Rust has had a very successful start to 2021, as the multiplayer sandbox survival game has topped Steam's weekly list of the top-selling PC games for three weeks in a row. The surge tied to a rise in popularity among Twitch streamers playing together on the same server, but this past week has marked the end of Rust's reign. The latest weekly Steam rankings have been released and Rust has fallen several places, with indie game Dyson Sphere Program taking the top position.
Dyson Sphere Program is surging on the chart because it's a new Early Access release. For those unfamiliar with the indie game, it's a simulation strategy title in which players are able to grow an automated interstellar industrial empire starting from a single workshop. Surprisingly, Dyson Sphere Project's success is largely due to word of mouth. Like many strategy games, it isn't very popular on Twitch or social media. Regardless, it clearly has an audience among PC gamers.
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Number two on Steam's chart is also a new entry, having launched this past week. The game's name, translated from Simplified Chinese, is named Tale of Immortal. It's an open-world sandbox game rooted in Chinese mythology. English is not supported in Tale of Immortal, which should provide some insight into both its and Dyson Sphere Program's sudden success.
For those unfamiliar, China has its own unique version of Steam that only allows games that have been approved by the Chinese government. However, many Chinese PC gamers still use the international version of Steam since it features so many more games. Both Dyson Sphere Program and Tale of Immortal are developed by Chinese game developers. Their place atop Steam's charts shows just how driven the Chinese market is for PC games developed in the region.
Rounding out Steam's top 10 are many of the familiar faces that have adorned the list in the past several weeks. The Valve Index VR package is third, Rust is in fourth, and Cyberpunk 2077 is in fifth. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Red Dead Redemption 2, Phasmophobia, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive - Operation Broken Fang, and Skul: The Hero Slayer fill out the remaining five places.
Keep in mind that Steam's weekly chart is organized not by overall games sold, but by revenue. As such, a game with a $40 price is worth two at $20. That helps explain why the Valve Index VR is frequently near the top of the list, even though it's not selling as many units as each weeks' hottest games. As for Rust, it'll be interesting to see if the game surges on Steam's chart again to start February, as an OfflineTV server reset will be happening for Twitch streamers' private server.
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