The launch of Apex Legends season 16 has drawn a record number of Steam players to Respawn’s free-to-play battle royale game. Apex Legends players have been swarming to the game on Steam, reaching a record-smashing 610,433 concurrent players February 15.
Apex Legends Season 16 is called ‘Revelry,’ and the influx of players has dwarfed any previous season since it launched on Steam at the end of 2020. The previous peak in concurrent Steam players occurred at the start of season 14, which saw a peak of 511,676 simultaneous players.
The arrival of team deathmatch in season 16 may help explain the sudden excitement for Apex Legends on Steam, a phenomenon that’s likely happening on other platforms where concurrent player data isn’t made available to the public. The 6v6 team deathmatch mode replaces Apex Legends’ 3v3 arenas mode, but season 16 will also feature a new Mixtape mode with a rotating selection of limited-time modes on offer.
The peak happened around 6am PST / 9am EST / 2pm GMT February 15, about a day after Season 16 launched in the free PC game.
Season 16 overhauls classes in Apex Legends rather than adding a new Legend. Respawn has said it intends for the changes to “redefine what classes meant to the game” by clarifying those roles.
If you’re collecting Apex Legends heirlooms, our handy guide will tell you how to get each one.