Counter-Strike: Source reaches 13-year high player count on Steam

This weekend Counter-Strike: Source, Valve's 2004 addition to Counter-Strike canon, recorded a 13-year peak player count of 56,238 players on Steam, seeing the game become the 27th most-played title on Steam at the time of publication. This significant jump in player count comes 21 years after the title first dropped on Steam and marks an all-time high for the title on Steam Charts dating back to their first update in July 2012.

There has been much speculation on the internet on what has caused thousands to suddenly pick up the 20+ year old title, however publications like PCGamesN and TheGamer have suggested that the mass influx is due to a recent update to Garry's Mod.

After years of requiring users to own and download Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2 to use the skins, models, and other content in Garry's Mod Valve finally allowed the developers of the popular sandbox title to bundle the content in their installer on July 23rd.

While CSS installs are no longer required for Garry's Mod, the speculation is that it has inspired gamers to reinstall the game and play the classic Valve title.