The concurrent users for Steam – meaning those logged in and active – has recently reached 18.5 million users and shows few signs of slowing down. This is by far the largest amount of concurrent users ever and represents what many see as a continuing trend of the domination of PC gaming.

Previous records for Steam hovered around the 14 million mark in 2015 and 2016, but Steam saw a dramatic rise in April of 2017 following what had been an unprecedented decline in numbers. The decline came out of 2016, which was a big year in gaming, but not necessarily a big year for Steam. Overwatch, which came out in 2016, was exclusive to battle.net, and many of the biggest games of the year including Battlefield 1, Final Fantasy XV, and Dark Souls 3, were much more popular on consoles than on PCs. However, the rise of Battle Royales, especially PUBG, can largely be attributed for the huge surge in Steam’s numbers in early 2017.

PUBG’s beta release came in March of 2017, and just one month later, in April, Steam began to see increases in concurrent users. These numbers steadily increased all year, rising by nearly 1 million users a month.

Despite declining numbers in 2016, Steam remains the leader in gaming sales, accounting for nearly 40% of all game purchases made across all platforms. And while the PS4 boasts an estimated 70 million users, with Xbox trailing at 52 million, the number of registered Steam accounts sits at a staggering 125 million.

If Battle Royales continue to gain popularity, and especially if they make a break into esports, Steam’s popularity can be expected to continue to climb. Steam already hosts and sells two of the most popular esports with CS:GO and Dota 2, but it also sells Rocket League, PUBG, Paladins, and a number of other games trying to climb the ranks of esports. It’s likely that as esports continue to gain popularity, so too will Steam.