It turns out Steam's 2017 releases may not be as addicting as one might hope. A new report from GitHyp reveals that Steam's top 10 most-played games for the year were all released before 2017 even began. That is, except for one title: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
GitHyp regularly tracks Steam's most-played games, calculating how many players hop online per day, when playercount peaks, and how many players are currently online, among other values. And according to GitHyp's statistics, PUBG ranks in first place with over three million players. No other games from 2017 can be found on the top 10 list, and it's not until 12th place that another game from this year emerges—Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Listed below are the top 10 games for 2017, along with the approximate playercount tallied for each.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ~3 million players
Dota 2 ~1 million players
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive ~800,000 players
Payday 2 ~250,000 players
Grand Theft Auto V ~170,000 players
H1Z1 ~150,000 players
Warframe ~120,000 players
ARK: Survival Evolved ~1000,000 players
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege ~100,000 players
Path of Exile ~100,000 players
Last year was great for gaming overall, and as the second Steam Awards reveals, games like Cuphead and Sonic Mania certainly proved PC gaming has plenty of great hits to look forward to during even a slower year. But as far as Steam games go, sometimes great titles from the past few years are just hard to beat.
In an announcement that likely surprises exactly no one, Nintendo confirmed that the Switch is now the fastest-selling console in U.S. history, thanks to data compiled via internal sales info.
The console has officially beaten out the original Wii's sales numbers from when it launched in the US as well, leading to a ridiculously successful launch and what will remain a bustling part of the console's life cycle.
Since the console's launch back on March 3, 2017, it's managed to amass over 4.8 million units sold in the 10 months since its debut. Those are impressive numbers, and it's not just localized to Nintendo consoles. Those are the best numbers, period, for all video game consoles in the U.S. The old record holder was the Wii, with four million units sold during the same amount of time.
With titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey out on store shelves, it's clear Nintendo is going to be able to keep up the momentum with solid games and system-sellers that get people to pull the trigger on the Switch in general. Those games themselves managed to accrue some impressive review scores and sales numbers as well, meaning the Switch is and will likely remain a powerhouse in terms of moving units and making mountains of cash.
If you still don't have a Switch, it might be time to admit that it probably does live up to the hype. If you're a big first-party Nintendo fan and enjoy ports, it's an interesting system that's definitely worth picking up.
The original Star Wars: Battlefront II launched back in 2005, over 12 years ago. It's just gotten a new patch for PC users, if you can believe that. The new Star Wars Battlefront II may have just hit physical and digital store shelves near the end of 2017, but there's still love out there for the original game, too.
The patch is a pretty small one, but it proves there's still a loyal fanbase surrounding the original sequel. According to Disney, it's a mass of bug fixes, which resolve issues with Steam username displays, ping calculations, and the game's lobby and matchmaking. There's admittedly not a lot to it, but it's enough to let fans know their concerns are still being heard, and this beloved title is still being supported.
In fact, this is a revitalization for the game, when it got a new update to add multiplayer support in October 2017, with cross-play for Steam and GOG buyers added in as well. It was likely added in not only as a response to the fervor for the game since the new Battlefront II released, but to curry fan favor after EA dropped the ball on the fan experience with all things related to loot crates when the new title launched.
It's always pretty heartwarming in some way to see older games still receiving support. And given how in many ways the original Star Wars: Battlefront II is superior to the new game (though they both have their high and low points) it's refreshing that you still have options in terms of which game you're going to spend time with your friends in.
Minecraft features several expansive lands for you to explore, depending on what kind of terrain is generated when you start a new game. Depending on what biome that spawns when you start playing, you can find special areas known as villages, which are small clusters of homes that villagers call home.
Villagers are more than just interesting NPCs, though. They're integral for trading items with, and they add a unique dimension to Minecraft that lends a certain “human” element to the game. Suddenly, Hanging out with villagers, watching them interact with each other, and reaping the benefits of their homes and communities are a unique part of Minecraft as a whole. If you're interested in scouting out villages in Minecraft, here are some simple ways to find them. How to Find Villages on Foot
It's pretty simple to find villages as long as you have a certain “biome” that you're playing in. You can head out to search for them on foot just like you'd be exploring normally, or fly around in Creative Mode to search for villages in a much simpler, more expedient manner.
If you choose to search the game on foot, you should first start with a special seed in-game that will start you out closer to a village at the very beginning. Seeds are simply codes that you can enter before generating a Minecraft world that you have control over. If you use the same seed twice, you'll generate the same kind of world twice, so if you find one that you enjoy using, you can stick with it and will always see the same world generated with the same code.
