Half-Life 2 hits new peak concurrent player count during free weekend

It seems like everyone's jumping back into City 17 this week as Half-Life 2 smashes concurrent player records on Steam. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Half-Life 2 just got a massive update and a free weekend, prompting the peak concurrent player count to go over the 64K mark.

SteamDB reports that 64,085 players were battling Combine forces this past Sunday, the highest number since Steam began tracking player counts in 2008. While this figure doesn't account for the game's initial launch in 2005 or the Orange Box release in 2007, it's still an incredible feat for a two-decade-old single-player title.

This resurgence is no doubt fueled by a combination of factors. Valve's recent two-hour anniversary documentary, which included footage of the unreleased Episode 3, has reignited interest in the iconic FPS. Moreover, the new update added a ton of fresh content and features, including three and a half hours of new developer commentary.

But that's not all. The update also integrates Episodes One and Two and the Lost Coast demo into the base game's launcher. Modders are in for a treat, too, with the addition of Steam Workshop support, opening up a world of possibilities for the HL2 modding community. Rounding things off are a host of bug fixes and visual improvements.

KitGuru says: Did you jump back to Half-Life 2 to check the new update? Have you already watched the documentary?

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