As the curtain falls on Steam’s Winter Sale, players are gearing up for a thrilling new gaming experience. Reports suggest that ARC Raiders, a prominent title, is keeping PC gamers engaged until the next big sale hits this Spring.
December 2025 proved to be a milestone for Steam, as the gaming platform raked in an astounding over $1.6 billion, marking a significant 22.7% increase from the previous year. This impressive feat even surpassed the COVID-era numbers of December 2020, where revenue reached $1.4 billion.
ARC Raiders Dominates Steam
A significant contributor to this record-breaking revenue was ARC Raiders, the third-person extraction shooter from Embark Studios, which debuted in October 2025. The game has taken the community by storm, achieving sales of 12 million copies sold across all platforms, with over 7 million copies sold on Steam alone. During the holidays, ARC Raiders emerged as the second-highest revenue-generating game on Steam, selling over 250,000 copies on Boxing Day. Its popularity is evident as it consistently maintains a player count of more than 250,000 concurrent players since launch. Meanwhile, Counter-Strike continues to reign supreme as the top revenue generator and the most played game on the platform.
Sales Driven By Irresistible Discounts
The December charts reveal intriguing insights into consumer behavior, particularly in relation to game sales. The Winter Sale saw Detroit: Become Human discounted by 90%, attracting approximately 993,000 new players, placing it as the second-best-selling game in December, right after ARC Raiders. Other noteworthy mentions include Battlefield 6 and Slay the Spire, both benefiting from significant discounts. Slay the Spire’s developer, Mega Crit, is gearing up for the release of Slay the Spire II in March 2026, a timely move given the current sales momentum.
ARC Raiders has been lauded for its gameplay, with reviews praising its evolution within the extraction shooter genre. One review highlighted the game’s dynamic tactics and exciting challenges, particularly after the addition of Stella Montis, which introduced new layers of strategic depth.
For more details on ARC Raiders and its impact on the gaming community, further information is readily available.