You can find different seeds all over the internet, so find one that you're interested in using, and you can spawn a new world where you're potentially near the villages this way. Make sure you tick the “Large Biomes” option when you make your new world, which should allow for additional space for villages to appear. While ticking options, also make sure “Generate Structures” is selected, or otherwise you just won't see any villages or buildings whatsoever. This is an important part of the process, so double-check your options before generating a world.
When you've arrived in the world, take a look around the savannah, taiga, desert, and plains areas in your new world. These are some of the only places you'll be able to find villages in the game, since they're flat, grassy, and easy for the villages to appear in. But just because you find these areas, that doesn't mean you'll find a village. They will spawn completely at random, so it all comes down to luck when you're trying to seek one out. It may take some practice and patience, but eventually you'll happen upon one of the villages when you least expect it. You'll know it when you see the small little buildings and taller, tan humanoid creatures milling about. Congratulations on your new discovery! How to Find Villages in Creative Mode
If you want to find villages in Minecraft without having to run around and do all the dirty work, you can always opt to play in Creative Mode instead, where you can fly around the world rather than explore it on foot. You can jump straight up into the air and look around the world you've created in tandem with the suggestions in the “explore on foot” part of this guide.
This way, you can look around at your leisure, empowered to roam the skies and look down on the world below you for any latent villages that may be hidden. Creative Mode obviously doesn't have all of the same features as Survival Mode, but it does make it exponentially easier to seek out villages when you get a bird's eye view of all of the areas below you. It won't matter much if you find villages, however, if you don't need to trade or interact with the villagers, so this option is really more suitable for exploring and seeing what's out there instead of actually using their trading skills.
How to Play Splitscreen Multiplayer in Minecraft on PC
One of the biggest appeals of the console versions of Minecraft is that you can play splitscreen multiplayer, inviting a buddy along for you blocky adventure. While the PC version doesn’t have built in splitscreen, it is possible to play splitscreen multiplayer, in a way. There’s one mod in particular that fans have been using for years, and it’s fairly simple to get.
The mod in question is the Joypad Mod, which allows you to assign a controller to the game while playing on PC. The mod has support up to version 1.13, but the splitscreen feature only works correctly up to version 1.12. That means you’ll need to change your game’s version to an earlier one when you want to play splitscreen, and will only be able to play worlds assigned to that version. If you don’t know how to change versions, there’s a handy walkthrough from Mojang on that.
Now with that out of the way you just need the mod itself, which can be found in various places like MC-Mod. Here’s a rundown of how to install the mod.
Open Minecraft launcher then select Forge profile.
Find your .minecraft application folder: On Windows, open Run from the start menu, type %appdata%\.minecraft\ and click Run. On Mac, open Finder, hold down ALT and click Go then Library in the top menu bar. Open the folder Application Support and look for minecraft.
Place Joypad Mod into your Mods folder. If you don’t have one, create it now.
That was all, enjoy!
The site also gives you a basic walkthrough on how to set up splitscreen. Basically what you need to do is run two different instances of Minecraft on your PC, then assign the controller to one instance and the keyboard and mouse to the other. After that, adjust the two windows however you want on your screen, having each take up half of the screen, and voila, you have yourself splitscreen multiplayer.
If you need further guidance there are some handy video tutorials that you can use for installing Forge and the Joypad mod.
On the Sunday prior to Gamescom 2017, Microsoft pulled a couple of console announcements out of the bag.
There is an Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition for die-hard fans to pre-order for day one. And a special version of the 1TB Xbox One S was unveiled too – a console bundle that will get Minecraft fans a-frothing.
The Xbox One S Minecraft Limited Edition Bundle not only comes with a copy of Minecraft and the Redstone Pack expansion, the console itself is designed to look like a collection of Minecraft blocks.
Pocket-lint
It has been laser etched, to give a tangible texture to the front and sides. And the underneath of the machine is translucent, with redstone elements running underneath.
There are also some Easter Eggs, we were told during a Gamescom briefing, which Minecraft fans will discover in use. Sounds and effects from the game series are also used by this particular Xbox for certain actions.
Up close, it is quite a fetching, if garish, machine that looks best when mounted vertically on the included stand.
We particularly like the included controller, which is designed around a Creeper.
A separate Pig controller will also be available.
The Minecraft Xbox will be available from 3 October priced at £349.99. Pre-orders on Microsoft's Xbox website are open now.
