Core Keeper Breaks 30,000 Players On Steam For Its 1.0 Release

Core Keeper by Pugstorm Games is a mining sandbox adventure game that’s been in Early Access on Steam since March 2022.

According to Steam Charts, Core Keeper typically retains around 2000-2500 active players.

These figures have been absolutely shattered thanks to the titles 1.0 release.

Fredrik Prantare, the CEO and Director of Pugstorm Games, tweeted about the Core Keeper‘s performance, saying, “Almost 30,000 players! Beyond my imagination.”

Shortly after the tweet was posted, the title surpassed “Almost 30,000,” ending with a respectable player peak of 31,597 on 27th August.

The responses to Prantare’s tweet are full of wholesome congratulations and, above all, “well-deserved.”

Even the Palworld team on X chimed in with a response to the Core Keeper Game-specific account.

The Early Access program on Steam allows developers to release games in a work-in-progress state. Many teams use this time to gauge player reception. Some even use feedback to fundamentally change a title before the official release.

It’s a great way for developers to communicate with a keen audience, and even massive upcoming titles like Path of Exile 2 use the program. Hades 2 is another Early Access title that will be looking to make a splash when it finally releases.

While plenty of games eventually leave Early Access, it’s far less common to see a title release to this level of fanfare.

Is Core Keeper Available On Console Platforms?

Core Keeper was solely a PC title during Early Access but is now available on all consoles, including the Nintendo Switch. The title also dropped on Xbox Game Pass, which typically generates a ton of players as it’s included in the monthly subscription.

While it was in Early Access, Core Keeper had a collaboration with Terraria, and those additions remain in the 1.0 release.

It’s hard to say how well Core Keeper has sold on consoles and if those figures compare to Steam.

Console player counts are notoriously hard to track, as the values are hidden unless announced by a developer. While we don’t have precise numbers, the official Core Keeper Subreddit is full of threads by console players learning the ropes.

Sadly, there is no Crossplay support between Consoles and PC. There is meant to be functionality between the Steam and Gamepass PC versions, although a thread on the subreddit mentions this isn’t currently working. Core Keeper even has mod support on Steam, although it may take a while for modders to update their wares for the current build.

With such a solid showing for the official launch, there’s never been a better time to dive in and have fun underground.