Steam’s Next Fest starts today, February 24, 2025, where you can test numerous game demos and get a first impression of the titles. Some games have already released their demos a few days prior in preparation for the event. One of these games has even become one of the most played.
Which game is it? Last weekend, the multiplayer game Mecha Break climbed the Steam charts. It is a PvP shooter where each player controls a so-called mech.
These robot-like machines all come with different equipment. There are attack, melee, sniper, reconnaissance, and support mechs – some of them can fly, while others are intended for ground combat. Players can also individually customize the appearance of their machines and pilots.
Mecha Break primarily focuses on fast-paced PvP battles, which can sometimes seem chaotic due to the very fast movement and many effects on the screen. There are various modes like team deathmatch, where players compete in 3v3 or 6v6 battles. Additionally, a PvPvE extraction mode is playable.
More Players than the Latest Hype Shooter
How many players does the game have? Over the weekend, Mecha Break temporarily surpassed the hero shooter Marvel Rivals and became the fourth most played game on Steam with 317,000 players – only the eternal top players PUBG, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2 had more players.
Mecha Break reached its peak of 317,000 players on Sunday, February 23, in the afternoon. The top 5 games on Steam at that time were as follows (via SteamDB):
- Counter-Strike 2 – 1,783,434 players
- PUBG – 818,843 players
- Dota 2 – 704,824 players
- Mecha Break – 317,522 players
- Marvel Rivals – 218,081 players
Currently, Mecha Break still stands at 206,000 players in 4th place among the most played games on Steam, ahead of Marvel Rivals with 124,000 users (as of February 24, 2025, 11:15 AM, via SteamDB).
How is Mecha Break being received? Currently, the demo of Mecha Break is largely rated negatively with 3,680 reviews on Steam. Only 33% of all reviews are positive, even though the gameplay is praised.
Apparently, the demo suffered from review bombing by Chinese players. The YouTuber Axelottol took a closer look at the Chinese reviews and says that many of them are underage players, who are legally not allowed to play in China after a certain time. The demo started after this time, and affected gamers were upset because it is the game of a Chinese development studio.
Nevertheless, there are also other points of criticism regarding the demo. Some users are bothered by the fact that Mecha Break utilizes a so-called “Kernel Level Anti-Cheat”, which must be manually removed after the game has already been uninstalled. Kernel level refers to the deepest, central level in an operating system. Software with access to this level can change almost anything.
Moreover, it has been criticized that the servers were often unreachable during the weekend due to maintenance. A problem you shouldn’t have with another shooter demo on Steam: The creator of BioShock recommends a free demo on Steam that resembles the legendary shooter
