Look, Aion 2 officially launched on the 5th after smashing past 170,000 peak concurrent players even during its early access phase. Following the full release, that concurrent player count more than doubled, hitting roughly 400,000.

Right from the first day of early access on the 30th, the title pulled in a peak of 171,530 concurrent players, securing the number 9 spot globally. It comfortably maintained the mid-100,000s right up until launch—quite a feat considering players had to shell out for a Founders Pack to get in early, even though the game would be free-to-play at full release. Clearly, the hype was real.

When the official gates opened on the 5th, the peak concurrent player count skyrocketed to 397,905, more than doubling the previous record and proving that the appetite for this world remains ravenous. For context, that is roughly 20% higher than the peak managed by NC's previous Steam outing, Throne and Liberty, which sat at around 330,000. Among South Korean titles making the jump to Steam, Aion 2 now proudly sits in third place, right behind PUBG and Lost Ark.

Despite a massive influx of reviews following the full release, Aion 2's user rating on Steam as of 2:00 PM on the 6th is holding steady at 'Mostly Positive' (sitting at 71% positive out of 9,702 reviews). The general mood mirrors the early access days: players are showering praise on the stunning graphics, gorgeous character designs, and a brilliantly realized game world. The intricate character customisation, slick combat animations, and mount system are also pulling in plenty of love. On the flip side, the inclusion of PvP elements has naturally kept the usual grumbling about monetization and subscription models alive. Critics are also pointing out that the UI feels a bit too mobile-centric, while the stamina system restricting playtime continues to rub some the wrong way.

That being said, the game's payment structure doesn't directly dictate player power, meaning it is fairly far removed from traditional pay-to-win mechanics. Instead, the friction seems to stem from cultural differences in global MMORPG design—such as memberships not applying across entire servers and paid currency being interchangeable for in-game materials or standard currency—which has caught some players off guard.

Meanwhile, sitting right at the very top of the global Steam charts is Star Wars: Episode I: Racer, with just hours left until its launch. Backed by critical acclaim sitting at an 88 on Metacritic and plenty of pre-launch buzz, the top spot comes as little surprise. Other heavy hitters and fresh releases like Gears of War: E-Day, Wardogs, and Ace Combat 8: Wings of The Thief are also holding their ground on the charts, completely unfazed by the autumn sales.