Destiny 2 Steam Player Count Falls 80% After Edge of Fate Expansion

Destiny 2’s latest expansion, Edge of Fate, was supposed to breathe new life into Bungie’s long-running shooter. Instead, it has triggered one of the steepest drops in player engagement the game has ever seen.

According to SteamDB data (via TheGamePost), the game’s concurrent player count has fallen by more than 80% since the expansion’s launch, leaving the community frustrated and questioning the future of the franchise.

A Rocky Expansion Launch

On paper, Edge of Fate promised sweeping improvements. Bungie introduced a new Portal system to help newcomers ease into the game, revamped armor stats, and rolled out a fresh gear tiering system. The studio pitched these changes as a way to simplify progression and give players more flexibility. But in practice, the rollout has been plagued with bugs and confusing mechanics.

The Portal, meant to be a centerpiece feature, has been riddled with issues. Some players even suggested it should have been delayed entirely. Armor stat bugs and gear inconsistencies only added to the frustration, with Bungie later acknowledging many of the problems the community flagged.

Numbers Tell the Story

The population decline has been stark. On launch day, Edge of Fate peaked at 98,211 concurrent players on Steam. Compare that to previous expansions—Lightfall hit 316,750, The Witch Queen reached 290,112, and even The Final Shape managed 314,634. In the last 24 hours, Destiny 2 peaked at just 28,150 players, marking its lowest point since the game arrived on Steam.

Average player counts paint a similar picture. June 2025 saw around 21,000 average players. July’s expansion bump pushed that to 41,497, but by August it had already dropped to 34,738. Over the past 30 days, the average has sunk further to just 20,437.

Community Frustration Boils Over

On Reddit, fans haven’t held back. A post titled “I think this game is finally dying” drew over 1,500 replies, with players pointing to empty playlists, recycled content, and punishing difficulty. One user summed it up: “The game is dying because there’s nothing to do! Recycled content, same strikes, and this is like the seventh time we’ve seen Hung Jury.”

Others expressed burnout after years of grinding. “I was a day one player. Never went a day without playing Destiny. Now, I haven’t turned the game on since downloading the new season,” one long-time fan admitted.

Regional Lockouts and Refunds

The situation worsened when players in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and nearby regions suddenly couldn’t log in at all, receiving TAPIR errors across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. Bungie eventually responded, stating: “Destiny services are not available where access is restricted by law.”

In response, Steam began issuing full refunds for Edge of Fate and the premium Year of Prophecy Ultimate Edition, even for players who had exceeded the usual two-hour playtime refund window.

For now, the big question is whether Bungie can turn things around or if Edge of Fate will be remembered as the expansion that pushed players away.