Rust continues to break it’s Steam player count record thanks to popular streamers

A few weeks back, some rather popular Twitch streamers set up a private server to play Rust together. Probably tired of games like Among Us, folks like XQc, Pokimane and Shroud, went to Rust to survive both together and apart. Soon, factions had developed with viewers siding with whoever they preferred to watch; alliances were drawn up and broken (and I have to imagine they were broken at some point) as the streamers fought to both survive and dominate their island.

Of course, the real winner of the situation is Rust which has seen a massive popularity spike due to all the attention, breaking its Steam player count again.

According to Eurogamer, Rust saw its peak player count hit 244,394 concurrent players on 16 January, slightly over its previous record of 201, 497 which was set a week prior. That’s a massive spike in players considering that before last week Rust was sitting at a record of around 125,000 concurrent players.

These numbers have translated very well into cold hard cash for Rust developer Facepunch who reportedly pulled in $1 million over two days last week, according to founder Garry Newman. I mean, I’m pleased for you guys but you also have to remember to stay humble in times like this.

It just goes to show the power of popular Twitch streamers. The same thing happened last year with Among Us (you’ve probably heard of it) reaching a fever pitch of hype due to how popular it was on Twitch. How long this surge lasts for Rust is beyond anyone at this point but as long as people keep watching, I’m sure Facepunch is very happy with the outcome.

Last Updated: January 20, 2021