-
Advertisement
Video gaming
AbacusCulture

Two of the most popular games on Steam now are from China

Tencent's battle royale Ring of Elysium and indie game The Scroll of Taiwu reach the top ten most-played list on Valve's gaming platform

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Two of the most popular games on Steam now are from China
Josh Ye
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Two of the most-played games on Steam right now are from China -- but they’re popular for two very different reasons.

Chinese indie title The Scroll of Taiwu and Tencent’s new winter battle royale Ring of Elysium are the 9th and 10th most played games on Steam.
There are 17 million Steam users in China, a country where it isn’t officially available. (Picture: Steam)
There are 17 million Steam users in China, a country where it isn’t officially available. (Picture: Steam)
Advertisement

This isn’t just down to the enormous number of Chinese gamers out there, though. Steam may be the world’s most popular PC gaming platform, but it’s not officially available in China. But the platform became hugely popular after the arrival of PUBG, leading to a huge spike in the number of Chinese gamers on Steam.

PUBG, the battle royale pioneer

That population of Chinese gamers on Steam explains the success of The Scroll of Taiwu, given that it’s only available in Chinese. But Tencent’s Ring of Elysium seems to be gaining traction with Western gamers instead.

Advertisement
The winter battle royale puts tourists on a mountain during an apocalyptic blizzard. There’s only one rescue helicopter left, so you you can snowboard or hang-glide your way down the mountain… oh, and you also have to kill all the other tourists to ensure you get a seat on the chopper.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x