Bungie's Destiny 2 faces record low player counts following the Edge of Fate expansion.
Lowest player count ever
Major decline after Edge of Fate
Recent reviews are overwhelmingly negative
Players express distrust in Bungie
Top creators leaving the game
Upcoming expansion may revive interest
Destiny 2’s player count on Steam has fallen to its lowest level since the game launched. Factors include changes from the Edge of Fate expansion, ongoing controversies, and a growing lack of trust in Bungie by long-time fans.
Record Low Player Counts for Destiny 2
Destiny 2 has reached its lowest player counts on Steam since launching in 2019. As of early October 2025, the daily peak concurrent player count dropped to 16,067, the lowest in the game’s history on Steam, beating the previous low of 18,023.[1][2]
The average player count for the 30 days leading to early October is around 18,054, down steeply from 41,220 in July 2025, the month Edge of Fate was released.[3][1]
Edge of Fate Expansion Launch and Player Reception
Edge of Fate peaked at only 98,211 concurrent players on launch day, a fraction of previous expansions like The Final Shape, which reached over 314,000 players on day one.[4][1]
The expansion introduced The Portal, a new gameplay system aimed at increasing replayability and diversity of experiences. However, many players find it overly complicated and discouraging.[5][6]
Bungie initially nerfed aspects of The Portal but reversed those changes after heavy community backlash, acknowledging their approach was “too conservative” and the wrong call.[7]
Trends in Player Base Decline
Month
Average Players
Peak Players
July 2025
41,220
108,362
August 2025
~34,700
~75,000
September 2025
~19,300
~54,000
October 2025*
~18,054
16,067 (daily peak)
This represents a near 56% drop in average players from July to September 2025, revealing waning engagement following Edge of Fate’s release.[2][1][4]
Community Frustration and Bungie’s Response
The Portal system has been widely criticized as frustrating, restrictive, and punishing, rather than a welcomed evolution of Destiny 2’s gameplay.[8][5]
Players report difficulty returning or staying engaged due to fragmented content vaulting and an overwhelming onboarding experience for both new and returning players.[9]
Bungie has promised a new roadmap with two expansions planned for 2025—Codename Apollo in summer and Codename Behemoth in winter—plus seasonal updates aimed at rekindling player interest.[10]
Despite apologies and commitments to “rebuild trust,” player confidence remains fragile amid the sharp decline in user base.[1][7]
Destiny 2’s player count data and community feedback suggest Bungie faces a critical moment. The Edge of Fate expansion and The Portal system have failed to sustain player interest or community goodwill, triggering the lowest engagement levels since Steam launch. Bungie’s future success depends on how well it can address player concerns, improve gameplay systems, and restore trust through upcoming expansions and updates.[4][2][8][1]
Luca Fischer is a senior technology journalist with more than twelve years of professional experience specializing in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and consumer electronics. He earned his M.S. in Computer Science from Columbia University in 2011, where he developed a strong foundation in data science and network security before transitioning into tech media.
Throughout his career, Luca has been recognized for his clear, analytical approach to explaining complex technologies. His in-depth articles explore how AI innovations, privacy frameworks, and next-generation devices impact both industry and society.
Luca’s work has appeared across leading digital publications, where he delivers detailed reviews, investigative reports, and feature analyses on major players such as Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, AMD, Intel, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity AI.
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Thegamepost.com is a gaming and entertainment news website that provides news articles, guides, previews, and reviews on video games, movies, and TV shows. It is not a platform for playing games or making purchases, but rather a source of information for the gaming community.
Elena Voren is a senior journalist and Tech Section Editor with 8 years of experience focusing on AI ethics, social media impact, and consumer software. She is recognized for interviewing industry leaders and academic experts while clearly distinguishing opinion from evidence-based reporting.
She earned her B.A. in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley (2016), where she studied human-computer interaction, AI, and digital behavior.
Elena’s work emphasizes the societal implications of technology, ensuring readers understand both the practical and ethical dimensions of emerging tools. She leads the Tech Section at Faharas NET, supervising coverage on AI, consumer software, digital society, and privacy technologies, while maintaining rigorous editorial standards.
Based in Berlin, Germany, Elena provides insightful analyses on technology trends, ethical AI deployment, and the influence of social platforms on modern life.
