AION 2 Tops Steam Sales Chart and Peaks Above 170K Concurrent Players Ahead of Free Launch

Steam launch performance during paid Advanced Access

NC's MMORPG AION 2 entered Steam's paid Advanced Access on September 30 for holders of Founder's Packs priced at $24.99, $49.99, and $99.99 in the United States, ahead of its free-to-play launch on October 5. The period functions as a five-day head start rather than Steam Early Access in the unfinished-development sense, with each pack tier granting access during this window.

According to SteamDB figures cited by both outlets, AION 2 reached an all-time peak of 171,530 concurrent Steam players on its first day, and a subsequent 24-hour peak above 137,000 remained at the time of reporting. Inven Global recorded a daily peak of 147,878 on the third day of Early Access, consistent with the broader pattern that the opening figure was not a brief login spike.

Revenue ranking and top-seller status

Steam listed AION 2 as the number-one title on its global top-sellers chart for a period, a list ordered by revenue rather than units sold. Inven Global, reporting on the third day of paid access, placed AION 2 at second in revenue and sixth in global concurrent players. NC has not announced an official sales total or revenue figure, and concurrent figures do not translate directly into sales because some accounts may use promotional or complimentary keys.

Player sentiment and review distribution

Steam reviews for AION 2 have produced a "Mostly Positive" overall rating, with approximately 76% recommending the game across more than 4,300 reviews logged in the first days. Inven Global reported 76.2% positive reviews overall, with reviews from players holding more than one hour of playtime at 80% positive and reviews from players with more than 10 hours at 86% positive, both qualifying as "Very Positive" on Steam's rating scale.

Positive responses highlighted the character creator, large fantasy environments, action combat, and the return of unrestricted flight as a defining exploration feature. Sentiment has held up despite MMOs being a genre associated with server instability during launch windows.

Comparison with NC's prior launch and game scope

Built with Unreal Engine 5, AION 2 features a world described as 36 times larger than the original AION, eight playable classes, PvE and PvP content, two opposing factions, and aerial combat. Inven Global drew a comparison with THRONE AND LIBERTY, NC's 2024 release, which recorded a daily peak of roughly 50,000 concurrent players during its Founder's Pack access period before surging to 330,000 at official launch. On early-access figures alone, AION 2 is recording nearly triple THRONE AND LIBERTY's pre-launch concurrent numbers.

Next milestone: the free-to-play launch on October 5

The larger test arrives on October 5, when the Founder's Pack requirement is removed and AION 2 becomes free to play. Player numbers are expected to see a significant surge over the weekend and as free-to-play users begin joining in earnest, with attention focused on whether AION 2 will surpass its current concurrent-player record.