Look, with the Steam Autumn Sale kicking off, quite a few titles joining the discount bandwagon have forcefully elbowed their way into the sales charts. Among them, The Outlast Trials has rocketed straight to the very top of the global Steam charts, courtesy of its very first 90% discount.

Acting as a prequel to the Outlast series, The Outlast Trials drops the player into the Cold War era as a test subject enduring Murkoff Corporation's twisted human experiments, while introducing up to 4-player co-op for the first time in the franchise. Subjects must complete missions across various programs and maps, and unlike previous entries where sneaking around empty-handed was the only option, surviving here involves fighting back against foes using night-vision goggles and assorted items.

The game has seen frequent discounts since hitting early access back in 2023 and following its official release in 2024. Until now, the highest discount sat at 70%, but this Autumn Sale slashed the price drastically with a first-ever 90% markdown. Naturally, the ensuing purchasing frenzy seems to have pushed the ranking straight up.

Since its official launch, The Outlast Trials has adopted a seasonal model, continuously rolling out fresh content. The most recent Season 7.1 update on September 8 brought two new MK-Challenges and a limited-time event into the mix.

The user rating for The Outlast Trials over the past month sits comfortably at Very Positive. Plenty of glowing reviews point out how the blend of genuine terror and unexpected laughs makes it an absolute blast with mates, drawing players deep into the signature atmosphere and eccentric enemy roster. That said, a bit of flak is floating around too, particularly regarding the use of generative AI for in-game art and the outright blocking of all mods under the guise of preventing PvP cheating, which consequently killed off quality-of-life mods as well.

Elsewhere, Gears of War: E-Day snatched second place as early play kicked off. Sitting at an 87 on Metacritic, the game is pulling a Very Positive reception from Steam users as well. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 grabbed fourth place, backed by an anniversary update and a shiny discount. Meanwhile, Fishing Method—which previously smashed past 300,000 Concurrent Players at launch—clawed its way up to ninth thanks to the magic of discounts.

Over in the daily peak Concurrent Players top 20, Limbus Company pushed out a regular update introducing a new Identity and easing the battle difficulty of Chapter 10, propelling the player count to 155,699 and landing it in ninth place. Aion 2 recorded 147,878 concurrent players on its second day since launch.