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Steam’s most stunning battle royale game hits massive new record

Naraka Bladepoint boasts a massive new milestone as 24 Entertainment's free-to-play melee battle royale hits over 40 million players.

Naraka Bladepoint: A man wearing turquoise and sky blue looks to the side, his medium-length brown hair coming down over his eyes

Naraka Bladepoint is shaping up to be one of the most eye-catching battle royale games around, with its unique aesthetic and martial arts-inspired combat. 24 Entertainment’s latest announcement speaks to that appeal, as it reveals how a whopping 40 million players are slicing and dicing their way to the top in-game, marking a massive new milestone for Naraka.

It’s no secret that Naraka Bladepoint invokes mixed reactions from the battle royale game community. While performance and stability issues prove problematic as further detailed in our Naraka Bladepoint review, the game’s cash shop does even more so. Most of the game’s negative feedback on Steam cites such reasons, but that’s not to say the game is bad overall.

It’s action-packed, challenging, free to get into, and most importantly, genuinely addictive. 24 Entertainment’s battle royale is also fashion-forward, featuring some of the most appealing animations and cosmetics I’ve seen. With all that it does have going for it, it’s exciting to see the developer reveal a new record for its player base.

There are now over 40 million players, which means that Naraka has a bigger population as a game than, for perspective, Canada does as a country. According to Steam’s battle royale charts, the game is also overtaking the likes of Battlefield V and my own silly fave, Fall Guys.

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Naraka sees a steady flow of new content, with its recent big Season 10 update and the addition of new hero Hadi Ismail, a gorgeous feathery fan weapon, and more. It looks like the community is happy with its changes too, as most of the melee-focused game’s recent reviews are positive.

A good few cite the roster of stylish heroes and their abilities as the reason they’re enjoying the game now, with Hadi being just one of many. The developer’s interaction with its players and focus on accessibility is also a solid reason to support its work. A notable example is the team’s recent work with JesseLHV.

Jesse is a one-handed gamer and content creator who loves battle royale games like Naraka. Along with Hacksmith Industries, 24 Entertainment and publisher NetEase are working to create a prosthetic arm for Jesse that draws inspiration from Hadi’s mechanical arm in-game. As such positive outreach grows alongside the game’s reception, we’ll likely see the current record player count go up even more.

While you consider hopping into Naraka yourself, check out a few of our other favorite free PC games. There are so many great games to play that don’t require you to break the bank. Alternatively, browse through our guide on the most whimsical fantasy games around for more fantastical experiences that aren’t necessarily battle royale-related.

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