It’s been a tough old year for Redfall. Arriving at the start of May, the vampire shooter from Dishonored developer Arkane had plenty of pedigree behind it, but also some stiff competition. Diablo 4 would follow just a month later, and likely, people were holding out for the new Blizzard RPG as their game of the summer. Likewise, Skyrim, Fallout, and Elder Scrolls studio Bethesda – which published Redfall – had a little game in the works called Starfield, potentially making Redfall feel like a less-compelling side project. Couple that with some unenthusiastic reviews and reports about technical and gameplay problems, and Arkane’s vampire FPS quickly came and went, despite a launch on Game Pass. However, based on recent Steam statistics and a few other factors, it seems Redfall could be due a minor comeback. It might not be on the same scale as Cyberpunk 2077, but Arkane’s game appears to be on the up.
In our own Redfall review, we found plenty to enjoy in Arkane’s co-op vampire game. It was buggy, and felt unfinished, but there was a solid vision and plenty of potential in the Dishonored 2 dev’s latest shooter. Regardless, Redfall has struggled ever since it launched. Back in October, Redfall didn’t have enough players on Steam to fill a single squad, with the concurrent user count dropping as low as three.
But now things seem to be changing. Recent Redfall Steam reviews put the vampire FPS at a ‘mostly positive’ rating. Many of these have arrived since Thursday November 16, when Arkane launched a sizeable update, overhauling AI, missions, gameplay, and more. Redfall’s overall Steam rating remains a less enthusing ‘mostly negative,’ but players arriving to the shooter in the past month or so are reporting a more enjoyable experience.
Likewise, the Redfall Steam player base has started to swell. Just one week ago, on Monday November 20, Redfall had a peak player count of just 48, according to Steam Charts. As of Monday November 27, that has jumped to a peak of 181 players. On SteamDB, that number is slightly higher at 184.
This is likely helped by a substantial Steam sale, where Redfall is currently 75% off and available for $17.49 / £14.99. Whether the FPS will be able to build on this positive momentum, or retain some of these new players, is currently unclear. But after a difficult 2023, it’s nice to see that Redfall – which perhaps deserves a reappraisal – is getting a bit more love.
If you’re a fan of Redfall and want to try something new to play with friends, get some of the other best co-op games. Alternatively, the best FPS games are bound to make your 2023 end with a bang.
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