatement. Amidst a wave of technical issues, it peaked at just under 25,000 concurrent players on launch day, which is less than half the maximum player count of its 2020 predecessor. Within a week of its launch, around two-thirds of players had already jumped ship, with many returning to the skies withMicrosoft Flight Simulatorsoon after.
4Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylineswas always going to be a tough act to follow, with many considering it to be one ofthe greatest city management games of all time. However,Cities: Skylines IIfell a long way short, with both critic and user scores for the game being considerably lower than its 2014 predecessor. With all that in mind, it should come as no surprise to learn that more people are currently playing the original game than the sequel.
5Assetto Corsa
Given thatAssetto Corsa EVOis still in early access, it seems a little unfair to compare its player count to that ofAssetto Corsa, which many consider to be one ofthe most realistic racing sims ever made.Assetto Corsa Competizionebrought with it plenty of improvements, yet the original remains a lot more popular with players. This is mainly due to the 2014 title’s superior VR support and more vibrant modding scene, both of which make it popular with sim racing enthusiasts.
6Battlefield 1
Battlefield 2042showed a lot of promise in the months leading up to its release, yet ultimately failed to deliver. Things did improve over time, and the game can still befun to play with friends, although, evidently, not as enjoyable as the two that came before it. BothBattlefield VandBattlefield 1currently have more active players on Steam, with the latter just edging out the former when it comes to the most popularBattlefieldgame on the platform.
7Resident Evil 4
Granted, theRE4remake was released more recently than the fourmainlineResident Evilgamesthat followed the original, but its continued popularity with players is impressive nonetheless. It currently has more active players than the next four games in the series combined. TheResident Evil 2remake also deserves a mention here, as with 1,918 players, it comfortably beats out theRE3remake (661) andVillage, both of which were released in the years that followed.
Honorable Mentions
There are a few games that don’t quite meet the criteria for this list that still deserve a special mention. With a 24-hour peak just shy of one hundred thousand players,Grand Theft Auto V Legacyhas a much higher player count thanGrand Theft Auto V Enhanced(73,657), despite the latter supposedly being the superior version of the game. Similarly,ARK: Survival Evolved(41,574) is still comfortably beating outARK: Survival Ascended(23,943) when it comes to the two games' 24-hour peaks.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim(40,298) is the sequel toOblivionrather than its predecessor, yet the remaster of the latter arrived more than a decade later and already has fewer players (38,713) despite being a relatively new release at the time of writing. While on the subject of remasters,Horizon Zero Dawn Remasteredcurrently has a 24-hour peak of just 549, which is considerably lower thanHorizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition(1,444). Clearly, newer doesn’t always equate to better in the eyes of the average gamer.
