Multiplayer World War 2 first-person shooter Hell Let Loose became free on the Epic Games Store earlier this week — a limited giveaway that benefited it on another platform, too. Publisher Team17’s 100-player military shooter, which was released in 2021, was free as part of Epic Games’ mystery giveaway starting on Jan. 2. (The giveaway ends Thursday at 11 a.m. EST.) The giveaway was a huge boost to player numbers on the Epic Games Store itself, where it previously wasn’t available to play, but upped the number of players on Windows PC via Steam, too.
Starting on Jan. 2, Hell Let Loose began its upward trajectory on Steam, hitting its highest peak concurrent player count there — 20,388 players — on Jan. 5. (The total peak, on all platforms, was 140,000 people, the developer said on X.) Before the Epic Games Store giveaway, the player count hovered under 10,000 concurrent players for months.
The game, which pits squads of 50 soldiers against each other, is known for its realistic, tactical gameplay. It’s continued to be popular since its release in 2021, but the Epic Games Store giveaway gave it a major bump. But because of that, players have reported increased queue times and server issues. So why the increase on Steam, where Hell Let Loose is noticeably not free? (It is on sale for $35.99, down 40% from $59.99, however.) The Steam player count obviously doesn’t count players accessing the game from Epic Games Store’s launcher; roughly 40,000 people were playing the game, for free, using that platform. The resurgence is likely due to the power of friendship: People are returning to the game after dipping off likely because their friends have a new interest in it after grabbing it for free. Some Steam diehards, who like to have their games in one single place, may have made the purchase there, too.
