A “perfect storm” of Winter Sale discounts and blockbuster releases is described as driving a historic year for Steam PC gaming.

Arc Raiders sold about 1.2 million copies on Steam during December 21 to January 4, boosted by a Boxing Day surge of roughly 250,000, with lifetime sales topping 12 million and peak concurrent players near 3.2 million, signaling strong momentum.

Counter-Strike 2 remains Steam’s top revenue driver, holding steady leadership even as holiday demand surges.

Arc Raiders’ success is highlighted as evidence of mainstream appeal for the extraction shooter genre, with Embark Studios’ Hullcracker feature noted as helping attract a broad audience.

Analysts frame the results as part of a broader post-pandemic market stabilization, with a more balanced economy and continued hardware investments fueling growth.

December 2025 underscores a resilient PC gaming market, with Steam’s annual revenue estimated around $17.7 billion and ongoing dominance amid rising competition.

The piece conveys optimism for the PC gaming market, with Steam serving as a benchmark for visibility and sales during holiday periods.

(note: empty placeholder not included in final narrative)

The article centers on sales figures and Steam rankings for December 2025, with author bios and standard PC Gamer calls-to-action.

Steam remains the leading PC distribution platform despite competition from the Epic Games Store, underscoring a robust ecosystem during the Winter Sale.

Looking ahead to 2026, the piece suggests a strong start for Steam and PC gaming, with CS2 and Arc Raiders as key engines of performance.

Revenue mix includes free-to-play titles with microtransactions, paid games like Arc Raiders, and seasonal/DLC content, showing diversified earnings on Steam.